KAZU News

Santa Cruz County expands free well water testing, Vegan Chef Challenge comes to town

KAZU | By Erin Malsbury,

Published April 1, 2026 at 2:00 AM PDT

A colorful dish with what appears to be pickled onions, a chunky green sauce, and a spiral-shaped dough. — Twenty-seven local businesses in the Santa Cruz area will feature plant-based dishes on their menus from April 1-30 as part of the inaugural Santa Cruz Vegan Chef Challenge.

In today's newscast, Santa Cruz County will now be able to test for more contaminants as part of an expanded free well water testing program. And, the inaugural Santa Cruz Vegan Chef Challenge kicks off today.

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Erin Malsbury

Erin is an award-winning journalist and photographer. She's written for local and national outlets, including the Smithsonian and Science Magazine. She has a master's degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

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Elena Neale-Sacks

Elena is an Emmy award-winning researcher, reporter, and producer. At KAZU, they cover agriculture, housing and homelessness, and the aftermath of the January 2025 lithium battery fire in Moss Landing. Their reporting and research has been featured on NPR, KQED, Netflix, Reveal, CalMatters, and more. Elena is an alum of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and UC Santa Cruz. You can reach them at elena@kazu.org.

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