New Brighton Middle School teachers Melissa Walding and Michelle Bell.

Morning Lookout: Petitioning to raise teacher pay, celebrating Castle Beach and inside Trump’s ‘coup’

By Will McCahill

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Hiya, folks! Today is Friday, June 10, and it’s going to be a toasty one around Santa Cruz County, with highs approaching 100 in some spots and a heat advisory in effect for parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

If that makes you want to head for the shore, Seabright Beach might be a good call, all the better to check out what was once called Castle Beach, after the landmark that’s the subject of an exhibit opening tomorrow at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. Wallace Baine has our preview.

Meantime, negotiations continue on a contract for teachers in the Soquel Union Elementary School District, and parents concerned about low pay and high turnover in the district are mounting a petition drive in an effort to change things, as Hillary Ojeda reports.

Back in Santa Cruz, with the city seemingly set to add a four-year mayor to the political mix in the wake of Tuesday’s primary election, veteran Fred Keeley is considering a run for the job, Mark Conley reports.

And the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was nothing less than an “attempted coup” by Donald Trump and his supporters, members of a House committee said during last night’s prime-time hearing — so let’s get to all that as we hit Friday’s headlines.

Petition in hand, Soquel Union Elementary School District parents confront issues of low teacher pay, high turnover

Parents and students turned out in support of the SUESD teachers.

A group of about 30 parents in the Soquel Union Elementary School District has taken action — confronting longstanding funding problems in the small district. A petition with more than 600 signatures asks for a reckoning on teacher pay in a district paying among the least in Santa Cruz County. Hillary Ojeda has the details.

➤ PREVIOUSLY: Santa Cruz County’s lowest-paid teachers show up in force, asking for an 8% increase (Lookout)

CLICK HERE TO BECOME A LOOKOUT MEMBER

Museum takes a fond look back at Seabright’s legendary Castle Beach

The Scholl Marr Castle stood from 1929 until 1967

An exhibit opening tomorrow at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History features photos and artifacts from the castle that sat near the entrance to what is now Seabright Beach until its destruction in 1967. What in 1929 was a Hollywood-inspired Moorish fantasy now can be remembered by new generations of Santa Cruzans. Get a sneak peek from Wallace Baine.

➤ OPENING TODAY: ‘Agents of Change’: Poetry on art, offering strands of hope (Lookout)

Mayor Fred Keeley? The county’s most veteran politico is considering a run for Santa Cruz mayor

Fred Keeley at Michael's on Main for the No On D watch party.

Fred Keeley has been living and breathing politics since he wandered into the nation’s capital at age 22 a half-century ago. Might he be the person to help the city of Santa Cruz wade through a tricky time for local governance? His supporters hope and believe so. What Mark Conley is hearing.

➤ MORE ELECTION COVERAGE: The vote is in: 10 questions on what happens next (Lookout)

Jan. 6 committee opens hearings on Trump’s ‘attempted coup’

Rep. Zoe Lofgren sitting next to Rep. Adam B. Schiff, appearing upset

After over 10 months of working behind closed doors, a House Select Committee began presenting its findings on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the involvement of former President Donald Trump. “President Trump summoned the mob, assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack,” committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney said. Our partners at the Los Angeles Times were there.

➤ A WARNING: One year later, Jimmy Panetta wants people to know that Jan. 6 was no fluke (Lookout)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON STUDENT ACCESS

Student Lookout: Garden of Eden, eats on a budget and what to watch this summer

School is out, and Max Chun is here with recommendations on deals, events, movies to see and places to go for all those students with some well-earned free time on their hands. Check it all out here.

Eaters Digest is on hiatus, but Lily has you covered

Funk's Franks serves up Chicago-style hot dogs with all the fixin's.

Lily Belli might be taking some vacation, but you can still satisfy your appetite for all things Santa Cruz food and drink by perusing all her Eaters Digest offerings, including more on the Chicago hotdog stylings of Funk’s Franks food truck. Check out Lily’s menu here.

➤ MORE FROM LILY: Read her latest newsletter — and sign up!

Weekender: Jazz aplenty, royal recognition, the sweetness of summer — and my B9

With the weekend just about here and summer upon us, Wallace Baine celebrates the bounty of the season in his latest newsletter, including a packed slate at Kuumbwa Jazz and Baine’s Nine, his nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. Hop in — the water is nice!

➤ OUR FULL EVENTS CALENDAR: BOLO, your place to go for things to do

Grants Manager at DigitalNEST
Market Research Project Manager at Evans Data Corporation
Assistant Director of Donor Relations at UC Santa Cruz
Department Assistant - Human Resources (Short-Term) at Cabrillo College
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at The County of Santa Cruz

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Around the county ...

➤ Pajaro River levee rebuild gets final approval (The Pajaronian)
➤ Scotts Valley Planning Commission to consider mixed-use development at Oak Creek Park (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
➤ San Francisco reports three more cases of the monkeypox virus (SFGate)

And with that, Friday is off and running. You never know what we here at Lookout might have up our sleeve, so I’d suggest you by bookmark our website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep tabs throughout the day. Even better, sign up for breaking news alerts and our other newsletters at our Lookout Newsletter & Text Center.

And as last night’s House hearing starkly underlined, this is a tenuous time for our democracy — and that makes independent local journalism all the more crucial. You can help support Lookout’s efforts by becoming a Lookout member and spreading the word about what we’re doing. Our content isn’t possible without community support.

Stay hydrated, don’t leave kids or pets in the car, and have a safe, relaxing weekend! Recharge those batteries and I’ll meet you back here Monday morning.

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz