May 10, 2024

Support the Santa Cruz Junior Lifeguards with Boardwalk Fun | May 18 & 19

Enjoy sunshine, thrilling rides and fun for the whole family on the Boardwalk, all while supporting your local Junior Lifeguards. The discounted ride wristbands that support the Junior Lifeguards are only $50 per person — a $69.95+ value!

The Junior Lifeguard Program focuses on teamwork, leadership, and aquatic safety, introducing young individuals to professional and recreational aquatic opportunities. It aims to deliver high-quality water safety education, enhance physical conditioning, foster understanding and respect for the environment, and promote respect for oneself, parents, and peers.

Our program instructors are California State Lifeguards, extensively trained in advanced first aid and rescue techniques. Many of them were Junior Guards themselves. Multiple Santa Cruz Junior Guards were crowned at the 2023 National Junior Lifeguard Championships and in many preceding statewide and national competitions.

Pre-purchase your discounted ride wristband and receive a complimentary “I ❤️ Junior Guards” button. For every wristband sold, $5 will be donated to the Santa Cruz Junior Lifeguard Program, a City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation division. 

Be sure to swing by the Junior Guards booth on the Boardwalk to learn more about their incredible program and snag some more Junior Lifeguard merch! All packages must be pre-purchased by May 17, 2024. Sorry, no day-of sales

Join Us to Keep the San Lorenzo River Clean

Save Our Shores will host a clean up on San Lorenzo River for National River Cleanup Day on Saturday, May 18. Visit the Save Our Shores website to sign up! Registration is required.

A rainy Saturday last weekend aside, we’ve been enjoying fantastic weather — perfect for outdoor community events! On April 27, the Coastal Watershed Council, Yoso Wellness Spa, Hotel Paradox, and Save Our Shores organized their Bridging the Gap Habitat Restoration and Trash Clean Up along the San Lorenzo River. The City’s Economic Development Department and Resource Recovery Collections Team were proud to support this event.

Volunteers removed an incredible 1,640 pounds of ice plant, weeds, and other invasive vegetation from San Lorenzo River, which helps improve biodiversity. This material was hauled away and properly disposed of by our Resource Recovery Collections Team. Plan to take part in the May 18 clean up to continue this important work to protect our river!

Keeping Our Community Informed! Invite Us To Your Next Community Meeting

Nathan Nguyen, Public Works Director, and Heidi Luckenbach, Water Director, recently presented to members of the Sunrise Rotary Club. They each highlighted key projects and initiatives happening in their departments.

• Nathan provided updates on work along West Cliff Drive and the Complete Streets project.

• Heidi highlighted initiatives to update our aging water system and plan for our future water supply.

We're committed to keeping you informed and engaged in matters vital to our community's well-being. To invite City speakers to your community meeting, contact Amanda Rodriguez at arodriguez@santacruzca.gov.

Santa Cruz PD Offers Free Online Bike Registration 

Pictured at left, CSO Carsley returns a stolen bike recovered by SCPD in 2023! This success story underscores the role we all play in bike recovery. When a bike goes missing, filing a report is an important step. Too many stolen bikes go unreported, making it harder for law enforcement to track and return them to their rightful owners.

Register your bike for FREE in the City of Santa Cruz.

To bolster bike recovery efforts and safeguard our community, we urge you to take advantage of a valuable resource: free bike registration with the Santa Cruz Police Department. By registering your bike, you enhance its traceability back to you. When SCPD Officers recover lost or stolen bicycles, we check the serial number to see if the bike has been reported stolen and verify ownership. 

Register your bike for free today at the Santa Cruz Police Department. Together, let's empower our community to proactively safeguard our belongings and ensure stolen bikes find their way back home.



Sign up for WaterSmart!

We've made water conservation a way of life in Santa Cruz. However, leaks can catch you off guard and lead to high water bills and significant water waste. Thankfully, the Santa Cruz Water Department offers FREE leak alerts through WaterSmart, helping you detect and fix leaks quickly to prevent water waste and a high bill.

Join the growing community of Santa Cruz residents and businesses benefiting from WaterSmart's features:

·      Monitor water usage by the hour, day, and month

·      Receive automated leak alerts

·      Pinpoint reasons behind a high bill

·      Customize alerts for unusual water usage

People love WaterSmart! "Thank you so much for the notification! I was able to quickly find the leak and make it stop."



Signing up is easy and fast—you just need your account number and zip code.

Ocean Street Gateway Beautification Update

The Ocean Street Gateway is moving into the next phase, with artist selection now complete. Representatives from nearby neighborhoods, the Ocean Street business community, the Arts Commission, and staff from Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Economic Development and Housing all participated in selecting five local artists for the project.

Participating artists will work with the project's design lead, RHAA Landscape Architects, to develop several conceptual designs of future public art and landscape improvements that could be selected for construction at the Ocean Street Gateway at Highway 17. Public engagement is expected to follow in early summer and will help inform the gateway's final construction plans and public art.

Staff is currently onboarding selected artists and will provide an update on the team as contracts are finalized. More information can be found on the Ocean Street Gateway Beautification website.

Santa Cruz Public Works to Host Touch-a-Truck Event

Check out our impressive fleet of vehicles and learn about the tools and machinery that keep our City running smoothly.

When: Wednesday, May 22, from 12-2pm

Where: Center Street and Church Street (right by the Civic Auditorium)



Activities include:

• Touch-a-Truck: Climb aboard and explore a wide variety of vehicles up close! From heavy-duty trucks to specialized equipment, there's something for everyone to discover.
• Road-eo Skills Competition: Watch skilled operators demonstrate their precision and finesse in our road-eo skills competition. Cheer on your favorites as they navigate challenging tasks!
• Educational Program Booths: Visit our informational booths to gain insight into the vital role of Public Works in our community. Discover how we maintain critical infrastructure and enhance public health and safety.



Don't miss out on this family-friendly event with learning opportunities for all ages. Mark your calendar and join us to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our Public Works employees!

Groundbreaking and Site Tour at Pacific Station Development

Please join us on Monday, May 20, from 12:00 – 3:00 PM for the Pacific Station North Groundbreaking Celebration. RSVP by May 13, 2024.

In partnership with Eden Housing and For The Future Housing, we are excited to start construction on Pacific Station North Apartments, a 128-unit family community in downtown Santa Cruz. This development completes the final phase of Pacific Station, a large-scale, transit-oriented redevelopment program located between Pacific Avenue and Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz.

With funding from the City of Santa Cruz, the Affordable Housing & Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program, and the Infill Infrastructure Grant (IIG) program, the project includes 128 units of affordable housing at Pacific Station North Apartments, ground-floor retail and commercial space, a new METRO bus transit hub, a pedestrian paseo, and key infrastructure to serve the entire Pacific Station redevelopment.

Pacific Station North Apartments will include a mix of studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments for individuals and families. 32 units will be set aside for extremely low-income households, with 21 units targeted for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and 11 homes available for families in the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz’s Family Unification Program. The remaining units will be restricted to individuals and families earning 50–60% of the Area Median Income for Santa Cruz County.

Residential amenities will include a 1,300-square-foot (SF) outdoor patio, a 1,250-square-foot community room, a central laundry facility, a computer room, and flex space for an after-school program. No parking is provided on-site. The project is designed to be all-electric and is targeting a LEED Platinum certification.

Affordable Housing Month

At the April 30 City Council Meeting, Mayor Keeley proclaimed May 2024 as Affordable Housing Month in the City of Santa Cruz! Our community has been celebrating Affordable Housing Month every May since 2020! Check out the Quick Guide to Affordable Housing Month for events in and around the Santa Cruz area. For more information, please visit www.cityofsantacruz.com/affordablehousingmonth



City of Santa Cruz

City Manager's Office

809 Center Street

Santa Cruz CA 95060

santacruzca.gov

831-420-5010