An otter with dreams of being a surf champion shocked Santa Cruz beach-goers when it swam right up to a group of surfers, picked out a board and went for a ride, according to reporting from SFGATE.The incredibly anthropomorphic encounter happened on Sunday at Cowell Beach near the boardwalk. Mark Woodward, who goes by Native Santa Cruz on Twitter, posted photos and video of the moment. Woodward wrote that the otter sniffed around a number of boards before settling on its favorite, a blue one.“He was going from board to board and seemed calm and friendly even as he was a few feet from surfers,” he wrote on Twitter.It’s possible this is the same otter who caught the recreational sports bug last year. Back in November, a female otter who was born in captivity was seen trying to bum a ride from a Santa Cruz surfer. That otter, who was four years old at the time, also picked out a blue surfboard as its preferred ride."The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been keeping a watchful eye on the otter since the incident," Bay Nature wrote at the time. "A spokesperson for the agency said that while this sea otter’s behavior hasn’t yet warranted her removal from the wild, they did try to relocate her a little ahead of schedule to her wintering grounds down south, where there are far fewer surfers. That attempt, however, failed—the otter got away."As cute as the encounters are, it’s important to give wild animals space. If they grow too accustomed to human contact, the ocean will no longer be safe for them and they may end up back in captivity. Only about 3,000 southern sea otters live off California's coast. Related: Sister station KCRA recently reported about a baby seal in San Diego that was hanging out on surfboards.

David Pepple of Arroyo Seco, California, got his first helicopter ride Monday morning and it wasn’t exactly the kind he was hoping for. David and his wife Jeannie, along with their dog, had to be rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after their Arroyo Seco home was surrounded by flood waters.

“When I watched my wife she spun around a little bit when she got to the top but when I got to the top we really spun to where I closed my eyes the last ten seconds probably,” said Pepple.

Video of the rescue effort shows Pepple tossing and turning in a basket as he and his dog are lifted into the Coast Guard helicopter. His friend Greg Fraser watched from the roadside as his neighbors were lifted to safety.

“My heart’s pounding, I’m really concerned for David I’m just glad to see his house is intact,” said neighbor Greg Fraser.

The Pepples had to be rescued when their home became an island in the flooded Arroyo Seco River. The couple says they were preparing to heed evacuation warnings when a foot bridge was wiped out by a huge tree trunk.

“When I woke up in the morning, the water was probably 4 feet lower than when all this happened and I told my wife, 'We better get ready' and we started packing and getting ready and we were looking out the window and we saw the bridge go and when that bridge went there’s no way out,” Pepple said.

Emergency crews, including search and rescue, responded and determined a helicopter rescue was the best option; entering the river was too dangerous.

“Looking at the water flows, the debris in the water the amount of trees that were in there and the danger to them that was going to be a second or even third plan the best situation was to try and get a helicopter,” said Ryan Avila with Cal Fire.

The heavy rains on an already saturated ground led to rock slides on Arroyo Seco road, a fast-moving Salinas River and the Arroyo Seco River flowing at levels neighbors haven’t seen in over 30 years. At its peak, the river flow was shy of breaking records.

“I’ve never seen anything like it probably never see it again well I hope not,” Jeff Binsacca.

With more rain on the way, more flooding is expected. Law enforcement officers are reminding people to be prepared to heed any evacuation orders and warnings.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Golf balls have begun to wash up on the shores of Carmel Beach in California.Residents there are collecting the plethora of balls that have been deposited on the beach after recent winter storms.Conall Jones, of Carmel Valley, collected golf balls for several days after the rain subsided."This is my third day back down here, and I get about 50 to 100 in a half hour," Jones said. "There is still a lot, and they will keep getting pushed up on the beach, so there is plenty."Many of the balls likely came from different golf courses along the rivers and creeks of the Carmel area.As recent storms raised the water levels, swelling rivers could have pushed dormant golf balls all the way to the ocean.Watch the video above to see the unique sight.

PAJARO, Calif. —

Residents of Pajaro, California, may have to wait months before they can return to their homes, according to Monterey County officials.

Early Saturday morning, a 120-foot section of the Pajaro River levee broke a few miles north of the town of Pajaro. In a matter of hours, flood waters began to rise in the town. Nearly 2,000 people were ordered to evacuate, with rescue crews conducting more than 100 rescues.

During a press conference on Sunday, Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto said that it could be a long time before residents are allowed to return home.

When asked by KAZU reporter Jonathan Linden if she agreed with Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo's statement that it could take months for resident to go back home, Nieto agreed.

"I would agree with the supervisor," Nieto said.

When reached for comment by sister station KSBW, Alejo said that residents would be able to return sooner but it may take months for homes to be habitable.

"I meant it would be months to repairs homes. Question will be, will homes be habitable after the water recedes due to extensive water and mud damage," said Alejo. "Water creates other hazards such as black mold. Flood waters also have contaminants."

Alejo noted that when Pajaro flooded in 1995, shelters housed some residents for more than a month.

During the press conference, Nieto also showed a video she took while in a high-water vehicle driving through Pajaro.

"We are to the point now where the water still rising and the high water vehicles; we're going to have to go to probably boat rescues," Nieto said.

The levee breach grew to 300 feet by Sunday evening, but crews were working to use granite boulders from a quarry in Aromas to fill the gap. Stopping the water is the first step in ending the flooding of Pajaro.

SALINAS, Calif. —

Two people have been arrested for the murder of a California couple who were shot and killed on Feb. 5.

According to Salinas police, Jesus Villa and Karina Vargas were in their car when they were shot and killed. Police said they think two people approached the car on foot before shooting Villa and Vargas multiple times. Villa and Vargas were dating.

On Wednesday, police announced that Gonzalo Echeverria, 24, and Jose Echeverria, 34, were arrested for shooting and killing Villa and Vargas. Gonzalo and Jose are cousins and citizens of El Salvador who had both previously been deported.

Police Chief Roberto Filice said that the murders were a case of mistaken identity.

"We had no leads, yet our detectives worked relentlessly until they developed minute leads," Filice said. "Now we have two cowards in custody."

Filice said that he met with the families on Tuesday.

"Jesus and Karina were not the intended targets of this senseless act of violence," said Salinas police detective James Arensdorf. "It was in fact a case of mistaken identity."

Arensdorf said detectives sorted through 1,000 hours of surveillance video to find the suspects.

Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni said Gonzalo was released on early parole after serving two years of his eight years and four-month sentence. He had been charged for possessing a firearm for purpose of a gang and for assisting the escape of a fellow gang member.

Pacioni said that the California Department of Corrections Parole Office granted him early parole. Pacioni said her office objected to the early release.

Video below: Press conference from the Salinas Police Department

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Echeverria wasn't sentenced to eight years, but rather five years.

Video below: 'Our lives won’t be the same': Grieving family shares memories of killed Salinas man

"They were about to be three years together. He was waiting to get some jumper cables from my friend. That’s when everything happened. He showed up and saw him there, laying in his car," a friend of Villa – who asked to remain anonymous – said to sister station KSBW 8.

Villa was a beloved member of the Closter Park boxing community.

"It helped him stay out of trouble, the boxing, community centers like that and I feel like if there was more around, it could've changed the story. He was good, honest, one of the realest person I ever knew," a friend said.

On Tuesday, the Xerces Society announced the final tally of the western monarch's annual Thanksgiving count. According to the Xerces Society, 247,237 monarch butterflies were observed across the West which amounts to more than a 100-fold increase from 2020 which saw fewer than 2,000 monarchs. This year's number is the largest total since 2016 and is the single biggest year increase ever recorded. “We’re ecstatic with the results and hope this trend continues,” said Emma Pelton, the Western Monarch Lead with the Xerces Society.In Pacific Grove, the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary reported 14,000 butterflies this year. The year before they saw zero. This was the area's best monarch count in five years. In addition, monarchs were found starting near Santa Cruz, with over 1,000 at both Natural Bridges State Park and Moran LakeThe Xerces Society noted that while the 2021 tallies are exciting news, the western monarchs have undergone a significant decline since the 1980s, losing more than 95% of their population.

One of California's first births of the new year happened at midnight on Jan. 1. Aylin Trujillo, a healthy baby girl from Greenfield, California, weighing 5 pounds and 14 ounces, was the first baby born in the new year in Monterey County. Aylin arrived 15 minutes after her brother Antonio, who was born on Dec. 31 at 11:45 p.m., weighing 6 pounds and 1 ounce. The twins have a very special birth story, since they were born on different days, months and years.Twins with different birthdays are rare, and some estimate the chance of twins being born in different years as one in 2 million.The twins were born at Natividad Hospital in Salinas, California.

Even though we’re not out of the pandemic just yet, some restaurants are emerging and say their numbers are comparable to what it looked like pre-pandemic.

"Back and better." That’s how some restaurants on the Monterey Fisherman’s Wharf in California describe their comeback following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The numbers are fully recovered. We're doing business absolutely comparable to 2019,” said Kevin Phillips, managing partner with The Rockfish Harbor Grill in California.

CEO of Old Fisherman’s Grotto in California, Chris Shake also says business numbers are up. He said, “When you compare pre-pandemic numbers to what we're doing now, it's been amazing.”

Fortunately, for some restaurants like the Old Fisherman’s Grotto, they didn’t take too hard of a hit and part of it is thanks to in-state tourism.

“Business has been terrific. We've got people coming in from the Central Valley, in Sacramento and the Bay Area and domestic tourism for our area has been great,” Shake said.

Although, like many restaurants and businesses, The Rockfish Grill faced challenge after challenge. They began renovation right before the pandemic hit and it has been a constant adaptation since.

Phillips explained, “After 18 months of renovation, it was extended about 8 months because of the pandemic. We couldn't get permits, we couldn't get materials, work shut down several times.”

In the end, they say they not only survived but prevailed and are feeling optimistic and looking forward to international tourism.

“Everyone came back together and I was so impressed with our chef and our general manager who not only put a full crew back together very quickly but a real quality crew. Now, international is reopen so we’re looking forward to seeing more of that,” Phillips said.

Watch the video above for the full story.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —

Away from the Veteran Day parades and celebrations on Thursday, there is renewed hope and housing for veterans who are living houseless in California.

The Santa Cruz County Veteran's Memorial Building Trustees closed escrow on Jaye's Timberlane Resort in California.

"I was ready for suicide. I was ready to check out," said Air Force veteran Darren Barthl fighting back tears.

Barthl found hope after suffering through personal disappointment and physical injuries.

He is now one of a handful of vets housed at Jaye's Timberland Resort.

"Me and my buddy David kind of made it. We were the two that kind of pushed it that said we could do this," Barthl said.

What they did was push for the first-ever Veterans Village. The village is a permanent affordable housing solution for veterans and their families.

"Getting the vets isn't even the problem. There's 58 vets with Section 8 housing vouchers in this county that aren't even using them. Why wouldn't we take that opportunity to house our vets even among the community?" said Marine Corp veteran, David Pedley.

Partners like Housing Matters have already screened individuals to make sure that they're eligible for Federal Administration housing vouchers," said Susan True, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County CEO.

The property has 10 cabins, a four-bedroom three-bath home and an office that will provide services for veterans.

It can immediately house up to 18 veterans with the possibility to expand.

"So, obviously there's a lot of hurdles to get to the point of opening. Ideally, we'd like to open with that 18, and continue to develop the property to house a few more veterans on top of that," said Chris Cottingham, executive director of the Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building of Trustees.

The Community Foundation is one of several organizations involved in Veterans Village.

It's hoping to raise more money with a $75,000 donor matching program through November.

And as for Barthl, he's fitting nicely into his new community, after all, this is home now.

"Feel accepted and Housing Matters really made a difference. They made it so I had a plan to stay and I can grow and I am back," Barthl said.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Hispanic Americans have built a legacy of activism and change in the central coast community. One program making a big impact is the Aztecas Youth Soccer Academy in Watsonville, California.

Gina Castañeda will flat out tell you, soccer saved her life. Even though a childhood of neglect and abuse, Castañeda learned the game, a sport deeply embedded in the Hispanic culture.

By her early teens, the high school team was her lifeline.

“By the time I got to high school, I was homeless and living on the streets,” Castañeda said. ”And people really didn't know me at that point. And then I just was this amazing freshman that got on the field and people were like, 'where did you come from?' And what they didn't know about me is that I was full of hurt and pain and like eating out of garbage cans and just really, really struggling in life. I kept working in school to get my grades up so that I could play on the team. And the team really became my family.”

Soccer helped her steer clear of the gangs that swallowed her brothers and so many of her friends. She became a probation officer, working with other kids in trouble.

“Soccer saved my life and I knew that I could use soccer to save their lives,” Castañeda said.

With that, the Aztecas Youth Soccer Academy was born. Run through the Santa Cruz County Probation Department, it is an intervention program for high-risk kids.

Castañeda remembers the first day she saw two rival gang members working together on the field.

“And I had the biggest smile on my face because I knew at that point what we had done. And it was the beginning as to what Aztecas is today,” Castañeda said.

Now, 13 years later Aztecas is still breaking those cycles and connecting with kids on the edge.

That caring extends beyond the soccer field, the kids are also required to attend tutoring sessions and life skills classes.

Watch the full story in the video above.

Longtime Tahoe area resident Mel Smothers played his violin while being stuck in two hours of eastbound evacuation traffic on Highway 50 after mandatory evacuation orders were issued to all of South Lake Tahoe.Traffic was backed up Monday afternoon for miles along Highway 50 as drivers were making their way out of the South Lake Tahoe area eastbound toward the Nevada state line to escape the encroaching Caldor Fire.CHP South Lake Tahoe officer Ruth Loehr urged those sitting in traffic to “have some patience. We’re doing all we can to open up another route.” Video credit: Alvin Jornada / San Francisco Chronicle

A rare fish, which much is unknown about, was captured by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) cameras in Monterey Bay. According to MBARI, whalefishes have rarely been collected alive and much of their biology remains a mystery to this day. Even MBARI's deep-see remote-operated vehicles have only spotted this species 18 times in 34 years. According to MBARI scientists, "Whalefishes (order Cetomimiformes) lack external scales and pelvic fins, and in adults, the eyes are very primitive and small. The eyes’ lenses are lost after they transform from the larval stage, and with it, they lose the ability to form images."But instead of relying on sight to survive, they have an incredible ability to feel their surroundings. They have a highly sensitive lateral line system, with sensory pores that run over the head and down the length of the body to help them feel vibrations in the water around them."Watch the video above to see the fish.

A man accused of raping a 10-year-old girl in 2018 was found guilty on Tuesday.

Investigators arrested 28-year-old Leonardo Ramirez, of King City, California, after DNA taken from his face mask linked him to the 2018 rape of a girl under 14 years old.

A jury found Ramirez guilty of the sexual assault of his distant relative.

"He showed up and he was wearing a mask but they offered him a fresh mask and he accepted that mask and then subsequently discarded the mask he had been wearing into a bag which had been pre-staged," said Boyd.

The used mask was then submitted to the Department of Justice for DNA analysis.

"And subsequent to that analysis we were able to obtain a positive match from the sample in that mask and the sample initially obtained during the investigation two years ago," Boyd.

Soon after the results came back, Ramirez was arrested.

Ramirez will be sentenced at a later date.

Video above is from a previous broadcast.

Curious humpback whales visit whale watching tour in Monterey Bay.According to Randy Straka, a photographer with Princess Monterey Whale Watching, the curious whales did some people watching. "We had another exciting day on the Bay yesterday! The Humpbacks are showing up in bigger numbers over the past couple days, and we had a great sighting. A pair of friendly Humpback whales got curious about our boat and did some people watching for about a half hour on our 12:30 p.m. trip aboard the Atlantis Monterey on 4/15/21," wrote Straka to KSBW.