Category: kion-local-news

Sergio Berrueta

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (KION-TV) – Scotts Valley is moving forward with plans for a new seven-acre dog park.

The city council will approve a design team this week. It would be part of Al Shugart Park, located at 350 Glenwood Drive.

Dog park plans have been in the works since 2008, but a city report says they stalled due to budget limitations and changes in city staffing.

The city is now ready to make those plans a reality, including two separate off-leash spaces, one for small dogs and one for big dogs.

There will also be drinking fountains with pet bowls, picnic tables, and bike racks. 

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Sergio Berrueta

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) – Monterey County’s North County Parks and Recreation Board is bringing back the Artichoke Festival after a big push from the Castroville community.

There will be two versions of the artichoke festival next year. The first event will feature around 50 vendors and take place along Castroville’s main drag, near the recreation center.

A second, larger event will take place between October and November.

Organizers say that the goal is to engage local seniors and kids while providing an opportunity for local businesses to get involved.

They also stress that both events will be alcohol free.

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Briana Mathaw

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) – CAL FIRE is on alert tonight, keeping a close eye on the threat of dry lightning in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The risk is considered low, but crews remain ready just in case. And for people who’ve lived through past fires, even the smallest chance is enough to start preparing.

People in the Santa Cruz Mountains are watching the forecast closely.

“It really kind of gives me PTSD because of what happened with the fires here before,” Kurt Hoerzing, who lives in Boulder Creek, said.

CAL FIRE officials say they are staying prepared.

“It’s forecasted, the potential for dry lightning. And it’s actually a very low probability right now. We did have some lightning strikes yesterday afternoon, down off of Big Sur out in the ocean. But the possibility is still here, and we’re preparing for it,” CAL FIRE CZU Unit Forester Richard Sampson said.

Crews have ramped up staffing and positioned resources in case conditions change.

“We haven’t had any strikes up in the San Mateo or Santa Cruz unit, so we’re not actually looking, but anywhere in the unit potentially could have a lightning strike. In preparation, we’re looking at pre-positioning resources. We’ve staffed up additional firefighter hand crews,” Sampson said.

“If we do get lightning, we’re usually watching the area for about 4 to 5 days,” Sampson said.

While conditions are not yet at their worst, the peak of fire season is approaching.

“We’re not quite at the critical like we would have in October, but we’re approaching. It’s been actually fairly damp, mostly in the lower elevations with the summer that we’ve had, and everything’s still actually fairly green,” Sampson said.

“But come October, and depending on what the weather does in October and into November, we could be in the critical levels. And so we’re monitoring that,” Sampson said.

For communities like Boulder Creek, even the possibility of lightning sparks serious concern.

“It really kind of gives me PTSD because of what happened with the fires here before,” Hoerzing said.

“Our first thought is always fire, because that’s like the most significant impact,” Brian Kwong, who lives in Felton, said.

“I remember at night you look out and you see these flashes in the distance. No rain, but just flash, flash, flash. And then you wake up the next morning, it’s like, oh, there’s like 50 fires everywhere,” Kwong said.

Locals know how quickly things can escalate, especially with dry brush and heat.

“There’s a lot of dry brush here. You have some dead trees dying, and then it heats up. And we know that with the CZU fires, it burned pretty quickly,” Hoerzing said.

That’s why defensible space and preparation remain critical.

“Defensible space can play a pretty big role in terms of how a fire spreads,” Kwong said.

“I cleared my whole area around the house, cleared out, cut the trees down, all the brushes and stuff like that,” Hoerzing said.

CAL FIRE says if they do see lightning, they’ll monitor that area for four to five days, watching for any fires that might smolder before flaring up.

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Sergio Berrueta

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV) – A new Chief Executive Officer has been named for the Monterey Bay FC, according to the football club.

Mike Sheehan is set to take the reins of the organization.

The news comes on the heels of yesterday’s announcement that President Mike DiGiulio will be stepping down.

“Mike brings a wealth of professional sports experience and knowledge to our club. We look forward to bringing MBFC to its full potential in the years ahead,” said Ray Beshoff, owner and chairman of the MBFC.

He brings thirty years of experience with a background in sales and marketing, having worked with the Dallas Mavericks, Seattle Mariners, and Houston Sabercats.

Sheehan said he is excited to join the union and that he plans to grow the presence and impact of the club.

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Jeanette Bent

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) – A 22-year-old resident has been arrested for fleeing the scene of a vehicle fire on Dimeo Lane early Thursday morning.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the incident happened at 3 a.m. on Highway 1 near Dimeo Lane after a Honda Civic crashed into a parked car and a home.

Both cars and the home caught fire, with fire crews extinguishing the flames. no one in the home was injured.

The driver, a 22-year-old from Soquel, was arrested at the crash site later on. They were arrested for DUI and hit-and-run.

The driver had also sustained major injuries as a result of the incident.

Two vehicle fires flare up the Central Coast Thursday morning

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION-TV) — In Santa Cruz County, firefighters from the city’s fire department, CAL FIRE CZU, and Scotts Valley Fire prevented a vehicle fire from becoming a wildland fire near Dimeo Lane and Highway 1, north of Wilder Ranch.

Crews said that an aggressive initial attack prevented the fire from spreading further.

Firefighters did say that the initial fire had spread to a nearby structure as well as a second vehicle.

“Due to a lack of hydrants in the area, additional water tenders and two engines were requested,” wrote CAL FIRE CZU San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit on Facebook. “Once CAL FIRE CZU engines and more resources arrived, the fire was extinguished.”

They said that a total of three CAL FIRE CZU engines, two Santa Cruz City Fire engines, and a water tender from Scotts Valley Fire District and Santa Cruz County Volunteer Fire Company 37 assisted with the operation, with CHP – Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office offering traffic control.

Over in the area of Mission Vineyard and San Juan Canyon Road in San Benito County, firefighters also battled a vehicle fire.

Aromas Engine 35 and Engine 4677 assisted Hollister Fire with the fire that involved a minivan fully engulfed.

Crews said that there was no spread to nearby vegetation thanks to quick action and strong coordination by crews on scene.

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Victor Guzman

SAN BENITO COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — CHP-Hollister/Gilroy is investigating after a motorcyclist suffered major injuries after crashing into a guardrail on Thursday morning.

The CHP says the motorcyclist tried to pass a big rig when it lost control and crashed into the rail along Highway 25 near Shore Road.

Officers say the rider suffered major injuries and was transported by ambulance to the hospital.

The CHP says there’s some residual traffic delays following the accident but the road is open after being shut down for about an hour.

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Briana Mathaw

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) – The ongoing investigation into the alleged violent sexual assault that happened more than a month ago near the 400 block of Frederick Street

The woman survived, but police say the man who attacked her is still out there.

“At this point, we have not been able to identify the suspect through video surveillance in the neighborhood,” said Chief Bernie Escalante of Santa Cruz Police.

Chief Escalante stated that they are also waiting for the lab results of the evidence collected and tested.

“It happened in the middle of the evening. There were no direct witnesses. You know, so there’s a lot of factors for why, at this point, we have not been able to identify the person,” said Chief Escalante.

That update comes as concern continues to grow in this tight-knit neighborhood 

“Everybody is freaked out. They don’t know what to do,” said self-defense teacher Calra E. Minor

“I used to be pretty, pretty really pretty relaxed about it, where like the garage doors stay open all day and stuff,” said Nicole, a resident living in the area, “But then closing that lately and now hearing about this for sure, a little bit more, more on guard.”

Sketches of the suspect are still posted near the spot where the attack happened 

“It’s always felt really safe. So yeah, it’s terrible that this has happened,” said Lorna, another resident from the area.

“That infuriates me to no end, that there’s still this person out there that feels privileged, that they got away with it and that they can get away with it,” Minor said.

Minor, a local boxing instructor who teaches self-defense, is raising awareness.

“She was out at night, which she has every right to do. I was furious that yet another man decided that he could take advantage of another woman. I think every woman on this planet needs to learn self-defense training,” Minor said. “I’m such an advocate for each woman and each young person having the tools and the skills at their level to be able to stay as safe as possible and to defend themselves if they need to, so that they fight forward all the way.

Police say this case is not connected to the UCSC assault, where an arrest was made.

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jose.romo

APTOS, Calif. (KION-TV) — People living in the Seascape and La Selva are frustrated after numerous power outages in the last couple of weeks. Many of them are uncertain why these are taking place. The last couple of weeks have been a frustrating struggle for residents. Many of them are going onto social media asking others with similar complaints to report them to PG&E. 

“The power outages have definitely been happening more frequently, from what I’ve noticed,” said Giana Cacciatore. “I’d say generally we’ve had one within the past couple of weeks, every week, and it’s absolutely very impactful.”

The most recent outage was just last night. Residents said they were without power for 3 to 4 hours. 

“When it’s after work, it’s kind of a bummer because it’s like affecting our ability to make dinner, warm up dinner, specifically last night,” said Lauren Heller, who lives in Seascape. “Even just showering, like it’s dark at those hours. So it’s, like, okay, maybe we’ll wait till the electricity comes back on to shower.”

PG & E says the community is in a high fire risk district protected by enhanced powerline safety settings. This enables powerlines to shut off within one-tenth of a second when a hazard comes into contact with the powerline. In a statement, they said, “Vegetation and animal-related outages are among the primary causes. Our crews are actively clearing vegetation and retrofitting equipment in the area to help prevent animal-related outages and protect wildlife.”  

“Sometimes when I’m in meetings, my internet just goes down, and I also facilitate workshops and stuff like that,” said Laya Mosher. “So it’s kind of embarrassing when I am like leading something and then, you know, all of a sudden it’s just like the power is out,

Community members are concerned about the recurring nature of these power outages, many times for hours on end. They asked for better communication regarding the reasons for these outages from PG&E. 

PG&E said engineers are looking to separate the circuit so that coastal communities are no longer served by protected EPSS lines. Upgrades at their nearest substation are impacting the scale of the outages.

“It’s just kind of crazy to even like we pay quite a bit to live here, so it’s pretty frustrating,” adds Heller. “I don’t know if this is like a long-term place for us to live, honestly, because of that.”

PG&E adds that they are working to upgrade substations in the area, as they are currently being served by a neighboring station, which is impacting outages. They say these upgrades will improve reliability long term.

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Sergio Berrueta

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) – Santa Cruz County is inviting people to step out of their cars during their inaugural “Week Without Driving.”

The campaign is a week-long challenge to experience life without a personal vehicle.

It’s going from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, with a kick-off event will be held at the Capitola Mall on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 11 a.m.

It will feature booths from transit agencies, stories from locals who navigate Santa Cruz without a car, and opportunities to connect with officials.

Santa Cruz Metro will also be offering free fares all day on Oct. 1.

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Katie Nicora

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — PG&E is giving a $30,000 grant to United Way Monterey County to help expand access to the county’s 211 services, according to the company.

In the event of an emergency, 211 is a lifeline that can connect people to important resources like food, shelter, health care, financial assistance and other resources.

The program can also help people who rely on electricity for medical equipment make safety plans during a power outage.

United Way says that just in 2024, 211 Monterey County handled over 13,300 calls and texts that resulted in over 19,000 referrals.

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