Pacific Collegiate School senior Jack Driscoll-Natale invented a low-cost water-quality monitor that’s easy to use and that he hopes will one day allow anyone from concerned citizens to environmental enthusiasts to understand what’s happening in the San Lorenzo River or the Santa Cruz Harbor.
Aptos
Posted inEducation
Cabrillo College trustees say they were targets of homophobic, transphobic attacks amid name-change debate
Two Cabrillo College trustees say they experienced incidents of harassment because of their support for changing the name of the college. Adam Spickler says he was the subject of a transphobic petition. Steve Trujillo says he has been the target of homophobic emails, and that Watsonville Police Chief Jorge Zamora told him to carry pepper spray and had officers escort him home from dinner because of a tip that someone was following him.
Posted inEducation
624-bed joint Cabrillo-UCSC housing project closer to reality as state financial fix heads to Newsom
After months of uncertainty about funding, Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz say they’re ready to move forward with a 624-bed student housing project on Cabrillo’s Aptos campus. If all goes as planned, officials say they’ll start construction in September 2024 and students could move in by fall 2026.
Posted inEducation
Both sides of Cabrillo College name-change debate disappointed after board votes to delay renaming until 2028
Some who support renaming Cabrillo College say they feel the governing board’s 6-1 vote Monday to delay the name change until at least 2028 is a sign trustees are caving to threats made by donors to take their funding away if the school changes its name. Meanwhile, some name-change opponents say they think the board should have instead voted to scrap the renaming process entirely.
Posted inEducation
In tense meeting, Cabrillo College votes to put off renaming until at least 2028
After a lengthy and heated discussion Monday night, Cabrillo College’s governing board voted 6-1 to delay any talk of renaming the college until at least 2028.
Posted inEducation
The winner in latest Cabrillo renaming delay? That a larger conversation continues
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.
Posted inEducation
Cabrillo College subcommittee recommends delaying name change until at least 2028
In a recommendation published Thursday afternoon to Cabrillo College’s governing board agenda, the board’s Name Exploration Subcommittee, made up of trustees Christina Cuevas and Adam Spickler, called for not changing “the name of the college at this time, deferring any discussion of a name change to no sooner than 2028.” The board is set to vote on the recommendation during its regular meeting Monday evening.
Posted inK-12 Education
After revealing surprise enrollment jump, PVUSD says student population might have actually dropped by 675
Last week, Pajaro Valley Unified School District said total numbers for its schools appeared to show about 500 more students enrolled this year than expected. But upon closer look, officials say they accidentally included dependent charter schools in the district’s total enrollment figures. Interim Superintendent Murry Schekman said the realization the district’s enrollment was in fact continuing on a downward trend is frustrating and makes planning for the district difficult. Schekman sees cost of living as the primary driver for the trend.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Living with your 40-something children isn’t for everyone, but it’s trending in Santa Cruz
“I tease them that they have taken over my whole house, which is not far from the truth, but the trade-off for me is that they are wonderful, healthy cooks who make dinner for me nearly every night,” Jeannie Herrick writes of her adult daughter and her daughter’s partner, who moved into Herrick’s Aptos home after leaving Los Angeles amid the pandemic. “I am definitely getting spoiled.”
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Field begins to coalesce in races for three Santa Cruz County supervisor seats
Incumbent Manu Koenig is facing a challenge from pro-rail Lani Faulkner in District 1, while the retirement of Zach Friend in District 2 has so far seen three candidates — Kristen Brown, Kimberly De Serpa and Douglas Deitch — file paperwork. Monica Martinez and Christopher Bradford are running to replace Bruce McPherson in District 5, with Sheriff Jim Hart still seen as a possible candidate.