Cyclospora economics affect local growers
The parasite cyclospora has not been detected on produce grown in California. But farmers are still feeling the effects of the nationwide illness outbreak.
The Central Coast and nearby valleys produce most of the United States’ leafy greens. But right now, Tony Alameda, an owner of Top Flavor Farms in San Juan Bautista, says people aren’t buying.
"It's a shame, because it has nothing to do with anything we've done in the region, and yet you're just impacted," he said.
Standing next to a field of lettuce, he says some growers aren’t harvesting 30% to 40% of their crop because of the reduced demand, "which means the crews aren't working, so somebody's sitting home," he added.
"They're not making their money, so it's devastating from top to bottom."
In California, the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement sets food safety standards and mandates government audits to protect public health.
Santa Cruz homelessness count
Santa Cruz County has released the results of its Point-in-Time Count of people experiencing homelessness. The January canvas found 1,648 people without housing. That’s an increase of 176 from last year.
The federal government mandates a point-in-time count every other year, but Santa Cruz County does theirs each year. The county says changes in who got counted this year contributed to the increased number. They included people at safe parking and safe sleeping locations for the first time. That total was 126 people.
As in Monterey County, Santa Cruz saw an increase in the number of people who reported losing housing for the first time. The number of unhoused people ages 18-24 also increased, by 62. The county report indicated this, too, could be attributed to changes aimed at getting a more accurate count.
