Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart says he doesn’t understand the Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s decision to sever ties with his office. “I hear the advocates for defunding the police and about the school-to-prison pipeline,” he said, “but with this county, we know that’s not true.”
Grace Stetson
Posted inK-12 Education
Watsonville police: 13-year-old brandished a knife at Cesar Chavez Middle School
The Watsonville Police Department reported Wednesday afternoon that a 13-year-old student at Cesar Chavez Middle School has been arrested, following an armed confrontation with another student. No one was injured in the altercation, and the suspect is currently awaiting processing at juvenile hall.
Posted inK-12 Education
‘Heartbreaking’: Student dead after stabbing at Aptos High, two other students to be charged with murder
Tragedy strikes Aptos High on Tuesday after 17-year-old is stabbed and killed on campus. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 17-year-old and 14-year-old who Sheriff Jim Hart says will be charged with murder.
Posted inEducation
‘The need is pretty dire’: UC Santa Cruz raises funds to support fleeing Afghan scholars
On Monday, the university announced a goal of raising $100,000 to support at-risk Afghan families and students fleeing the country. Should the university reach its goal, the campus provost and executive vice chancellor have pledged to match it.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Today is your last day to register to vote by mail in California’s recall election
Sept. 14 is election day in the vote on whether to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, and while you can still register and vote in person through then, you have until only midnight tonight to sign up to vote by mail. Here’s how to register and cast your ballot in Santa Cruz County.
Posted inEducation
Some UCSC students struggle to return to campus as affordable, available housing remains elusive
With UCSC resuming classes for the 2021-2022 school year in a few weeks, many incoming and returning students are finding themselves at a loss for housing options. As one returning student shared, “I can’t focus on my job, I can’t sleep — this is completely awful.”
Posted inHousing & Development
State Assembly passes bills allowing for increased density on single-family lots
The two bills — which advocates say would help create more affordable housing statewide — were approved this week in the California State Assembly. The California State Senate will vote on the measures before they go to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Posted inCOVID Today
After third COVID-19 death in August, health officials point to combination of Delta, vaccination
Santa Cruz County officials announced Wednesday morning that an additional county resident died earlier this month due to COVID-19. This is the third COVID-19 related death in the county since June 1; all three residents were unvaccinated.
Posted inCOVID Today
Board of Supervisors will require vaccination or weekly COVID testing for county employees
After an acrimonious public comment period, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to require county employees to be vaccinated or be tested weekly. Those who fail to do either may be fired.
Posted inCOVID Today
Time for a Delta ‘strategy shift’: What a testing backlog, tricky variant mean for Santa Cruzans
A testing backlog, combined with the fact the Delta variant can move quickly through infected people, means that results may have little use. As a result, county health officials urge residents to isolate at the first sign of illness, wear a mask and get vaccinated.