Hiya folks. It is Friday, May 22, and Santa Cruz County is cooling off a bit as we head into the long Memorial Day weekend – after morning fog, we should see sunny skies and temperatures peaking around 80 in the warmest mountain locales.
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Hillary Ojeda has the latest from Pajaro Valley Unified School District, where the governing board gave the final OK to the layoffs of the equivalent of about 100 full-time special education staff, mental health clinicians, healthcare assistants, teachers and academic and social-emotional counselors. Staff, students and parent decried the move, which the district says is needed to address a budget deficit.
Max Chun breaks down the final campaign finance disclosures from candidates across Santa Cruz County ahead of the June 2 primary. Ryan Coonerty lapped the rest of the Santa Cruz mayoral candidates, and indeed was the top fundraiser among all the local hopefuls.
Max also had the news Thursday that Coonerty is under investigation by the state’s fair political practices commission for allegedly failing to file statements of economic interests, associated with his adviser role at the San Jose Mayor’s Office. Coonerty said the issue goes back to an error at the San Jose city clerk’s office and has since been resolved.
The Friday headlines also include a cheat sheet to making the most of the upcoming long weekend, but first, a view through the lens of Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud:
Photo of the day
Steve Maxon, president of Redtree Properties, and UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday marking the completion of the Delaware Addition Apartments on the Westside. The development includes 161 apartments spread across several multistory buildings, with 19 designated as affordable housing. The complex also features a fitness center, retail space, bicycle and public parking. The project is expected to help address the region’s housing shortage while providing housing opportunities for UCSC students, faculty and staff.
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Pajaro Valley Unified school board approves layoffs of about 100 full-time staff
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. Hillary Ojeda was on hand.
Candidates filed their final pre-election campaign finance disclosures before the June 2 primary. Here’s what they show.
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. Max Chun has the numbers.
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Thanks for reading – have a good Friday, and a safe, relaxing Memorial Day weekend.
Will McCahill