What’s up, Lookout friends? Monday, April 6, is here, and the forecast for Santa Cruz County is a mostly sunny one, give or take some morning fog, with highs mainly in the 70s.
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Hillary Ojeda starts us off with an overview of the local school districts that have approved layoffs amid continued declining enrollment and reductions in state and federal funding. Soquel Union Elementary, Live Oak School District, Scotts Valley Unified, Santa Cruz City Schools and Pajaro Valley Unified school districts all implemented reductions and layoffs to varying degrees.
Tania Ortiz was on hand Saturday as the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County hosted a forum for candidates for Santa Cruz mayor and city council. Housing and development was a primary topic as candidates fielded questions from both a moderator and those in attendance.
Traffic and transit is the focus for Max Chun’s Carmageddon column, with the focus this week on the latest from the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission. The RTC approved approved its proposed budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which is similar to the current year’s budget. It also OK’d agreements in the process of becoming the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line’s operator.
Cecilia Schutz took in a recent performance by Scotts Valley’s Clay Hausmann, whose comedy routine, “Empty Nest and All the Rest,” focuses on parents whose kids are growing up and soaring off into adulthood. “A lot of what society tells us is that ‘empty nest’ is supposed to be this very grim moment in your life where you’re lost,” he told Lookout. “I look at it differently.”
The Monday morning headlines also include Lily Belli’s review of new Santa Cruz cocktail lounge Alley Oop and opinion from former Santa Cruz mayor Don Lane on downtown housing – onward we go.
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The Santa Cruz County school districts that approved layoffs this year
Amid declining enrollment and shrinking state and federal funding, several Santa Cruz County school districts approved significant layoffs this year to maintain long-term financial stability. Districts including Pajaro Valley Unified, Soquel Union Elementary, Live Oak, Scotts Valley Unified and Santa Cruz City Schools proposed cuts affecting dozens of positions, though officials say some reductions could be avoided through attrition or other savings measures. Hillary Ojeda reports on where things stand.
Candidates for Santa Cruz mayor, city council races vie for endorsement from Democratic Women’s Club in weekend forum
Candidates for Santa Cruz mayoral and city council races participated in a candidate endorsement forum hosted by the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County in Capitola on Saturday morning. The group, however, has not released its endorsements. Here’s what Tania Ortiz saw and heard.
DAILY DIGEST
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Thanks for reading, and may your Monday be a smooth one.
Will McCahill