Local news in the classroom: Weekly roundup 10/28/25
In this last week of October, Halloween festivities rapidly approach. While the younger generations rush to figure out last minute costumes, those of voting age in Santa Cruz have a week left to decide how they want to vote on real estate ballot measures in Santa Cruz (and also may be figuring out last minute Halloween costumes). At the same time, debates about city construction regulation and its labor conditions, including wages, benefits, and hours continue in Watsonville. Read this week’s highlighted stories and some discussion questions you may want to use with your students.
Local news makes learning personal. By weaving stories like these into lessons, students see how policy choices and community voices influence their own paths and futures. And remember: All Santa Cruz County high school educators and students receive free Lookout memberships, giving full access to reporting, events, and perks.
This week’s highlighted stories
Ask Lookout: What is Watsonville’s project labor agreement that has trade unions up in arms?
Why it matters: More than 100 union workers urged Watsonville City Councel to preserve a longstanding labor agreement regarding city construction projects. Meanwhile, non-union contractors say the restrictiveness of the agreement lowers the amounts of bids and elongates the bidding process.
In the classroom: Prompt students to outline the various arguments and opinions presented in the article. What are some of the obstacles contractors might encounter? What is the importance of worker protections?
In the Public Interest: Decision day looms for Santa Cruz’s dueling affordable housing ballot measures
Why it matters: Measure C aims to tax to raise revenue for affordable housing projects. Its supporters argue Measure B wouldn’t raise enough money to do that. Meanwhile, Measure B, created specifically to defeat C, argue C is covertly a city-backed measure that would burden homeowners. The article also offers brief coverage of other Santa Cruz County stories, including Santa Cruz city leaders starting to review plans for coast protection and Santa Cruz city workers voting to strike.
In the classroom: Ask students why it is important to read opinions from different sides of an issue. If they had only heard an argument from proponents of one of the measures, do they think they would still be open to another perspective? Students can also skim the other news mentions in the article and popcorn share something they found interesting.
More Local News for the Classroom
Interested in more stories? Browse all our recent coverage here.
Gabriella Café alumni return to the kitchen to lift up longtime chef facing cancer
By Lily Belli
Santa Cruz’s restaurant community is rallying behind longtime Gabriella Café chef Gema Cruz, who is undergoing treatment for metastatic breast cancer, with a star-studded fundraising dinner on Nov. 16. Some of the region’s most celebrated chefs — all Gabriella alumni — will reunite in the cozy downtown restaurant’s kitchen to create a five-course feast.
After violence, Watsonville High students, staff sad and searching for answers
By Hillary Ojeda
A day after two violent attacks on the Watsonville High School campus left three people injured, students and staff returned to a somber and sparsely attended campus, grappling with fear, sadness, and unanswered questions.
How a UCSC student-built website helps undergrads go from career questions to options
By Ashley Palma-Jimenez
UC Santa Cruz computer science major William Zhao built a web tool to help his fellow undergraduates chart their careers from entry-level positions to the C-suite.
California News
Inside California’s high school of the future: It’s clean, no one cuts and biotech is a class
By CalMatters
CART High in Clovis offers work experience, academics tailored to students’ interests, stronger personal connections with staff and multidisciplinary courses that link directly to careers and community needs.
Why California’s historic housing law gave activists a new reason to battle the bus
By Ben Christopher / CalMatters
Opponents to dense housing developments in Los Angeles turned their attention to transit after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law encouraging construction near bus and rail lines.
Educator Resources
What Teachers Really Think About AI in the Classroom
From PBS Student Reporting Labs, this is a teacher-led podcast contemplating the emergence of AI in their classrooms.
What You Need To Know About The Algorithms Targeting Boys
A newsletter from Teen Health Today that explores research findings about boys’ online presence and how excessive time spent online often feeds them specific narratives about masculinity.
Lookout will be accepting submissions for our journalism scholarship contest from November to February! We invite all high school students in Santa Cruz County to apply. Top three winners win $500 each and top ten winners get published on the Lookout site.
Book a class visit with Lookout Santa Cruz
We’d love to visit your classroom! Lookout staff can come to your classroom and lead a workshop about various different things from journalism to elections. These workshops last the length of one class period and are a great way to get your students engaged in different aspects of learning. Reach out if you are interested.
Thank you for all the work you do in our community. Your efforts help younger generations build media literacy skills, engage with their communities, and grow as active democratic citizens. If you’d like to learn more about our school programs, get involved, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at interns@lookoutlocal.com or my mentor Jamie Garfield (Director of Student and Community Engagement) at jamie@lookoutlocal.com
Best,
Ava Salinas
Educational Program Assistant
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