With Cabrillo College at an important crossroads with finances, attracting and retaining students, expanding its offerings and rebuilding trust with parts of the community after the debate over changing the school’s name, the Lookout Editorial Board endorses Karen Cogswell for the Area 6 seat on Cabrillo’s governing board, citing the most relevant experience, the clearest ideas and the strongest grasp of the college’s challenges among the three candidates.
Cabrillo College
Posted inEducation
Cabrillo College: Milissa Ales-Barnicoat, Karen Cogswell and Ben Finke vie for Area 6 seat
Three newcomer candidates are running for the trustee Area 6 seat on the Cabrillo College governing board. Milissa Ales-Barnicoat, Karen Cogswell and Ben Finke each hopes to be the seven-member board’s newest addition.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Cabrillo College’s ‘La Resiliencia’ celebrates Latino identity, art and community
Cabrillo Gallery’s “LatinXperiencia 2026: La Resiliencia” celebrates the resilience of the Latino community through ceramics, paintings and mixed media work. Alyssarhaye Graciano, who curates at MACLA in San Jose, selected works that show how artists are processing identity and the political climate, with a focus on self-preservation and sustainability. The show runs until Oct. 27.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Abortion pills to be offered at California community college health centers under new law
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law requiring California community colleges with health centers to provide access to abortion medication starting in 2029. A previous law already requires public universities in California to offer abortion pills.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
470 empty seats make some noise: What’s next for Cabrillo’s original theater?
Two weeks after Lookout asked whether Cabrillo College’s long-shuttered theater could have a second act, nearly 99% of 178 survey respondents said yes. Now a group of longtime Cabrillo artists and educators is exploring what it would take to bring the 470-seat theater back to life, while the college says it welcomes conversations about revitalizing the space.
Posted inEducation
Cabrillo College faces estimated $2M budget deficit; President Capps ‘cautiously optimistic’ on stabilization path
Cabrillo College faces a roughly $2 million structural budget deficit as it works to cut costs and boost enrollment. President Jenn Capps said she is “cautiously optimistic” about the college’s path to financial stability.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
470 empty seats: What happens to Cabrillo College’s original theater now?
For nearly half a century, Cabrillo College’s original theater hosted world-renowned musicians, Hollywood actors and generations of young artists. It has been dark since 2009. Now, amid a shortage of performance spaces in Santa Cruz County, some are asking whether its 470 empty seats could have a future.
Posted inEducation
Santa Cruz County school board elections: Who’s running, who’s unopposed and which seats have no candidates
Here’s a guide to which Santa Cruz County school board and Cabrillo College races will appear on the November ballot, which candidates will be appointed without an election and which seats have no candidates at all.
Posted inEducation
Cabrillo College’s Watsonville Center sees 71% enrollment surge – and rising pass rates
Cabrillo College’s Watsonville Center has seen enrollment jump 71% and course pass rates climb from 70% to 84% since fall 2022, a surge that Watsonville Center Dean Eduardo Cervantes credits to dual-enrollment growth, pandemic-recovery outreach and new programs tailored to local students’ interests.
Posted inEducation
From survival to success: Kristofer Evans’ remarkable path through Cabrillo College
Cabrillo College graduate Kristofer Evans wants people like him to know that it’s never too late to make changes for the better. After spending his 20s “on the opposite side of the law,” he’s an award-winning graduate with a bright future.
