Who were Miri Villalobos and Santiago Tehandon? Two members of a Watsonville community that has absorbed 45% of Santa…
Isabella Cueto
Follow Isabella Cueto on: Twitter. Isabella joins the Lookout team as a government accountability reporter, building on her experience covering local government for The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C.Before moving to South Carolina, Cueto was in her hometown of Miami. She served as editor-in-chief of the University of Miami’s award-winning student newspaper, and was an intern for WLRN public radio and Northwestern University’s Medill Justice Project, which investigates potential wrongful convictions. Cueto’s work has been recognized by the S.C. Press Association, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Florida Society of News Editors.She is bilingual, fluent in Spanish.Cueto understands how high-quality local journalism makes government more responsive and effective, its inner workings more accessible to the public. That is her aim as Lookout’s government accountability correspondent.“I’m thrilled to be a part of this visionary team and to build something special for the people of Santa Cruz,” she said.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Protesters form wall to protect homeless encampment at San Lorenzo Park; police stand down
The number of deaths in the county also went up by about 13% compared to last year, but homeless people died at more…
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Meet Mrs. Mayor: Yvette Brooks hopes to lead Capitola into a more diversity-minded future
Yvette Brooks, 37, is Capitola’s new mayor. And she brings with her a perspective that may help expand the thinking around diversity and inclusiveness in a city that is 60% white.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Break up San Lorenzo homeless encampment? ‘We would have advised against this,’ county health officer writes
The city’s emergency executive order cites crime, trespassing, graffiti, social distancing issues and trash as reasons…
Posted inPolitics & Policy
21 for ’21: Housing Matters’ Phil Kramer is looking to end family homelessness (and quickly)
Phil Kramer, executive director of Housing Matters, wants to take the compassion and love Santa Cruz County used to get through 2020 and keep it flowing to help the homeless next year. A $2.5 million grant from an organization overseen by Jeff Bezos is sure to help.
Posted inCOVID 2022
Residents of Dominican Oaks in isolation after person tests positive for COVID-19
An administrator of the retirement community near Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz told residents this week that “a community member” had tested positive but offered few other details.
Posted inVaccine Watch
Thankful for ‘the PPE inside of me’: First COVID vaccines here evoke emotional responses
Toni Luckett, an RN at Dominican Hospital, was the first person in Santa Cruz County to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Watsonville citizens clear on favorite downtown features. Could six new neighborhoods be in their future?
A survey asking Watsonville residents what they want out of their downtown area came back with the farmers’ market and city plaza rising above other favorites. Now, a planning firm will take that feedback and brainstorm.
Posted inCOVID 2022
‘Such a burnout’: As workloads rise, nurses hope new testing guidelines, vaccines, bring relief
As COVID-19 surges, nurses in Santa Cruz County are being stretched to their limits. And getting tested for many has been just as challenging as it has for the general public. Will new testing protocol and a vaccine lesson the burden?
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Santa Cruz County homeless deaths hit all-time high in 2020
The number of deaths in the county also went up by about 13% compared to last year, but homeless people died at more than five times the rate of the rest of the county population.