delfin bautista joined UC Santa Cruz this spring as director of the center that supports and advocates for the university’s LGBTQIA+ community. They have big plans for outreach, inclusivity, challenging wider Santa Cruz — and integrating queer studies into the UCSC curriculum.
Lookout Q&A
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘I’m the one who had to bury my son’: Scotts Valley mom fights for change in wake of bullied child’s suicide
Scotts Valley High freshman Mateo Deihl was different, his family and friends say, in wonderful ways. A traumatized product of the foster care system, he had compassion for others and tried to be nice to all. It made him an easy target for bullying. When his mother stepped in to try to help affect change, she says her attempts went unheeded at the middle school and high school. Mateo took his own life in February and now his mom, Regina Deihl, a longtime lawyer in the juvenile justice system, must decide what path to take in honoring his legacy.
Posted inRecreation & Sports
From Aptos to MLB via Auckland, Oakland A’s pitcher and Aptos High alum Jared Koenig on his new life
A yearslong journey through different levels of professional baseball finally paid off for Jared Koenig, who made his major league debut June 8. Though he is just starting to live out his dream, that high comes with a very different perspective. “You’re at the top now, there’s nowhere else to go,” said Koenig.
Posted inEducation
Surprise discovery: All living brown bears share polar bear ancestry, UCSC scientists find
Bruno, a 100,000-year-old polar bear, is at the root of a breakthrough understanding. UC Santa Cruz scientists Beth Shapiro and Ming-Shan Wang led the study that shows that interbreeding of the ancestors of polar bears and brown bears leaves an imprint on brown bears to this day.
Posted inCoast Life
‘I do belong here’: A community leader explains how the outdoors can feel like a scary, non-inclusive place
Says local United Way head Keisha Browder: “We went to Natural Bridges and then to Henry Cowell. And it was like, ‘Wow.’ So beautiful. And I’m saying, ‘I do belong here.’” She is participating Sunday in the second annual Liberation Paddle Out, part of Santa Cruz’s celebration of Juneteenth.
Posted inK-12 Education
COVID, mental health and security challenges: School superintendent Faris Sabbah reflects and looks ahead to next four years
Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah will get a second four-year term leading the Santa Cruz County Office of Education after winning an unopposed election Tuesday. COVID-19 threw him a curveball, and now school security and generational funding challenges mean anything but education business as usual.
Posted inCity Life
‘Agents of Change’: Poetry on art, offering strands of hope
Santa Cruz County poet laureate David Sullivan talks about upcoming events — a show opening Friday at the downtown library and a workshop set for June 18 — and reflects on changing the world through the written word.
Posted inFood & Drink
Smack-dab beachside: Chef John Harry matches low country eats to the bay at second Venus
Our wealth of fresh organic produce enticed John Harry, the new chef of Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen Beachside, to California. Now, the veteran of Alderwood and Post Ranch Inn is working to create a novel taste for Santa Cruz County on the Esplanade in Rio Del Mar.
Posted inFood & Drink
Q&A: Sandor Katz on the enduring popularity of fermented foods
Fermentation revivalist Sandor Katz discusses the enduring popularity of fermented foods, their ubiquity in cultures around the world and recipes from his new book, “Fermentation Journeys,” ahead of a visit Wednesday to Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Posted inHousing & Development
‘Not everybody really gets to live in a beach town’: Realtors on what’s ‘getting worse’ in Santa Cruz real estate
Suddenly rising interest rates have thrown a new wrench into the plans of prospective home buyers. Can it get any worse? We asked a pair of real estate agents, veteran Kelley Trousdale and relative newcomer Rebecca Wallace.
