There’s a flip side to Santa Cruz County’s housing shortage. Wages here are relatively low. That’s a big reason why many can’t afford to rent or buy homes. We hear about trends in jobs in our county. And we hear from Hector Juarez and Cynthia Chase, two Santa Cruz residents with similar dreams, and how our local economy has shaped their lives.

Santa Cruz resident Hector Juarez works 70-plus hours a week as an Uber and Lyft driver. (Kara Meyberg Guzman — Santa Cruz Local)

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