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Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

PVUSD family, special education staff say proposed cuts will ‘devastate’ most vulnerable students

Parents and educators in Pajaro Valley Unified School District warn that proposed cuts to more than 40 special education positions will severely undermine services for the district’s most vulnerable students, who they say are already under-supported.

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Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

In the Public Interest: Rail trail changes; Flock Safety searches; veterans’ appeal to supervisors

Headlines to know from around Santa Cruz County politics & policy, plus a look at what’s on local agendas this week and beyond. Continue reading…

Credit: Contributed

Citing understaffing, mismanagement at county Veterans Services Office, vets will take case to supervisors this week

Some local veterans have objections to the way the county oversees the Veterans Services Office, and a group of them plans to speak at Tuesday’s meeting of the board of supervisors to ask that the VSO be an independent department. They also plan to meet Monday with County executive Nicole Coburn. Continue reading…

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Carmageddon: After major reversal on Coastal Rail Trail segments, what comes next?

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s decision to shift toward building three segments of the Coastal Rail Trail over the tracks means that the RTC and planners working on the project have their work cut out for them, both at the state level and with the other parties involved with the rail line. Continue reading…

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

What The Catalyst means to Santa Cruz’s music scene, its culture and its sense of itself

With The Catalyst in the news as the possible site of a new downtown housing development, maybe it’s time for a reminder of just how influential and central this performance venue has been to Santa Cruz’s musical subcultures.

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Credit: California Department of Public Health

State health agency warns of poisoning linked to foraged death cap mushrooms

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued an urgent advisory following a recent outbreak of amatoxin poisoning linked to the consumption of wild, foraged death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides).

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Best of Santa Cruz County events, December 8-11

Here are some events you may be interested in this week:

Monday, Dec. 8

Tuesday, Dec. 9

Wednesday, Dec. 10

Thursday, Dec. 11


Max Chun is the general-assignment correspondent at Lookout Santa Cruz. Max’s position has pulled him in many different directions, seeing him cover development, COVID, the opioid crisis, labor, courts...