Local News

The future of 5,800 acres north of Santa Cruz now rests with President Obama and his final days in office. At issue is a proposed national monument that has divided a Central Coast community. Supporters feel highly optimistic Obama will create the monument, but opponents worry if that happens, the incoming Congress will do nothing to support it.  

Last week we introduced you to the varsity soccer coach from Alisal High School.  It’s located in one of Salinas' toughest neighborhoods.  Coach Mark Cisneros was trying to raise money to take his team to Los Angeles to play some of the best high school soccer teams in the nation.  And the community, including many KAZU listeners, responded in a big way to his online Go Fund Me campaign. 

With gangs, poverty and overcrowding, Salinas’ Alisal neighborhood can be a tough place to grow up.  For some kids, their refuge is sports. 

The Dalai Lama and retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who have been friends for more than two decades, recently collaborated on The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World.  It’s a book they wrote with the help of Santa Cruz native Doug Abrams.

As the weather gets colder, providing shelter for the homeless becomes a bigger priority throughout California.   In Monterey County, the homeless population far outnumbers the amount of available shelter beds; being homeless means you probably don’t know where you are going to sleep tonight.

This fall President Barack Obama honored Luis Valdez with the National Medal of Arts.  The playwright is a the founder of El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista.  He was also a founding professor at CSUMB.  CSUMB President Eduardo Ochoa welcomed Valdez back on campus for an event on November 22nd at the World Theater.

These are Representative Sam Farr’s last weeks in Congress. He retires in January after serving the Monterey Bay Area for 23 years.  Even as he packs to leave, he working to complete legislation still moving through both houses. I reached him at his office in DC to talk about this time of transition for himself and the country.

Today the owners of the CEMEX Sand Mine in Marina will miss yet another deadline to formally respond to the California Coastal Commission.  The sand mine has been operating on the coast of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary without a permit, but the Commission only recently took action. 

California’s June 7th Primary election may see the largest increase in new voters in decades.

The Monterey County Elections Office looks like a department store at Christmas. New voters are registering to vote.  Others are asking questions.  And the staff is gearing up for what is likely to be a very busy night.

Abalone is classic California seafood, but the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch lists it as a “best choice” and a shellfish to avoid. Why the split?

Turns out, the way abalone is raised makes a big difference. Growing techniques vary between aquatic farms; some are environmentally friendly while others are destructive.