Hello hello. Wednesday, Aug. 5, has arrived, and with it a familiar forecast for Santa Cruz County: morning clouds giving way to sunny skies, temperatures from around 70 at the bay to around 90 in the mountains.
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Wednesday marks the first day of school for some Santa Cruz County public school students and educators, and Hillary Ojeda has a pair of K-12 education stories. She’s got the details on which district starts when – Soquel Union Elementary kicks things off – and also has a look at the impact of Proposition 28, a statewide initiative to boost arts funding passed in 2022. It’s been a boon for many local schools, but some Pajaro Valley Unified School District teachers say they have serious concerns about how PVUSD has spent its Prop 28 dollars.
Jessica M. Pasko has her Wednesday look at local business, leading with Shawn Peterson taking over as executive director of the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County following the retirement of longtime head Karen Delaney.
Supporters of Santa Cruz Metro say they have enough signatures to put their citizens’ initiative seeking a half-cent countywide sales tax in front of voters, Max Chun reports. The county clerk must verify the signatures, and then it will be up to county supervisors on when to put the measure – crucial to funding the transit agency’s service expansion – on local ballots, though it might not be until 2028.
This November’s ballot will ask voters to approve a half-cent sales tax increase, Tania Ortiz reports, after the board of supervisors declared a state of financial distress amid ongoing challenges.
The day’s headlines also include two arrests in Monday night’s shooting incident near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, plus the latest in local food & drink from Lily Belli – onward.
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Starting Wednesday, many Santa Cruz County students are heading back to school
Soquel Union Elementary School District students are first among the county’s public school students to start the 2026-27 school year. Thursday it’s Santa Cruz City Schools, San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District, Scotts Valley Unified School District and Live Oak School District. Get the full rundown here.
As arts funding boosts many local schools, PVUSD faces questions over spending and transparency
Three years after California voters approved Proposition 28, many Santa Cruz County school districts say the arts funding has expanded programs and opportunities for students — but teachers in Pajaro Valley Unified are raising questions about how millions of dollars have been spent and why the district has lacked transparency. Hillary Ojeda reports.
DAILY DIGEST
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Have a great Wednesday, one and all, and thank you for reading.
Will McCahill