Morning, all. It is Thursday, April 24 – a mostly cloudy day around Santa Cruz County, with highs topping out in the low 60s and chances of rain ahead into the weekend.
JUMP TO … Neighborhood Roundup | Latest News | Opinion | Briefs | Event Calendar | Job Board | Puzzles
The largest single department in local government is bracing for layoffs and cuts to services, Christopher Neely reports after seeing an email to employees of Santa Cruz County’s Health Services Agency. HSA’s budget, to be published Friday and discussed before the county board of supervisors next week, will propose cutting more than 74 full-time-equivalent positions, per the email from agency director Monica Morales.
Hillary Ojeda continues her reporting on UC Santa Cruz’s Family Student Housing, where residents say a $600-per-month rent increase for a new residential complex set to open later this year will inordinately stretch already taxed budgets. They’re asking UCSC to rescind the hike, something the university says it can’t do.
An annual celebration of the culture of the Mexican state of Oaxaca is on for this weekend, Tania Ortiz reports, though only after deliberations of whether to hold the guelaguetza amid fears over President Donald Trump’s second-term immigration crackdown. It’s the community’s way of saying, “Here we are. We are part of this state, proud of this beautiful country, and we are proud of who we are,” one organizer put it.
In Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, Rabbi Debbie Israel takes issue with what she heard from Pajaro Valley Unified School District trustees at a meeting last week during which they approved a new ethnic studies contract with a controversial consultant. She writes that trustees used conventional antisemitic tropes and showed little grace, openness or leadership skills in their dealings with concerned members of the Jewish community.
The Thursday headlines also include news from Lily Belli on the downtown Santa Cruz farmers market setting a date for its move to a new location up Cedar Street – let’s scope it all out.
Layoffs, staff and service cuts to lead county health department’s budget proposal
Santa Cruz County’s Health Services Agency is proposing major budget cuts that could mean layoffs, program reductions and the end of key services. A briefing Tuesday to the county board of supervisors will unpack the financial pressures behind the agency’s difficult decisions. Christopher Neely details the situation.
Santa Cruz Oaxacan cultural celebration continues despite Trump immigration fears
Santa Cruz-based nonprofit Senderos is holding its 20th guelaguetza on Sunday at the Branciforte Small Schools campus. The annual tradition, which brings a taste of the culture of the Mexican state of Oaxaca to the community, almost didn’t happen this year due to concerns after President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Tania Ortiz reports.
DAILY DIGEST
Don’t look now, but the weekend is getting bigger in the window, and Wallace Baine’s recommendation-filled roadmap to Santa Cruz County arts & entertainment is among what’s still on Lookout’s Thursday dance card. Sign up here to get Wallace’s Weekender delivered right to you, and check out all our other newsletters and breaking news alerts while you’re at it. You can also tap into our award-winning local coverage on social media, where you’ll find Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky, and get it all right on your smartphone by downloading the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Our content isn’t possible without community support, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.
Thursday awaits, friends and neighbors. Get on out there.
Will McCahill