Category Archives: Cruzio Blog

Cruzio celebrates completion of Equal Access Summits to the Sea project

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SANTA CRUZ- Cruzio Internet is celebrating the completion of their ambitious Equal Access Summits to the Sea (EAS2S) project after 18 months of hard work to bring high-speed internet access to thousands of underserved Bay Area residents.

To mark this milestone, Cruzio is hosting a meet and greet on November 12 in Santa Cruz with partners and local elected officials who backed the project, including Congressman Jimmy Panetta and California Public Utilities Commissioner Darcie L. Houck. The speaking portion of the program begins at 1:30pm.

EAS2C was launched with a $5.65 million grant unanimously approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in February 2024. The project delivers high-speed internet to residents in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Monterey counties who lack access to reliable broadband. The network builds on Cruzio’s existing infrastructure, providing speed and reliability similar to fiber at a fraction of the cost.

The project boosts internet speeds for underserved residents including seniors accessing health care and social services; children accessing online education; residents in fire-prone areas staying informed about warnings and evacuations; and home-based businesses and farms that sustain the local economy.

“Our region has a problem.” James Hackett, COO at Cruzio, explained. “We’ve got rural communities, farmers, low-income communities, then just a hop away we’ve got Silicon Valley. It’s quite the gap. The digital divide is real, making life harder for folks. The Summits to the Sea project is working to level the playing field and give everyone a fair shot.”

EAS2C expands on the work of Equal Access Santa Cruz County (EASC), which was launched in 2021 in partnership with Community Foundation Santa Cruz County and local school districts to bridge the digital divide as students switched to remote learning during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The project showed how local giving kickstarts big ideas and how these can transform into regional solutions. Generous donations helped build 35 broadband distribution hubs (Points of Presence or PoPs); connect 1,200+ students and families to new internet access, helped build infrastructure capable of serving 5,000+ more households, and improved broadband availability in over 60% of the Watsonville/Pajaro area.

Community Foundation CEO Susan True recognizes the importance of partnerships with organizations like Cruzio. “We’re proud that local philanthropy is often the first to get behind great people and important projects like EASC. Our early investment can help get big ideas off the ground and help attract sustaining new sources of funding to propel the work forward,” True says.

The impacts of these partnerships were also recognized by local elected officials, including Congressman Panetta, State Senator Josh Becker, State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and State Assemblymember Gail Pellerin and others who backed the EAS2C grant.

Cruzio is staffed exclusively by locally hired employees who are trained through a home-grown apprentice program, which provides a stable career path. Our local vendors include John Hope Electric and the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union, whose expertise we relied on to build a robust and reliable project on time and under budget.

For information about internet availability in your area, please check the website faster.cruzio.com.

Event Details: Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM at the Audrey Stanley Grove (Santa Cruz Shakespeare site), 501 Upper Park Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95065.

To attend the event, please RSVP here or email marketstaff@cruzio.com.

The Critters We See When We Build Infrastructure

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Out on the job, Cruzio’s top-notch tech crews encounter all sorts of animals. We see (and generally love) pets at folks’ houses. We run into birds that go up high, like we do. We’re out in the wilderness — well, mostly rocky hills, or redwood or eucalyptus groves — spotting deer or frogs.

Here are some of the photos our staff have taken of furry (fluffy, slimy, etc.) friends we’ve met.

Cruzio technical staff meet a squirrel in an onsite visit

 

 

seagull

 

 

Ali and dog

 

 

cormorant

 

 

noel and horses

 

 

boars

 

 

frogs

 

 

red shouldered hawk

 

 

frog

 

 

spider

 

 

deer

 

 

deer

This is how far away those deer actually were

 

owl

 

 

baby bird

We are very careful with these little ones!

 

cat

 

Credits: Alison Lowenthal, Jose Noel Hernandez Isabal, Kyle Heidenreich, Mario Zamudio, Mark Weitzel, Smith Barnum, Xavier Acosta

By the way, if Cruzio is coming for a house call we’d love to meet your friendly pet. And if you’ve got a pet who’s NOT friendly, definitely let us know and stow the pet before we visit!

An Otterly Excellent Story

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Santa Cruz is home to many southern sea offers

As if you needed it, there’s another reason to love our local sea otters: they’re fighting destructive crabs.

For decades, scientists have fretted about an invasion of green crabs who actually use their breathing apparatus (gills) to eat, which sounds super weird. And the crabs aren’t just weird, they’re harmful. To quote from the Smithsonian:

“[The green crab] has no predators or competitors and also a killer appetite—crab, fish, young lobster, and shellfish are no match for its nimble, yet crushing claws.”

Not Good Actors

In case you feel sorry for these food-inhaling critters, know that they are an invasive species, introduced to the US from Europe in the 1800s, and marine scientists are pretty disappointed with them. Green crabs don’t just eat critters like clams or fish. No, they gobble up whole ecosystems including sea grass, home to countless young of various species. No sea grass, no sea life.

The situation progressed from not great to really bad. Warming waters in the past decades led to an explosion in the green crab population and marine scientists from Maine to Baja California were freaking out.

Why Not Just Eat Them? Or…

Some suggested people start eating these pesky crabs. They’re eaten in Italy, but not usually in the USA: small, hard to catch, described as “bland.”

Of course, the green crabs even eat the tasty Dungeness and Blue Crabs that people prefer. They just can’t do anything right.

But here in Coastal California, we have a secret weapon: sea otters.

The southern sea otters we know and love were almost extinct in the last century, hunted for their luxurious fur. They only survived because a few dozen animals managed to shelter off the coast of Big Sur (yay Big Sur!). But conservationists won out and as people stopped slaughtering otters for their fur they resurged. From as few as 50, now there are tens of thousands. They’re still “threatened” but no longer “endangered.”

And they’re eating the invasive green crabs by the bucketload.

Otters are big eaters. When you see them off our coast they’re almost always eating. They don’t have the layers of blubber that sea lions or seals have, so they keep warm by feeding their super-high metabolisms with as much as 25 lbs of food per day. That’s a lot of crabs.

A group of otters at Elkhorn Slough was found to be eating between 50,000 and 120,000 green crabs per year!

And Now It’s Looking Better

As the otters resurged, marine scientists noticed the green crab population starting to dwindle. In Elkhorn Slough, the whole ecosystem is starting to recover.

Ecologically, that seems like a good thing. A native species fighting back against a damaging interloper. And though we get the occasional otter surfboard stealer like Otter 841, generally they are fun to watch. And honestly — though this is subjective — they’re a lot cuter than the green crabs.

Local Businesses & Giant Octopus Celebrate Cruzio’s 35th Birthday

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Cruzio Internet uses the fiber opticpus as our mascot for fiber optic internet

We edited this photo to look like a 1950s horror movie. But the tentacles were real, see below

Party at Cruzio!

Cruzio recently celebrated our 35th anniversary, joining with Think Local First for a big party! We had a great time and decorated our building with our fiber mascot, the Fiberopticpus. At the suggestion of one of our coworkers, we staged a photo to look like a 1950’s horror film like this one.

Enjoy the photos!

Giant inflatable octopus arms were deployed to celebrate Cruzio Internet's fiberoptic internet

These tentacles are real! Our friends at CCOF let us use their windows and our Field Ops staff did a great job installing them

Cruzio Internet puts on a party to celebrate 35th+ anniversary

Local luminary expresses terror as she arrives for our big party

Cruzio Internet puts on a party to celebrate 35th+ anniversary

Wow, what a spread!

Decorating for Cruzio Internet's party

Mario and Dave set up the disco lights, an essential part of any party

Cruzio Internet puts on a party to celebrate 35th+ anniversary

Partygoers enjoying the scene in Cruzioworks’s coworking atrium

Cruzio Internet puts on a party to celebrate 35th+ anniversary

Classic Cruzio tee shirt!!

Cruzio Internet puts on a party to celebrate our 35th+ anniversary

Revelers celebrate Cruzio’s 35th

Cruzio Internet puts on a party to celebrate our 35th+ anniversary

Cruzio’s CTO manages the flying shark

Cruzio Internet puts on a party to celebrate our 35th+ anniversary

We had fun!

and more…

 

Giant Slugs & Giant Sloths — That’s So Santa Cruz

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Banana slugs are slow, but Cruzio Internet is fast In the Santa Cruz Mountains we’re used to getting slimed by banana slugs, which, at up to12 inches long and 4 ounces in weight, are among the world’s largest slugs. (The very largest is a Black Sea sea slug which can weigh up to 30 pounds — ugh!)

The banana slug was recently named California’s official State Slug in Assembly Bill 1850,

Being so local and all, the banana slug was chosen as the mascot for the University of Santa Cruz — go Slugs! — and from there the slug was featured on a tee shirt in the movie Pulp Fiction, bringing our area even more well-deserved renown.

Fun fact: banana slugs have more teeth than sharks do. Our slugs can have up to 27,000 teeth and our local great white sharks, sadly losing out, just up to 500.

It’s always great to see a team called the Banana Slugs win track and field trophies over teams with names like Eagles and Captains. Even Poets (Whittier University) seem like they’d be faster than slugs. But our teams run fast.

Another local slowpoke

The giant sloth is slow, but Cruzio Internet is fastBut what other creature has recently raised its head, albeit slowly, in contention for a local hero?

The giant sloth.

Yes, the giant sloth is extinct. But its remains were discovered in 2023 by some unusual paleontologists: children from the Tara Redwood School in Soquel. And what’s more stirring —again, in a very slow, thoughtful way — than a sloth the size of an ox?

How slow are we talking here?

Banana slugs are “one of the slowest creatures on earth,” according to National Geographic. Scientists don’t have any giant sloths around to clock, but they’re described somewhat dismissively as “not fast.”

Like ancient giant sloths and modern banana slugs, Cruzio is based in Santa Cruz. But as for speed, we’re more like the UCSC track team — lightning fast.

First Friday at Cruzio Featuring Liminal Space!

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Liminal Space Art Collective is a group of Santa Cruz artists building bridges and dreaming of the future through interactive and immersive art. After covid surges had atomized the already fractured art community of Santa Cruz, Liminal Space grew from a small regular art meetup with the goal of cultivating a space for connection. In 2022, Liminal got the chance to build community by re-imagining the old Circle Church on the west side as an art events venue and home for artist collaboration. Over a hundred artists contributed to the incredible events we hosted there, building lasting friendships along the way. Since then, Liminal has thrown parties alongside Idea Fab Labs, filled the atrium at the MAH, collaborated with the Natural History Museum, built giant mushrooms for the Mushroom Festival, and much more. Our community of 150+ artists continues to grow and learn, to build community and to imagine a better world through our co-creative process.

 

This year, in an effort to support the arts scene, Cruzio went looking for an art group to fill their unused space. Sonya Campbell, a facilitator of the collective and member of the Cruzio team, suggested Liminal as the organization which might make the most of the opportunity. In the weeks after a residency agreement was made, we worked to transform a corner office into a beautiful and calming art gallery. We drew people into the building for our October First Friday event, which showcased art by individual collective members as well as more collaborative pieces. The event was a fantastic success, with a full room for nearly the entire night, and many new connections made. Community members read about First Friday events in the newspaper and came to chat. They saw giant sculptures and tiny paintings, wondered at dioramas, and added to the collaborative canvas we had prepared. Since then, we’ve been working to add even more art to the Cruzio space, and to decorate for our upcoming Halloween-themed event!

 

The holiday for costumes and friends is just around the corner, and as you make your plans, don’t forget to stop by the Cruzio building downtown to join our Halloween First Friday event! On Friday, November 1st, from 6-10pm, Liminal and Cruzio are collaborating once again to create an exciting and spooooky space! Since our October 4th gallery showing, we’ve redecorated – there’s more art to see, more fun to be had, and a lot more decorations in the spirit of the season. For anyone seeking a last minute addition to their costume, Kiara Leonardich will also be offering facepainting! Whether you were present for the October show or not, this party is an event we want you to see.

 

We’re always excited for the chance to create spaces like this for connection, and the work of our amazing team of volunteers and supporters takes each event to the next level. If you’re interested in helping to cultivate spaces for immersive and collaborative art, we are always looking to add more perspectives to our work, and more artists to our team. We’re passionate about creating a Santa Cruz community which values art as a mode of connection. We are working hard to connect with more people and organizations who share our vision of the future. In order to build that future, after all, we have to do it together. To hang out with us, make art together, or discuss how you want to support our connective work, please email us. → connect@limi.space ← We want to hear about what you’ve been dreaming.

-Written by Rose Klein

Faster Internet Coming to Coastside San Mateo

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Earlier this year, the state of California awarded Cruzio $5.65 million to improve internet infrastructure in our region. Using state-of-the-art technology, the funded project will bring high-speed connectivity to large parts of San Mateo. Serving homes, businesses, and public safety agencies, the Equal Access Summits to the Sea (EAS2C) initiative is a game-changer, and it’s been years in the making.

The seeds of EAS2C were planted back in early 2021, when Rob Genovesi, a well-respected figure in the community and long-time owner-operator of Coastside.net, sat down with Cruzio’s Chris Frost and James Hackett. As longtime friends and collaborators, the three had often bounced around ideas, having worked together on everything from cutting-edge wireless tech to customer support strategies. But this conversation felt different — this time, they saw a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

In the wake of COVID-19 and a series of devastating wildfires, the state of California was making broadband expansion a priority, pushing to bridge the glaring digital divide. Many residents were still struggling with limited or no internet access, hampering their ability to work, study, or get vital information during emergencies.

Cruzio had a track record of securing grant funding and successfully completing complex projects, to reach unserved areas, even ones larger ISPs had passed on. Our Equal Access initiative had already made strides in providing affordable internet to low-income families, working closely with local schools and nonprofits. Meanwhile, Rob had extensive knowledge of the Coastside region — its beauty, its connectivity challenges, and the urgent need for better service. Recent advances in fixed wireless technology, allowing ultra-fast speeds over longer distances, was the final piece of the puzzle.

The three quickly realized that by combining their resources, they were in a perfect position to secure upcoming grant funding and solve a major regional issue.

By the end of 2021, the partnership between Cruzio and Coastside.net was official, and the combined teams launched into action, working tirelessly to craft the technical and financial framework to secure a multimillion-dollar grant.

Fast forward to February 2024: The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously in favor of Resolution T-17810, green-lighting the EAS2C proposal. With the funding locked in, we wasted no time rolling out high-speed, resilient telecommunications infrastructure. Cruzio is set to connect the first wave of subscribers within weeks and by September the network will be fully operational.

The impact? Thousands of homes and businesses will finally experience the speed and reliability they’ve long needed. Beyond that, we’ll integrate fire alert cameras into the network, bolstering safety across the region. Cruzio has already started partnering with local organizations, including the Department of Emergency Management on their Coastal Resiliency Infrastructure Strategic Plan (CRISP), to ensure that this new network benefits the entire community.

We’re excited to see how this infrastructure will shape the future of the Coastside area, and we’re eager to hear from residents and local groups on how we can collaborate to make the most of this new resource. If you’d like to connect with a member of our senior project team about EAS2C, feel free to reach out at cruzio.com/contact.

🎨 First Friday at CruzioWorks!🎨

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cruzio exterior building image🎨 First Friday at CruzioWorks!🎨

Get ready to immerse yourself in a vibrant evening of creativity and connection at our First Friday Events on October 4th and November 1st! Our downtown coworking space will be transformed into a vibrant art gallery featuring the Liminal Space Collective.

But that’s not all! To make your First Friday experience even more enriching, we’re offering FREE coworking at our space earlier in the day. From 9 AM to 6 PM, come and work in our collaborative and productive environment at no cost. It’s the perfect opportunity to get some work done and then unwind with us at the art gallery event later from 6 PM to 9 PM.

Whether you’re an art enthusiast, a curious explorer, or simply looking for a lively evening out, this event promises a captivating experience for all.

Date: Friday, October 4th & Friday November 1st

Time: Coworking 9 AM-6 PM, Gallery 6 PM-9 PM

Location: Cruzio (877 Cedar Street, Suite #150)

Parking: Lot behind Cruzio building, ask front desk for a parking pass. If spots are full, paid parking in locust street garage or church street garage

Admission: FREE

first friday

Liminal Space Collective

Black-footed Cats

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black-footed cats

This cat looks a little like Cruzio Internet’s logo

  • black-footed cats can be found in parts of southern and central southern Africa
  • despite it’s adorable size and general appearance, it is believed to be the world’s deadliest cat
  • hey achieve the highest kill rate, successfully taking their target in 60% of hunts, which other cats get around 20-40% of the time
  • the tiny cat is perhaps the smallest of all wild cat species in Africa
  • they weigh about 2.2-5.5 lbs
  • it is believed that there are less than 10,000 mature individuals in the wild, and that the population is declining
  • they have been known to travel around 20 miles in a single night to hunt for prey
  • the black-footed cat is also solitary
  • these cats have pink skin, which is different from other wild cats, whose skin is usually dark tan to black
  • both sexes mark their territories by urinating
  • their vision is six times better than that of humans, aided by enormous eyes. It’s also equipped with excellent night vision and impeccable hearing that can pick up even the tiniest sound
  • despite its name, only the pads and underparts of the cat’s feet are black
  • their soft, dense coat ranges from dark to pale tawny gold, with a bold pattern of rounded dark brown to black spots which sometimes merge into bands or rings
  • they are protected from the hot sand by hair on the black soles of the feet
  • they prefer arid to semi-arid scrub and short grassland, and open terrain close to rocky outcrops
  • the little dudes are predominantly nocturnal but occasionally crepuscular (which means it can be seen out of its den just after sunset and before sunrise)
  • during the day they rest either in burrows dug by other species, in hollow termite mounds or among rock tumbles
  • in Afrikaans they are called miershooptier, means anthill tiger, hence the burrowing into termite mounds
  • one small black-footed cat can consume 3,000 rodents each year
  • they have also been observed eating eggs, crushing them gently between the jaws, and then licking the contents clean
  • natives have a legend claiming these tiny cats can bring down giraffe, but it has not been proven, thankfully
  • check out this lil cat on the prowl, looking all cute and deadly here
YouTubeYouTube | Nature on PBS
Meet the Deadliest Cat on the Planet 

Hidden Fortress Opens Cafe at Cruzioworks

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Hidden Fortress Cafe at Cruzioworks

Amelia and her staff are super friendly and they serve great food

Hidden Fortress Coffee, known by many as the coffee vendor at Santa Cruz Community Farmers Markets since 2013, has just opened their first downtown Santa Cruz location. The new spot is inside the Cruzio Works space, 877 Cedar Street, at Church Street.

Hidden Fortress Cafe at Cruzio
Grand Opening Thursday July 25
8:30am-6:30pm

 

This little grab and go coffee bar features the organic coffee that owner Amelia Loftus has been roasting since 2012 in Watsonville. It additionally offers a full espresso bar with handcrafted mixers plus a selection of grab & go pastries and breakfast burritos made in their Watsonville kitchen. Also available made to order are a toast bar featuring locally baked sourdough bread (including a gluten free option) and a selection of breakfast sandwiches.

The cafe fits perfectly with Cruzio’s coworking space, Cruzioworks. Working in a lovely, light-filled environment and getting up for a delicious coffee and a sandwich or a pastry, perhaps chatting with another coworker — wonderful.

For the first few weeks operations are in a soft opening phase as new staff are trained and the cafe undergoes a face lift… including a beautiful mural being painted by Helena Rae (@raehaven). A grand opening party is being organized for Thursday July 25. Throughout the day an array of small bites and fresh brewed coffee will be offered to all guests. Hours will be extended until 6:30pm, and some extra treats will be rolled out after 3pm including toast bar sliders and espresso drink shooters.

Hidden Fortress Coffee has been searching for a better location for a few years, since it became obvious that customers lost throughout the Covid Pandemic were not coming back to their Watsonville location. Relocating the entire business was even considered. The good news is the new location requires a support kitchen—which the Watsonville location has—so if the new spot is successful it will keep the Watsonville spot open too. 

Amelia and her husband Patrick started Hidden Fortress Coffee at their small farm in north Monterey county in 2013. Amelia has been roasting coffee since 2001, starting as a home roaster when the home brew supply business she managed added a home coffee roasting section. A lifetime coffee enthusiast, Amelia has been passionate about coffee and has been hooked on roasting since her very first batch.

As a women owned small business Amelia pays extra attention to the circumstances of women in the coffee industry. For the specialty coffee industry, from farmer to roaster the ownership of coffee businesses is about 75% male, while the workforce is over 60% female. Hidden Fortress devotes at least 30% of the coffee buying budget for coffee grown by women owned farms. Coffee income can empower women to invest in their communities and create better opportunities for their families. 

Cheers!