Author: KION

Sandra Iveth Santos

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — During Bracero Worker History Week, Monterey County paid tribute to a worker who survived the 1963 tragedy in Chualar.

On Tuesday, 84-year-old Isidro Hernández Tovar was presented with an award for his work. Tovar currently lives in Tapachula near Los Angeles.

In an interview with historian Jose Sánchez, Tovar recalled that on September 17, 1963 he was riding on that bus. He was one of the youngest farm workers at barely 18 years old.

Tovar says that at least three of his fellow workers, originally from Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, were also on the truck.

The Chualar tragedy claimed 32 lives and left 25 others injured. Several of the injured were admitted to a hospital in the Monterey area, according to testimonies and medical records from that time.

Some of the survivors who Sánchez interviewed, spoke about their experiences while under the care of nurses.

In his most recent collection, Sánchez published a new compilation highlighting the surviving farmhands and their memories during the moment they regained consciousness, many of them learning about the tragedy that had taken the lives of their coworkers for the first time.

Tovar also remembered how he survived serious injuries, spending one month in the hospital.

He still carries with him the memory of that time in his life, a part of local history in Monterey County.

This is a developing story, we will have more details.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ata Shaheen

CAPITOLA, Calif. (KION-TV) — The Capitola City Council unanimously approved its ordinance prohibiting the sale of any tobacco product that includes a component that is not intended to be consumed—specifically filters embedded within cigarettes or cigars.

The approval came from the council’s September 11 meeting.

The full agenda report, including background about the ordinance, is available here.

According to the document, “The ordinance will not be enforced until at least two incorporated cities in the County adopt similar legislation, or until January 1, 2027, whichever comes later.”

Capitola poised to ban sale of filtered cigarettes after unanimous vote

CAPITOLA, Calif. (KION-TV) — Capitola is following in the historic footsteps of Santa Cruz. It’s now on the verge of outlawing the sale of normal cigarettes.

Environmental and public health activists are celebrating, while store owners are worried about their livelihoods.

“It is time we enact policies that are truly that truly protect human health, public health and our environment,” said Council Member Melinda Orbach.

Dozens of people filled up Capitola’s council chambers Thursday night, and offered impassioned public comment

“If we pass this, you will see me back, suing the county and you.”

“Cigarette filters should be banned nationwide, and as the public comment letters show, the counties south of us are just waiting to follow your lead.”

The council unanimously adopted a resolution to ban the butt.

Supporters say it’s about protecting the environment, but it’s also about countering decades of tobacco industry propaganda and working toward a healthier society.

“Big tobacco has been, you know, deceiving people, lying about things and selling products that, you know, are designed to kill people. And these filters are just an extension of that problem. They kill our environment. They pollute our waterways, they get into the wildlife, they set fires,” said surfer and activist Taylor Lane.

Folks on the other side say the littering angle is just a cover for what’s really an attack on tobacco.

Alessandra Magnasco represents gas station and convenience store owners with the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance.

“Plenty of businesses would be happy to initiate a litter abatement fee on every single pack of cigarets. City of San Francisco has been doing this, I believe, for 10 to 15 years now. It’s worked great over there. I don’t see why. If Capitola really wants to address litter, why they wouldn’t do the same thing,” she said.

The main sentiment from those against the ban – it won’t move the needle on littering, but it could be catastrophic for their businesses.

“Tourists will bring their own cigarettes and litter. Smokers will simply shop nearby towns and still smoke on our beaches and our local business will lose revenue, lay off employees and even close now bankrupt,” said business advocate Sherry Deng.

Council member Orbach said she wants the city to work closely with tobacco retailers to ease them into the transition; however, it’s unclear what that would look like.

“I think this is a great opportunity for our local businesses to be creative and find different ways to bring in new revenue source,” said Orbach.

The ban in Capitola needs to pass a second vote at the next council meeting. It’s expected to have the same result, and then it will go into effect in July 2027.

That would make Capitola the second city in the world with such a ban. The same thing is already slated to go into effect in Santa Cruz 6 months earlier in January 2027.

Click here to follow the original article.

Victor Guzman

SOLEDAD, Calif. (KION-TV) — Cal Fire BEU said that firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire in Soledad just after 6:20 a.m.

The fire displaced four adults and two children, according to Cal Fire BEU, although all people did make it out of the building without incident and with no injuries.

Firefighters say that fire and smoke were mostly contained in the attic.

Cal Fire says the fire was at the 300 block of Soledad Street in the city.

The address posted by the agency appears to match a home address.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mickey Adams

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) — The Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) notified parents that Watsonville’s water supply showed Hexavalant Chromium levels above the state standard, but the city telling people that its water is still safe.

The water samples showed levels between 12 to 20 parts per billion, which is above the state standard of 10 parts per billion (ppb).

The city says that it is working to address these levels, but stress that this is not an emergency.

While some people who drink water containing an excess of this chemical over years may have an increased risk of cancer.

Watsonville’s water system will not be in violation of regulations until October of 2026, now working with the California Water Resources Control Board for a fix before that deadline.

“Specifically, this includes conducting a water system evaluation, the development of a Cr6+ treatment alternative analysis, pilot testing, permitting, and project design,” according to the City of Watsonville.

Click here to follow the original article.

Tianan Phelps

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains is known to be a dangerous stretch of road.

Now, the CHP is cracking down on risky driving in that area.

“We are going to have more officers on Highway 17 and throughout the county, also Highway 1,” said Officer Israel Murillo. “We are going to be using our social media to notify the public if it’s raining that morning please slow down, be patient, leave space in between yourself and other vehicles.” 

Highway 17 — one of the fastest routes between Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley — becomes particularly dangerous when navigated by impatient drivers and heavy traffic.

Its sharp curves add to the notoriously dangerous commute. 

“There’s been numerous accidents over the years and usually it’s somebody tailgating or going too fast or cutting somebody off… things like that,” said one commuter Denine Polito.

”Theres always been a lot of accidents and there’s always been a lot of traffic because of the accidents and I think they made a lot of improvements over the years,” said another commuter David Lively. “It’s overall a lot safer than what it used to be.”

For thousands of people, Highway 17 is a daily reality, and the CHP says the key to fewer accidents is not changing the road itself, but changing driver behavior. 

“When you’re stuck in traffic, please be patient,” says Officer Murillo. “Be respectful, be courteous… because sometimes when people are impatient they make mistakes such as cutting people off, unsafe lane changes, which results in highway violence.”

Officer Murillo reminding drivers that slowing down and driving responsibly can save lives.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jeanette Bent

MOSS LANDING, Calif. (KION-TV) — An eye witnessed told KION that smoke was seen near the Moss Landing battery storage facility on Monday.

North County Fire confirmed that the reported smoke turned out to be steam from a nearby cogeneration gas plant and that the battery storage facility is not on fire.

Click here to follow the original article.

Victor Guzman

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — Salinas Police are searching for a suspect in the robbery of a Dollar General along North Main Street in the city.

Police say the suspect left the scene prior to police arriving at the 1045 North Main Street location.

Police say the suspect is around 5’10” with a mustache and beard. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, jeans and a black beanie with some letter. Police say the suspect also has a tattoo on his left cheek. Also describing the suspect as Hispanic.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Salinas Police at 831-758-7321

Click here to follow the original article.

Victor Guzman

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — CHP Santa Cruz confirms a motorcyclist was killed after crashing into a Nissan that was abandoned on Highway 17 in the Scotts Valley area early Sunday morning.

The CHP said an unknown driver of a 2012 Nissan 370Z crashed their car into an advisory sign and call box while traveling northbound on Highway 17 north of Santas Village Road around 5:20 am.

Officers said the driver then ran off from the scene. Shortly after a 37-year-old San Jose man was riding his motorcycle in the same area when he collided into the rear of the Nissan.

The rider was ejected and died at the scene.

The CHP said they’re searching for the driver of the Nissan and are asking anyone to contact the CHP if they have any information on the crash or driver.

Anyone with information can call CHP Santa Cruz at 831-219-0200, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. After hours, they can call the CHP Monterey Communications Center at 831-796-2160.

Click here to follow the original article.

Briana Mathaw

SAN BENITO COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) –Big changes are coming to a well-known trouble spot on Highway 101 in San Benito County. Following dozens of crashes near Rocks Road, some of them deadly. Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol are taking permanent action.

“Over the past five years, the intersection near Rocks and Cannon Roads has seen more than 50 crashes, many of them serious. About 25 to 30 percent of those collisions resulted in injuries, and at least two were fatal,” Captain Noel Coady said.

To reduce the danger, Caltrans is permanently shutting down the median crossover at Rocks and Cannon Roads.

This means drivers will no longer be able to make left turns onto Highway 101 from either road. The move is meant to improve safety in an area that sees high traffic volumes, particularly from trucks transporting goods.

“Given the heavier volumes, given that it’s really a vital truck corridor for both agriculture and freight, we want to make sure that everybody going in the north and southbound direction of 101 through Rocks Road, Cannon Road area aren’t surprised by vehicles crossing in front of them,” Kevin Drabinski said.

The closure also has long term infrastructure benefits. Guardrails in the area are often damaged during collisions, leading to frequent and costly maintenance.

“We also have the added benefit of safeguarding the infrastructure. Because of collisions in the area, we have guardrail damage from time to time. So it takes away that maintenance and it adds to the security once the integrity of the guardrail can be safeguarded,” Kevin Drabinski said.

The closure is scheduled to begin Friday night at 9 p.m. During that time, crews will reduce Highway 101 to a single lane in each direction overnight while they close the entrances from Rocks and Cannon Roads.

“That will be the traffic impact, where traffic through that area will be reduced to a single lane while crews close the entrances from Rocks Road and Cannon Road. But that will be a permanent closure,” Kevin Drabinski said.

Drivers who normally use the intersection will need to take a short detour.

“People that come on the, as it were, the eastbound side from Rocks Road who want to go southbound will just jump up northbound 101 to the 156 interchange and turn around. And those coming from Cannon Road who want to go north will head south down to the San Juan Grade interchange,” Kevin Drabinski said.

Emergency vehicles, however, will still have access to the closed median.

“First responders will be able to use that median in order to be able to respond in a timely way to their calls. But it will be closed for the traveling public and reserved for those emergency vehicles,” Kevin Drabinski said.

Drivers in the area should prepare for the overnight work, which is expected to last until 7 or 8 a.m. Saturday morning.

Click here to follow the original article.

Sergio Berrueta

APTOS, Calif. (KION-TV) – Cabrillo College confirmed it will be one of the colleges losing funding for its Hispanic grant programs.

The Trump Administration is ending several grant programs reserved for colleges with large numbers of minority students.

The Aptos-based College confirms it’s losing $3 million for two of its programs, Camino al Exito and Abriendo el Camino, under the cuts.

More than $250 million of the total $350 million being cut was budgeted for the government’s Hispanic-serving institution program.

It offers grants to colleges and universities where at least a quarter of undergrads are Hispanic.

The Trump Administration claims the grants amount to illegal discrimination by tying federal money to racial quotas. 

Click here to follow the original article.