KAZU News

Monterey Bay This Week: Robotics competition, housing solutions, PFAS chemicals, and more

KAZU | By Ngozi Cole,

Martha Tabares, Elena Neale-Sacks, Katie Brown, Erin Malsbury

Published April 11, 2026 at 2:00 AM PDT

7 speakers stand under a black pop-up tent with flags flying from each post. A map colored with red zones indicating pesticide-laden areas is in the center of the photo. — Concerned community members protest the use of pesticides, that can include PFAS, outside Driscoll's headquarters in Watsonville on Sept. 2, 2025.

In this week's news roundup:

Plus other stories from the week.

Tags

Ngozi Cole

Before joining KAZU, Ngozi covered health, business and economy stories for WYSO in southwest Ohio and The Ohio Newsroom. She’s also worked as a freelance reporter for Reveal, The New Humanitarian and other outlets.

See stories by Ngozi Cole

Martha Tabares

Martha Tabares is a student intern at KAZU News, and started in January 2026. She is a third year at Cal Sate Monterey Bay, and is majoring in Humanities and Communications with a minor in Journalism. Martha has hopes for a career in fashion journalism.

See stories by Martha Tabares

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.

See stories by Elena Neale-Sacks

Katie Brown

Katie Brown comes to KAZU after earning spot news and investigative journalism awards for her reporting and photography in Maine. A Report for America alumna and former Metcalf Institute fellow, Katie’s reporting beats span business, environment, and public health.

See stories by Katie Brown

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.

See stories by Erin Malsbury