Lookout PM: PV school board approves major layoffs, final pre-election campaign finance disclosures, and the start of summer events

Pajaro Valley Unified school board approves layoffs of about 100 full-time staff

By Hillary Ojeda

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board approved final layoffs equivalent to about 100 full-time positions Wednesday, including special education staff, mental health clinicians, healthcare assistants, teachers and counselors. Staff, parents and union leaders warned the cuts will worsen student support services, increase workloads and create safety risks on campuses.

Candidates filed their final pre-election campaign finance disclosures before the June 2 primary. Here’s what they show.

By Max Chun

Thursday was the deadline for candidates in the Santa Cruz mayoral and city council races, as well as the District 4 county supervisor and Superior Court judge seats, to file their final pre-election campaign finance disclosures before the June 2 primary.

Weekender: Summer kickoff; MCT’s fierce ‘Virginia Woolf’; inside Fawn Pizza & Vinyl Bar

Your cheat sheet for eating well and going out in Santa Cruz County this long weekend.

Santa Cruz’s population decline has widened. Low-wage jobs and high housing costs are reasons why.

The city of Santa Cruz has lost 1.3% of its population since 2024 and 3.7% since 2020, a Lookout analysis of the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau finds. The decline is part of a broader exodus from expensive places in California where people struggle to land high-paying jobs.

‘Feels like erasure’: Why Native American students may be undercounted by 90% in California schools

By Carolyn Jones / CalMatters

Native American students who also identify as another race, such as Black, white or Asian, are counted as “two or more races,” not Native American.

After AI layoffs, Newsom orders state government to find ways to ease the pain

By Khari Johnson / CalMatters

In an executive order, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called on state officials to study everything from job subsidies to stock compensation policies to mitigate tech-driven layoffs stemming from the use of artificial intelligence.