In today's newscast:
Beach hazard statement remains in effect through Satuday
The recent viral video of a teenaged lifeguard rescuing a boy at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz is just one of several ocean rescues this season.
Santa Cruz assistant harbormaster Sean Rothwell works with a search and rescue team. In the last two months, they’ve responded to more than 25 emergency calls.
Rothwell says that’s about average for summer, but intense waves have made some rescues more challenging.
"It's not necessarily affecting statistics," he said, "but the types of rescues we're seeing are a little bit more critical because those south swells that have been coming—they hit the shore really hard."
Many Santa Cruz beaches face south, which is the direction most summertime waves come from. And, the ocean can look calm between sets of large waves.
"So don’t turn your back to the ocean."
Rothwell says check with lifeguards about conditions and stay on the beach when things feel iffy.
Central Coast support for lawsuit opposing ICE in Gilroy
An amicus brief filed in San Jose this week includes 11 Central Coast communities. That’s thanks to the leadership of Monterey County officials, who worked hard to gather the signatures.
A total of 26 local governments joined the coalition supporting a lawsuit from Santa Clara County and Attorney General Rob Bonta to prevent construction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Gilroy.
Monterey County chief deputy counsel Marina Pantchenko says they have the health of Monterey County’s 80,000 farmworkers in mind. Farmworkers are often ICE targets.
"There are known, documented harms of PTSD and trauma in children for being separated (from their parents), even for a short period of time," she said, "especially younger children."
Pantchenko says the harms can have lifetime ramifications. They might include behavioral challenges and suicidal thoughts.
