Remote Surveillance Trailer in Santa Cruz, CA

Santa Cruz, CA (April 5, 2025) – A car accident early Friday morning in Santa Cruz left at least one person injured. The crash occurred around 7:14 a.m. at the intersection of Lakeview Rd and College Rd, prompting a response from California Highway Patrol and local emergency services.

First responders, including paramedics, assessed and treated individuals hurt in the crash. At least one person sustained a variety of injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment. Medics and fire crews worked to assist those suffering from injuries after the collision.

Details regarding the vehicles involved have not been released, and authorities have not confirmed whether other individuals sustained injuries. The intersection was partially blocked as emergency crews worked to clear the scene and assist those affected.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation by CHP officials, and no further updates have been made public.

Our thoughts are with those affected by this accident.

Car Accidents and Local Traffic Safety in Santa Cruz County

This incident at Lakeview Rd and College Rd illustrates the ongoing need for heightened awareness at intersections throughout Santa Cruz County. Early morning collisions like this one are often linked to limited visibility, driver fatigue, or increased commuter traffic—especially near school zones or residential neighborhoods.

California’s traffic safety data reveals that thousands of car accidents resulting in injuries happen each year across rural and urban areas alike. In counties like Santa Cruz, where rural roads intersect with suburban streets, crashes often occur at locations where stop signs or limited sightlines make navigation more difficult.

Victims of these collisions often face not just physical recovery, but the financial and emotional stress of managing repairs, lost work time, and insurance negotiations. Prompt medical attention, thorough documentation of the crash, and professional legal guidance can help ensure their rights are fully protected.

If you regularly drive near Lakeview Rd or College Rd, it’s especially important to slow down, stay alert, and give yourself extra reaction time—particularly during morning hours when children are heading to school and visibility can be reduced by sun glare or fog.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a crash, reach out to Local Accident Reports for assistance.

Say goodbye to winter and welcome spring in Santa Cruz! There's plenty of excitement ahead with family-friendly festivals and events. Be sure to mark your calendars for all the fun happening around town!

Please note: Event dates are subject to change or cancellation. We recommend contacting the venue ahead of time to confirm details, as you may be required to purchase a ticket in advance.

???? When: Friday, April 5 | 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM PDT???? Where: Pacific Avenue (Between Water & Locust Streets), Santa Cruz, CA 95060???? More info: Click here

???? When: Friday, April 11 – Sunday, April 13, 2025???? Where: London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060???? More info: Click here

???? When: Saturday, April 12 | 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM(Recurring – second Saturday of each month)???? Where: Santa Cruz Wharf, 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA???? More info: Click here

???? When: Tuesday, April 16 | 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM???? Where: Santa Cruz Community Farmers' Market, 798 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060???? More info: Click here

???? When: Saturday, April 19, 2025 | 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM???? Where: Downtown Santa Cruz (Pacific Ave, Cooper St & Abbott Square Market)???? More info: Click here

???? When: Friday, May 2, 2025 | Evening???? Where: Various galleries, shops, and cultural venues in Santa Cruz, CA???? More info: Click here

???? When: Saturday, May 3, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM????Where: Cooper Street and Pacific Avenue (between Church and Locust Streets), Santa Cruz, CA???? More info: Click here

???? When: Sunday, May 18, 2025 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM???? Where: 1500 Block Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060???? More info: Click here

???? When: Sunday, May 24, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM???? Where: San Lorenzo Park, 137 Dakota Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060???? More info: Click here

???? When: Saturday, May 30, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM???? Where: Various locations in Downtown Santa Cruz???? More info: Click here

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California’s governors and legislators have a number of irritating habits, such as using sneaky tactics to pass legislation with little or no public notice, or exempting themselves from the rules that govern others.

However, the topper is their tendency to enact sweeping programs or policy decrees that promise positive benefits without fully weighing the risks.

The state’s bullet train project is a case in point. Blithe promises made to voters about costs and completion dates proved to be wildly inaccurate. Nearly two decades after a bond issue was approved, the project is a zombie, neither dead nor fully alive.

The annual budget process exemplifies the syndrome, as recent history underscores. A huge mistake in revenue projections three years ago led to a surge of spending that cannot be covered, resulting in chronic deficits.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature crowed about extending Medi-Cal health care coverage to virtually everyone in the state, including undocumented immigrants now ineligible for federally financed benefits.

Costs of the expansion were estimated at $6.4 billion but the real costs are nearly twice as high. Newsom had to borrow $3.4 billion to cover the extra costs, then asked the Legislature for another $2.8 billion for a $6.2 billion total. Thus an already imbalanced budget is in a much deeper hole.

Another example of ignoring negative consequences has surfaced recently: legislation that Newsom signed in 2019 to greatly expand the ability of childhood sexual assault victims to sue decades after the abuse occurred.

Among other things, Assembly Bill 218 expanded potential liability — previously limited to churches and other private entities — to public agencies, such as schools, juvenile detention facilities and child care centers.

Representatives of those agencies told legislators prior to AB 218’s passage that they could be hammered by very costly allegations that they could not counter because of the passage of time. Six years later, thousands of suits have been filed against school districts, cities and counties and the potential for many billions of dollars in payments is hitting home.

“Many claims are in various stages of litigation; thus, it is impossible to project the extent of total liability, whether claimants will prevail, or what the dollar value of any final award of damages or settlement agreement may be,” the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, a state agency that monitors school finances, said in a January report. “Even with missing details, we can conclude that the fiscal impact is and will continue to be significant and will affect programs and services.”

Los Angeles County alone has 7,000 pending claims under AB 218. In a Supreme Court filing, its lawyers said “If all those cases were to proceed to verdict, the estimated liability could be in the tens of billions of dollars and bankrupt the county. Even if the county agrees to settle the cases en masse, projected liability is in the billions of dollars.”

And then there is Assembly Bill 306, which is moving through the Legislature at warp speed.

The measure, touted as making it easier for victims of recent wildfires in Los Angeles to rebuild their homes, would prohibit local governments from altering their building codes for six years.

However, the freeze would apply to every corner of the state, not just communities affected by the fires, and therefore could undermine the state’s efforts to ramp up housing construction. One aspect of that drive has been compelling local communities with very restrictive building codes to make them more construction-friendly.

So far, Newsom and legislators have brushed aside warnings about that unintended consequence in their zeal to placate burned-out homeowners, particularly the wealthy and influential residents of Pacific Palisades.

Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.

A double homicide investigation is underway in the Santa Cruz Mountain foothills after two bodies were found inside a pickup truck. Loved ones are processing the tragedy. We hear from a friend of one of the victims.

LOS GATOS, Calif. - The discovery of two people found dead inside an abandoned car in the Santa Cruz Mountains is being investigated as a double homicide, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Bodies found along highway

What we know:

The bodies were found around 6:53 p.m. Monday in a vehicle along State Route 35 near Castle Rock State Park in Los Gatos, CHP officials said.

Local outlet KSBW reported that the victims were two men whose bodies were found in the back of a pickup truck. The CHP has not confirmed the exact location of the bodies.

Processing tragedy

What they're saying:

One of the victims was identified on Thursday by family and friends as a carpenter and father of four, named Colter.

"Colter was a great guy," said friend, Janelle Sanford. "He was a great dad, he was a great husband, he was a great everything."

Sanford said the second victim was a friend of Colter and suggested he may have drawn Colter into a dangerous situation.

"It seems like he got Colter caught up in things he shouldn’t have been," she said. "He had problems with people, and he wanted Colter to come be his muscle and back him up."

Sanford said Colter had previously been in trouble with the law, but had been turning his life around.

"He was trying to do the right thing with the wrong people," she said. "Trying to get people to be righteous and do right."

What's next:

Investigators are awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death and the victims’ injuries.

Early in the investigation, officials said the deaths did not appear to be the result of a crash.

Investigators have not provided information on a possible suspect or the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Authorities have not officially released the identities of the victims.

Santa Cruz CountyNews