Aiyana Moya

My Recent Work

Central California Alliance for Health •

Your behavioral health matters!

Life’s ups and downs can sometimes feel out of control. It’s okay to ask for help. Taking care of your behavioral health is important for overall wellness. Behavioral health includes mental health, substance use, and challenging behaviors.
If you are feeling sad, anxious, depressed or struggling with substance use, you are not alone! We can help. As an Alliance member, you can get help for behavioral health and substance use disorders.
If you or a family member is struggling or in crisis, call o...
News •

Center for Coastal Climate Resilience Fellows bridge disciplines to build resilient communities

Interdisciplinary work is at the heart of the University of California, Santa Cruz, Center for Coastal Climate Resilience’s (CCCR) mission. In part two of our series highlighting CCCR fellows, we spoke with fellows who are using their unique backgrounds to advance climate resilience. From statistics to art, these fellows are examining the consequences of climate change and contributing to a broader conversation about how we can invest in our environments to build a more resilient future. While t...
News •

The future of climate: The Center for Coastal Climate Resilience supports a critical wave of research fellows

As the science community’s focus on climate change and adaptation continues to grow, research fellows are playing a pivotal role in driving the innovation needed to build greater resilience in the face of climate change. The University of California, Santa Cruz Center for Coastal Climate Resilience has made a major commitment in the past 2.5 years to support and bring to campus more than 60 Fellows at all levels from early career grad students to senior fellows.
Central California Alliance for Health •

Community Impact Report: the Alliance invested $93M in 2024 to improve health outcomes

Scotts Valley, Calif., February 20, 2025 — Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance) is pleased to announce the release of its 2025 Community Impact Report, highlighting the organization’s transformative investments and initiatives to close health disparities throughout 2024. The report, themed Community. Connection. Care., showcases how the Alliance has partnered with local organizations to address key social drivers of health and improve access to care for Medi-Cal members across M...
Central California Alliance for Health •

Support Black maternal health

The Alliance believes everyone deserves a fair chance at being healthy. Here’s how you can support pregnant people in your life!
According to the CDC, Black women are more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than white women.
This isn’t because their bodies are different. It’s because of things like getting worse health care, health problems, racism and unfair treatment. These things make it hard for Black mothers to get the care and help they need to be healthy.
When you get care early,...
Central California Alliance for Health •

The Alliance Housing Fund provides millions for housing support in its member counties

Scotts Valley, Calif., October 23, 2024 — Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance) is proud to announce that it has invested more than $45 million into 28 housing projects across the Alliance service areas of Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties. Collectively, these investments have provided over 1,000 units to people experiencing housing insecurity.
The Alliance awards these grants through its Housing Fund initiative, which aims to support temporary and pe...
Central California Alliance for Health •

Breastfeeding is good for mothers and babies

August is National Breastfeeding Month! Did you know that breastfeeding is good for the health of both mother and baby? Here are some helpful tips for mothers who are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
Breastfeeding gives babies the best possible start to life. It is the ideal source of nutrition to help with their growth and development.
For babies and children, breastmilk boosts their immune system. It lowers their risk of:
Breastfeeding promotes:
Moms who breastfeed have less risk of:
Breas...
Central California Alliance for Health •

Use the Infant Wellness Map to remember your baby’s appointments

Remembering your baby’s doctor appointments and vaccines can feel like a lot. We have a guide to make it easy. 
The new Infant Wellness Map shows you what your baby needs to be as healthy as possible. From birth to 12 months, the map shows you when it’s time for your baby’s well-child visits. You can also use the map to see when it’s time for your baby to get vaccinated.  
The map also shows you what your baby should be able to do throughout their first year. This helps make sure your baby is gr...
Good Times •

Winter Covid Update | Good Times

Anecdotally, it feels like everyone knows someone with Covid these days—or someone who is sick.  
Even Deputy Health Officer Cal Gordon was sick during Good Times’ interview with him about the state of illness in the county. Not with Covid, he clarified. 
“It’s just the common cold that my grandson gave to me,” Dr. Gordon said. “We all tested negative and he had been tested for RSV and that was negative.” People might be surprised to learn that in comparison to last year’s winter, there’s actual...
Good Times •

How the Amah Mutsun Tribe is Reclaiming its Heritage

Mary “Sis” Carrier tells me that growing up, the little she was told about her Native American heritage seemed to revolve around reparations from the federal government.

“As a child, all my grandmother said was just to sign up for the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs),” says Carrier, as we stand beneath a flowering pomegranate tree in Bonny Doon. “They didn’t want to talk about our history. The settlers took our land, our livelihood, and we got $600.”

Carrier’s native identity was lost—or, more a
Good Times •

Santa Cruz’s Earth Day Celebration Returns

Earth Day, an annual event held on April 22 in honor of environmental protection, almost didn’t happen this year.

That would have marked the third year that Santa Cruzans missed the event—the first two due to pandemic restrictions.

In prior years, Earth Day has been celebrated in San Lorenzo Park. Because the former Benchlands encampment was situated in that area—which the city cleared out in November of last year—Earth Day organizers were at a loss for where the event would take place until t
Good Times •

How Santa Cruz Cities are Approaching Outdated Language

Adam Spickler, who uses the pronouns he/they, has worked in local government for over a decade.

As some do over the years, Spickler grappled with their evolving identity. But unlike most, this personal inquiry was fast-tracked and made public.

In 2009, Spickler worked in a county building. During this time, they were reevaluating how they relate to gender. Because they were more masculine presenting, various issues arose when they would use the women’s bathrooms.

“It’s ironic that it stemmed
Good Times •

Gov. Newsom Visits Santa Cruz

As winds whipped across Zelda’s on the Beach’s barren deck Tuesday afternoon, California Gov. Gavin Newsom promised crowds that financial assistance would come down the pipeline just as soon as all the damages from the storms had been assessed.

“As soon as all the damage assessments are collected—then we’ll be able to make a much sounder judgment and assessment of what we actually will deliver and how, and under what circumstances in terms of timelines,” Newsom said.

After ducking in and out o
Good Times •

Cabrillo College's New Wine Studies

What do climate change and cocktails have in common? 
Both are changing the wine industry.  
Deborah Parker Wong, who helped create Cabrillo College’s new Wine Studies Associates in Science (A.S.) degree, says that the wine industry is at a turning point. Parker Wong, who joined Cabrillo College in 2015 but who has a long history entwined with wine, spends her time delving into the wine industry in one way or another.  From strolling with winemakers in the hills of Tuscany to giving lectures in...
The Pajaronian | Watsonville, CA •

Evictions loom for 14 Pajaro families - The Pajaronian | Watsonville, CA

In the middle of the holiday season, 14 families that live on 29 San Juan Road in Pajaro must find somewhere new to live in one of the country’s most expensive rental markets.
On a rainy day in November, the concerned faces of adults are juxtaposed against the laughter of playing children as many families are only days away from vacating their homes—homes that some have rented for almost 20 years. 
This is the end result of a months-long process that began when a concerned tenant contacted Monte...
Good Times •

Dog Virus Hasn’t Hit Santa Cruz | Good Times

In the past week, a mysterious upper respiratory illness has been causing canines around the country to fall ill—luckily, according to local vets, Santa Cruz dog owners don’t need to worry too much. 
“The belief of researchers is that it’s nothing new—it’s a combination of different ailments that have been commonly seen,” says Dr. David Schuman, veterinarian and owner of Westside Animal Hospital. “It’s not a new virus per se. It’s just a new understanding.” 
Schuman says that this sickness makin...
Good Times •

Watsonville Lawsuit Appealing At-Large Elections Set Precedent for California Cities to Move to District Elections | Good Times

On a Saturday in 1989, Rebecca Garcia and others of Latinx descent stood on the steps of Watsonville’s city hall building. The council was holding a closed meeting about appealing the court ruling that at-large elections in Watsonville were illegally diluting the Latinx vote—a claim that, decades later, the city of Santa Cruz now faces.


“Basically, we were almost set up for failure as far as a Latino running a successful campaign in at-large elections,” says Garcia, who is now a city councilw...
San Jose Inside •

Red Tape and ‘Shadow Debt’ Are Stalling Relief Efforts for California Renters

Elizabeth has been waiting for her Covid-19 rent relief application to be processed since she applied at the beginning of May.
A month after she sent in her application, she received a letter saying she was missing necessary documents, and her application was on hold. For the past two weeks, Elizabeth has been trying to contact someone working at Housing is Key, the state program that processes rent relief applications, or local nonprofits helping tenants fill out forms.
“At this point, we are p...