Sunday Reads: Silver lining in Cabrillo renaming delay; ill-considered advocacy makes housing problems worse

The winner in latest Cabrillo renaming delay? That a larger conversation continues

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

On one hand, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a morally dubious character. On the other hand, Wallace Baine writes, an institutional change like the proposed renaming of Santa Cruz County’s community college should leave room to allow community members to get used to that change. So while a decision to put off Cabrillo College’s name change will displease many, the time will allow for some honest examinations. Wallace Baine weighs in.

➤ PREVIOUSLY FROM WALLACE: Cabrillo name controversy is only the beginning of California facing a reckoning with its past

Santa Cruz needs more housing density; misguided advocates are making our housing problems worse

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Economist Richard McGahey, who has held federal, state and local leadership roles and is regarded as a national expert on urban and regional economic development, has a message for Santa Cruz: Stop supporting misguided housing petitions and policies aimed at curtailing growth. The only way to move Santa Cruz off the list of the nation’s most expensive cities, he says, is to build. He lives part-time in Santa Cruz and points to the petition by the group Housing for People as an example of ill-considered advocacy. Read his Community Voices opinion piece here.

➤ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Make your voice heard and read what Santa Cruzans are saying about local issues

Amid changing messaging, Santa Cruz County schools struggle with chronic absenteeism

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Local school leaders are working to address chronic absenteeism rates that have remained stubbornly high since the pandemic. In addition to sending letters to families, Santa Cruz County districts are knocking on more doors and making more phone calls home. The strategy is a shift from the past three years of messaging that erred on the side of encouraging students to stay home from school for health and safety reasons. Hillary Ojeda reports.

➤ MORE FROM K-12 EDUCATION: Enrollment drops sharply in Santa Cruz County public schools amid demographic changes, affordability woes