In today's newscast:
Spike in 911 calls causes hours-long “level 0” in Santa Cruz County
“Level zero” means no ambulances are free to immediately respond to emergency calls. County spokesperson Jason Hoppin says it happens everyday. But what was unusual about Oct. 19 was how long it lasted.
“ We got a 104 calls over a 24-hour period for service," said Hoppin. "The typical volume is between 70 and 80."
Patients still receive paramedic care during a level zero — it’s the ride to the hospital that gets held up. Overall, 20 calls for transport services—most of them non-urgent—were delayed an average of six minutes.
The code does trigger protocols that prioritize the most serious calls once a vehicle becomes available.
“ The system has multiple redundancies to make sure that people are getting transported to the hospital," Hoppin explained. "I just want to stress that people are getting care.”
Local ambulances were fully staffed during the period in question and Hoppin says there’s no clear explanation for the surge of 911 calls.
Salinas voters to consider Measure H
Salinas is a renter city. According to census data, 53% of residents don’t own their homes.
Next week, Salinas voters will consider Measure H. It determines the fate of four rental ordinances, including rent stabilization.
Chris Benner is a sociology professor at UC Santa Cruz who studies housing.
"The way it's phrased on the ballot of the 'yes' and 'no' is opposite of what you would normally think," said Benner.
"'No' means we need to protect renters, and 'yes' means you want to protect landlords, even though it's not phrased that way."
Measure H made it onto the ballot via referendum after the city council tried to repeal the rental ordinances in 2025.
For more on Measure H, check out reporter Ellie Prickett-Morgan's full story.
