California’s recently issued COVID-19 vaccination mandate allows students and staff to opt out for religious or ideological reasons. While a small minority are expected to leave their schools over this mandate, a key lawmaker says he might push legislation to eliminate the personal belief exemption.
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Posted inHealth & Wellness
California is shaking off the worst of the Delta variant surge
COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped by half from the summer peak, as California continues to steadily shake off the worst of the Delta surge.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
New law signed at crucial time for Santa Cruz will stop CEQA lawsuits blocking needle exchange
Opponents of free needle programs in California are using environmental regulations to shut them down. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will end that strategy.
Posted inK-12 Education
Hybrid SRO program on its way: PVUSD chief says cop-clinician pairing to be in place by Nov. 1
Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez says hires are imminent for both Watsonville and Aptos high schools and that the pilot program should be on its way by Nov. 1.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Alleged BLM vandals face preliminary hearing — and Santa Cruz community activists are watching
With 20-year-old Brandon Bochat of Santa Cruz and 19-year-old Hagan Warner of Boulder Creek due in court Thursday to face felony charges with a hate crime modification, Thomas Sage Pedersen is among those calling for restorative justice should a plea deal come to pass.
Posted inEnvironment
California and the West can see small glimmers of hope in weather outlooks for October
Drought-stricken California has equal chances of normal temperatures and precipitation. “Any change in the atmospheric pattern that has us locked in this drought would be welcome,” one climatologist said.
Posted inEducation
UC workforce churn: Why a quarter of lecturers don’t return each year
The UC workforce has a churn problem. About a quarter of the more than 6,000 lecturers at the University of California don’t return annually. Relatively low pay and little job stability are some of the reasons why, a CalMatters analysis shows. If lecturers strike, more than a third of classes will be canceled.
Posted inEnvironment
Did a wayward ship anchor cause Orange County oil spill? Here’s what we know
The offshore waters along the Orange and Los Angeles county coasts are teeming with cargo ships waiting to get into the ports of L.A. and Long Beach, and the Coast Guard is investigating the possibility that one of them dragged its anchor across a pipeline running from the Port of Long Beach to an offshore oil platform.
Posted inCOVID 2022
‘Standard-bearers’ Newel and Hall feted with courage award at NYC gala
Representing “the countless medical workers who have stood up for science and sound policy in the face of menacing public outrage” amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Cruz County health leaders Mimi Hall and Gail Newel were recognized at a star-studded New York event Tuesday.
Posted inLatest News
Morning Lookout: COVID deaths among vaccinated Santa Cruzans, vax misinformation rampant
Chancellor Cynthia Larive has been meeting regularly with local leaders to find ways to maximize the university’s…
