Hillary OJeda

A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge scheduled a November trial date for Leif Ames, who faces murder charges in the killing of his friend Hubert Cross in Live Oak in 2020. The trial has been delayed on at least eight occasions.

A Pajaro Valley Unified School District committee has recommended renaming Cesar E. Chavez Middle School either Central Coast Middle School or Tagami Hashimoto Middle School following allegations of sexual abuse against the late civil rights and farmworker advocate that surfaced earlier this year. The school board reviewed the options last week and is expected to vote on a new name at a future meeting.

A Pajaro Valley Unified School District committee has recommended renaming Cesar E. Chavez Middle School either Central Coast Middle School or Tagami Hashimoto Middle School following allegations of sexual abuse against the late civil rights and farmworker advocate that surfaced earlier this year. The school board reviewed the options last week and is expected to vote on a new name at a future meeting.

Watsonville police officers arrested a 22-year-old woman Friday after they say she posted a threatening comment on Instagram directed at the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board.

Pajaro Valley Unified School District Chief Business Officer Gerardo Castillo announced his resignation this week after less than a year on the job. His departure comes as the district grapples with continued strains on its budget.

Dignity Health Medical Foundation’s decision to change its physician contracting structure has prompted more than a dozen doctors and advanced practice providers to work for other health systems. Patients say they're concerned about healthcare access, while hospital officials say they're recruiting new clinicians.

A new civil grand jury report faults the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission for decades of flawed planning on the coastal rail corridor. It says officials advanced proposals without adequately accounting for engineering, legal and financial realities, and recommends that the commission adopt stronger project evaluation and strategic planning processes.

Dozens of staff members and supporters rallied outside Santa Cruz's Dominican Hospital on Tuesday to oppose proposed layoffs and reductions to part-time status affecting 22 nurse educators, monitor technicians and unit coordinators, arguing that the cuts would undermine patient safety and place additional burdens on front-line nurses.

A new report from the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury says that had the county implemented a widely adopted traffic safety approach, it might have avoided some pedestrian injuries and fatalities. The grand jury recommends that the county adopt an action to implement the Vision Zero strategy to eliminate pedestrian injuries and fatalities.

UC Santa Cruz will begin offering two years of guaranteed housing to its new undergraduate students starting this fall.