Wartime evacuations of Santa Cruz | Ross Eric Gibson, Local History
"After the Dec. 7, 1941, surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, blackout drills were immediately instituted in Santa Cruz County," writes Local History columnist Ross Eric Gibson. "Mayor Edwin Rich said on Dec. 9, 1941, to shop early before the mandatory 5 p.m. store closings, since most air attacks in war zones were made around dusk."