Morning Lookout: Cabrillo College donors weigh in, county’s silver tsunami, and Barbie across the generations

Hi, I’m Tamsin McMahon, Lookout’s Managing Editor, filling in for Will McCahill, who is soaking up the late summer sunshine all this week.

Hope you enjoy the warm weather this past weekend. It is Monday, July 24, and the weather forecast says we’re in for partly cloudy skies and a high of 76F.

We’ve got a busy final week of July. Time to jump into the news.

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In the months since Cabrillo College’s governing board voted last November to change the school’s name, there have been concerns that those donors to the Cabrillo College Foundation who are opposed to the renaming may decide to withhold their donations. Ahead of the board’s Aug. 7 to pick a new name, Lookout’s education correspondent Hillary Ojeda spoke to several major donors to get their thoughts.

Santa Cruz County is aging and thanks to a new county workforce report, we have a better idea of just how quickly the region is going gray. Christopher Neely explores the implications of the county’s booming senior population.

Barbie had a blockbuster weekend, bringing in $155 million at the box office. Wallace Baine and Lookout’s two high school interns both saw the movie on opening day and their post-film discussion illustrates why Barbie remains an intergenerational pop culture icon more than 60 years after the doll first hit shelves.

Let’s head over to the headlines ...

As backlash over Cabrillo College renaming grows, some donors weigh whether to keep giving

(Thomas Sawano / Lookout Santa Cruz)

The Cabrillo College Foundation raises between $3 million and $6 million to support the college’s students through scholarships and its programs. As many longtime Cabrillo supporters oppose the college’s planned name change, Lookout reached out to more than 20 donors to gauge what they may do about their future support. Read what they had to say.

➤ MORE COVERAGE: With renaming vote looming, Cabrillo College trustees spar over timeline, community opposition

➤ Please accept my apology, Cabrillo trustee Adam Spickler writes

(United Way of Santa Cruz County)

Santa Cruz County is graying quickly. The impending silver tsunami has service providers worried

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Santa Cruz County’s 65-84 age bracket grew by 81% between 2010 and 2020, according to Census data, and whether it’s services like health care, an aging homeless population or lonely older adults, a surge in demand is coming and some warn that the county is not prepared for the silver wave. Get the details here from Christopher Neely.

➤ MORE ON AGING IN SANTA CRUZ: I’ve been dancing to the Grateful Dead for 50 years ... I just wish I could remember it all

Barbie movie: Wallace Baine and two high schoolers on why the iconic American doll resonates across generations

Wallace Baine (left) and Lookout interns Henry Bellevin and Izzy Brandon (right) chop it up over the new Barbie movie.

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Lookout invited correspondent Wallace Baine and interns Izzy Brandon and Henry Bellevin, both 16, to watch the new Barbie movie on opening day this week. Their post-film discussion touches on issues of race, gender, and how cultural norms have shifted since the anatomically impossible doll made its debut in 1959. Read their conversation here.

➤ MORE FROM WALLACE BAINE: From topography to typography: How a graphic designer’s love of Aptos inspired the next ubiquitous commercial typeface

And just like that, we’re off and running in another week. Look for Christopher Neely’s In the Public Interest newsletter coming to your inbox later this morning. Don’t yet receive it? Sign up here for that and all of our other newsletters, plus breaking news alerts via email and text. You can also stay current on local happenings is via our social media accounts — follow Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads.

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Wishing you a great week ahead!

Tamsin McMahon
Lookout Santa Cruz