Every time a massive swell is forecast, Santa Cruz’s hard-charging, big-wave surfer Alessandro “Alo” Slebir can hardly contain himself.

A scene at the Harbor is filled with the coming and goings of a boater in the water and a cyclist on the path to the harbor jetty.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an emergency proclamation last week in response to the December storms that caused the partial collapse of the Santa Cruz Wharf and widespread damage throughout the county.

Santa Cruz County’s fishing industry is in crisis. For generations, local fishers have relied on catching Dungeness crab in ...