Category: kion-local-news

Mickey Adams

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — Another Santa Cruz County Starbucks location has unionized, they announced Friday.

The 41st Avenue and Soquel coffee chain location voted to join Starbucks Workers United.

This new addition marks the 6th Starbucks in the Santa Cruz area to join the union, now one of over 600 locations within 45 states to have joined.

Starbucks Workers United saying that they are pushing to win workplace protections against issues like making a living wage, lack of respect, racial and gender equality problems, as well as scheduling and staffing shortages.

The union saying that they have filed over 100 unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks in recent months.

One Starbucks spokesperson responded by adding that the company respects their employees’ right to choose to unionize through a fair and democratic process, while working together to make Starbucks the “best job in retail.

“At Starbucks, our success starts and ends with our partners (employees),” said the spokesperson. “Hourly partners receive pay above industry average and best-in-class benefits, together worth an average of $30 per hour for those who work at least 20 hours per week.”

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Katie Nicora

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — Salinas Valley Health (SVH) is marking a major milestone for its mobile clinic.

They say that in just 4.5 years of operation, 20,000 patient visits have been provided.

According to SVH, many people visiting the mobile clinic are first-time patients of any healthcare provider.

The clinic offers preventive and primary care, simple urgent care, screenings and other health services free of charge.

Services are offered on a first-come, first-served basis (unless an appointment has been made).

The SVH mobile clinic schedule is as follows:

Sundays 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.Salinas Regional Soccer Complex1440 Constitution Blvd., Salinas

Mondays 3:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.Alisal High School777 Williams Road, Salinas

Tuesdays 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.Walmart1800 N. Main Street, Salinas

Tuesdays 2:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.Everett Alvarez High School1900 Independence Blvd., Salinas

Wednesdays 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.Greenfield Family Resource Center493 El Camino Real, Greenfield

Thursdays 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.MLK Family Resource Center925 North Sanborn Road, Salinas

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Jeanette Bent

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION-TV) — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has announced that it will be offering financial support to eligible customers needing help paying for past-due energy bills.

The company saying that it has allotted $50 million towards new and existing programs, including the Match My Payment Program and the PG&E Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH) program.

According to PG&E, 5,196 customers in Monterey County could qualify for the Match My Payment Program of up to $1,000, while 1,027 people in San Benito and 2,513 people in Santa Cruz counties could qualify.

Of that amount, 5,089 in Monterey, 612 in San Benito and 1,867 Santa Cruz County residents could be eligible for REACH funding of up to $300.

PG&E’s Match My Payment Program offers a dollar-for-dollar match up to $1,000, while the REACH program provides income-eligible customers a bill credit of up to $300 based on the past-due bill.

The Match My Payment Program is scheduled to end December 31, 2025 with eligibility based on federal income guidelines (i.e. a family of four making less than $128,600 per year).

Application information and more details about the programs, can be found by visiting PG&E’s website here.

Funding is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on available resources.

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Jeanette Bent

BEN LOMOND, Calif. (KION-TV) — San Lorenzo Valley fire volunteers announced that they’ve received a federal grant to help educate the community regarding fire safety and prevention.

They said that in 2024, the US Department of Homeland Security awarded a FEMA Disaster Fire Prevention and Safety grant for $269.806.69 to the Ben Lomond Fire Protection District (BLFPD) along with Boulder Creek FPD, Felton FPD and Zayante FPD to purchase a new, contemporary Fire Safety Education Trailer and specialized training fire extinguishers.

“The award recognizes the courage, passion, and perseverance of our volunteer firefighters who show us every day that they are committed to doing everything they can to protect life and property in our mountain communities,” said Ben Lomond Fire Chief Stacie Brownlee.

Now, the four SLV fire districts can replace the 37-year-old Fire Safety Education Trailer with a newer model with specialized training fire extinguishers.

“Trailer features include many safety demonstrations, such as earthquake and storm simulations, doors that heat up with smoke, artificial fire extinguishers that teach the participants how to put out various fires, barbecue gas shut off, and a stove that simulates catching on fire,” said the fire district.

The new trailer is also set to be transported to each school site in October to help demonstrate hands-on tours and special curriculum for students.

“Since 1999, the volunteer firefighters of the fire districts – Ben Lomond, Zayante, Boulder Creek, and Felton – have conducted hands-on classroom and trailer instruction at SLV preschools and elementary classrooms, reaching more than 1,100 students and their families annually,” said the district. “The new trailer will serve more than 1,500 SLV students. Collectively, these volunteer fire departments serve more than 34,000 residents of the San Lorenzo Valley.”

A video tour of the Fire Safety Education Trailer is available here.

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Victor Guzman

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — CHP-Santa Cruz is investigating a deadly crash involving an e-bike on Wednesday afternoon.

The CHP said it happened around 1:32 pm along Manfre Road east of Larkin Valley Road.

The CHP said a 78-year-old man from Soquel was riding in the area when, for reasons unknown to investigators, the man went off the road and crashed into a dirt embankment south of Manfre Road.

Officers said the man died at the scene.

The CHP also indicated it’s unknown if alcohol/drugs were factors in the crash and are working to investigate.

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Katie Nicora

SEASIDE, Calif. (KION-TV) – Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula is hoping to open a new facility in Seaside.

The city’s planning commission is set to review the proposal tonight.

A city report states that the organization is eyeing the former site of Monterey Peninsula Power Sports, at 1020 Auto Center Parkway.  

The report also shows that the proposed facility is designed as a production kitchen and a meal delivery hub.

It would also serve as the central kitchen for the organization’s home-delivered meal program.

Meals on Wheels says it has served nearly 120,000 meals to Seaside residents this fiscal year.

That includes about 10,000 home deliveries and nearly 1,300 in-person meals at the Oldemeyer Center in May.

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Victor Guzman

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — California recently implemented a new law requiring school districts to place the 988 mental health crisis line on ID cards for students in grades 7 through 12.

It’s a move Monterey County Behavioral Health believes will spark a conversation among teens about mental health, while also serving to let teens know about the resources available if they’re struggling with mental health issues.

According to U.S. Health and Human Services, 13% of teens are dealing with depression, 32% are suffering from anxiety disorders and last year the Jed Foundation reported more than 12% of teens shared they had serious thoughts of suicide.

Behavioral Health staff say the current generation of teens are far more open to talk about mental health than previous generations.

“Schools are talking about mental health and wellness and including mental health in that process,” says Behavioral Health Services Manager Liz Perez-Cordero. “This makes our youth more comfortable bringing up some of their challenges.”

The Monterey County Office of Education says the state’s new law about 988 combined with steps taken by local schools to address mental health issues among teens is a 1-2 punch needed after the pandemic.

Mental health issues increased during that time, including among teens.

As for 2025, Behavioral Health staff say 64 youth called the community crisis or 988 line since January.

But some hurdles exist in tackling mental health issues in teens.

Some of which has to do with the stigma of talking about mental health, plus the lack of involvement from some parents to even approach the subject.

“It’s being the empathetic ear and having the conversation and talking honestly about the stresses we’re experiencing in today’s world and being honest about it,” says Behavioral Health Services Manager Kelly Molton. “Ask the question directly ‘Are you thinking about suicide? do you want to die?’ and to not have a huge reaction when someone says yes.”

Behavioral Health staff says the lack of clinicians providing mental health services is also a prominent issue.

“We do not have enough mental health professionals. It’s something we talked about in our systems all over the place both for private and for public services,” says Perez-Cordero.

County health leaders say it’s okay to not be okay, and if you need someone to talk to, and have no one to turn to, to give them a call.

For more information on Crisis Services, visit Monterey County Behavioral Health by clicking here

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Victor Guzman

CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. (KION-TV) — Thousands of homes are without power on Tuesday morning according to PG&E.

The agency is only referring to the outage as “unplanned” with no specific cause listed.

So far the outage is impacting around 3,400 homes, with the estimated restoration time listed at around 4 pm.

This is a developing story

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Jeanette Bent

FELTON, Calif. (KION-TV) — The San Lorenzo Valley Water District is partnering with the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County to host a tour of the Olympia Watershed in Felton.

The tour is set to happen from 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 12.

It is intended to showcase the recently completed habitat and wildfire resilience project.

The tour is open to the public and will take visitors on a 1.5-mile hike at the Olympia Watershed to learn about the rare sandhills, the watershed and how the project removed invasive plants to reduce the risk of wildfire and enhance habitat.

As a part of the tour, visitors will also learn about the animals and plants that call the watershed home, including several endangered species.

To learn more and register for the free tour, visit www.slvwd.com.

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Jeanette Bent

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) — U.C. Santa Cruz announced that the school’s computational media researchers created a series of games designed to help communities build resilience to wildfires.

They say that faced with challenging decisions in the moment of a fire, can have serious impacts on the outcome.

The games invite players to confront stressful topics, initiating individual preparedness and larger dialogues through simulation based on potential real-world emergency scenarios.

The games — Firewise Residents, Firesafe Friends, and Find Your Things — each deal with complex dilemmas asking people to make hard decisions in tough moments.

You can access the games for free by visiting https://ucsc-wildfire-games.itch.io/wildfire-minigames-collection.

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