Mountain lions in Santa Cruz County recently gained new protections under the California Endangered Species Act after years as candidates for listing. Protecting six distinct puma populations around the state is a win for many dedicated researchers, but the move heightens the concerns about potential land-use and livestock impacts for developers, ranchers and farmers.
Education
Posted inEducation
Wave of California teacher strikes ‘is no coincidence’
The California Teachers Association organized to trigger a wave of negotiations and potential strikes to garner public attention and flex political muscle.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
UCSC alumni to celebrate life and legacy of Tom Lehrer with performance in April
UC Santa Cruz alumni will reunite on April 11 to honor the life and legacy of Tom Lehrer, a beloved math educator as well as American musician, singer-songwriter and satirist who taught at the university for decades and died last summer at 97.
Posted inEducation
AI images scandalized a California elementary school. Now the state is pushing new safeguards
Adobe’s artificial intelligence generated sexualized images in response to prompts for a fourth grade book project. The incident coincided with the release of new state guidelines to prevent harmful AI in schools.
Posted inEducation
Teachers stage coordinated walkout during tense PVUSD board meeting
More than 150 teachers and union supporters staged a coordinated walkout during a tense Pajaro Valley Unified School District board meeting Wednesday night, protesting the board’s approval of 160 layoffs amid an ongoing budget crisis. Organized by the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, the demonstration underscored escalating tensions over enrollment declines and the loss of pandemic-era funding as district leaders move forward with cuts.
Posted inEducation
UC lecturers are bargaining for a new contract. Who are they and what are they asking for?
Lecturers across the University of California system will begin bargaining March 5 for a new contract as they push for permanent job status, higher pay and stronger academic freedom protections, arguing that despite teaching more than 30% of undergraduate courses, they remain treated as second-class faculty.
Posted inEducation
From campus to community: UCSC brings science to the neighborhood to spark local dialogue
UC Santa Cruz has launched a lecture series that takes researchers out of the lab and into neighborhoods to provide the public with a clearer understanding of cutting-edge science.
Posted inEducation
What California’s planned power outages are costing schools: Darkness, disruption and debt
California schools faced repeated planned power outages in 2024-25 as Southern California Edison cut electricity to prevent wildfires, forcing closures and costly backup power solutions.
Posted inEducation
Live Oak superintendent resigns, school board approves cutting 6 teachers, mental health clinician, more staff
Live Oak School District’s superintendent announced his resignation effective June 30 as the school board approved nearly 11 staff reductions — including six teachers and a mental health clinician — to address a structural budget deficit driven by declining enrollment and rising costs.
Posted inEducation
Santa Cruz County Youth Civics Summit aims to reinforce civic learning and election engagement
About 200 students from all high schools in Santa Cruz County will attend the Santa Cruz County Youth Civics Summit on Friday at Cabrillo College.
