Sixteen candidates are running for nine seats in five school districts across Santa Cruz County. Lookout sent questionnaires to all of them asking about the most pressing issues facing their schools. Here, we take a look at the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.
Thomas Sawano
Thomas Sawano joins the Lookout team after two-and-a-half years at City on a Hill Press, the student-run newspaper at UCSC. While there, he reported on the university, arts and culture events, and the city of Santa Cruz. Thomas is deeply interested in local politics and feels fortunate to have begun his journalistic career in this town.Thomas graduated in 2022 with degrees in Cognitive Science and Philosophy. Though hailing from Los Angeles, he has vowed to never live there again on account of traffic and a lack of actual weather. Thomas loves traveling, going to music festivals, and watching documentaries about the outdoors. He has recently picked up rock climbing, and hopes the sport won’t damage his typing hands too badly.
Posted inLatest News
Suspect in custody after Santa Cruz High School students shelter in place due to social media threat
Santa Cruz High School was briefly in “shelter-in-place” Monday morning out of an abundance of caution after someone made a threat on social media. The district described the threat as not credible and said that police have taken someone in custody.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In Watsonville City Council’s District 7, two veterans square off
Though four city council seats are up for grabs in Watsonville this November, only District 7 will see a contest — where current mayor Ari Parker will square off against longtime Watsonville politico and educator Nancy Bilicich. Lookout sat down with Parker and Bilicich to talk about their campaigns.
Posted inEducation
A marriage of virtual reality and physical therapy: Immergo Labs emerges from its UCSC roots
The COVID-19 pandemic has uncorked the genie from the bottle on telehealth. UC Santa Cruz alums Aviv Elor, Ash Robbins and Michael Powell are bringing physical therapy to your home via their virtual reality telehealth platform, Immergo VR.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
New SEIU deal to cost Santa Cruz $3.4 million, but budget cuts not anticipated
The City of Santa Cruz narrowly avoided a strike by SEIU-represented city workers after reaching a tentative agreement Sunday. Though the deal is expected to cost the city’s general fund $3.4 million over three years, city officials do not anticipate any cuts to other programs receiving general-fund allocations in the 2022-23 fiscal year. One goal of the new deal: making it easier to hire and retain city workers.
Posted inFood & Drink
Hakouya spreads the word on miso
The mother-and-son team behind Hakouya has gone beyond their local favorite miso dressing to sell a wider array of traditional and not-so-traditional miso products — including their own take on amazake, a fermented rice drink.
Posted inEducation
At UCSC symposium on the Latin American far right, Bolsonaro looms
6,385 miles from their home university in Campinas, Brazil, six social scientists came to UC Santa Cruz this week for an all-day symposium on the Latin American far right.
Posted inEducation
UCSC gathering explores rise of the far right in Latin America
A symposium at UC Santa Cruz this Wednesday will bring local scholars and Brazilian social scientists to talk about neoconservatism, Indigenous rights and what’s fueled the far right in Latin America’s most populous country.
Posted inHousing & Development
Coastal Haven, a lifelong home for people with disabilities, rings in its first anniversary
Tucked against Pogonip Creek, a cluster of nine colorful bungalows forms Coastal Haven — a “pocket community” for 11 families who have adult children with disabilities. The hope, its founders Heidi Cartan and Philippe Habib say, is that this will be the children’s homes for a lifetime.
Posted inFood & Drink
Seaquoia harvests the deep (under the bay) forests to produce captivating edible kelp
Seaquoia, a homegrown seaweed merchant, is one of the only of its kind around Monterey Bay, and sells a wide range of products made from wild kelp.