Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement that the agency will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children, adults under 65 or pregnant women shocked the medical community and contradicted long-standing scientific consensus and public health protocols, writes retired Santa Cruz physician Jeoffry B. Gordon.
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Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz’s joyous Juneteenth celebration stays true to its roots amid national unrest
Santa Cruz celebrated its 34th annual Juneteenth festival on Saturday. The long-running celebration, one of California’s oldest Juneteenth events, took place at Laurel Park next to to the London Nelson Community Center.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
At ‘No Kings’ protests in Santa Cruz and Watsonville, flags and slogans take on new dimension
As many as 8,000 people attended the Santa Cruz event and about 1,500 turned out in Watsonville on Saturday. Organized by local chapters of activist organization Indivisible, the rallies were among hundreds across the U.S. to protest a military parade in Washington on President Trump’s birthday, along with a federal immigration crackdown and the decision to send National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles.
Posted inLatest News
Deportation fears grow in Santa Cruz County as immigration raids, protests escalate across U.S.
As immigration raids and protests continue to escalate in Los Angeles and spread across the country, Santa Cruz County leaders say they are doing their best to keep residents’ fears at bay. Meanwhile, an ICE spokesperson tells Lookout: “There’s no secret that we’ll be out in the field.”
Posted inLatest News
Morning Lookout: Chilly reception for rail price tag, Capitola City Council newcomer and a call to protest
Santa Cruz County news and opinion headlines from Lookout for the morning of Friday, June 13.
Posted inLatest News
RTC commissioners bristle at ‘daunting’ price tag for passenger train, sparking concerns about who will pay for it
Several regional transit commissioners balked Thursday at the price tag and ridership projections of a proposed passenger rail project that could require Santa Cruz County taxpayers to shoulder up to $148 million in annual costs and potentially trigger a sales tax hike to pay for it.
Posted inCapitola & Soquel
Capitola City Council appoints planning commissioner Susan Westman to vacant seat
Capitola has a new city councilmember, the second in more than five months, after the city council voted Thursday to appoint Susan Westman to fill a vacancy left by former councilmember Alexander Pedersen.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz must stand up to unlawful immigration enforcement and attend ‘No Kings’ rallies on Saturday
Jenni Veitch-Olson, the chair of the Santa Cruz County Democratic Party, condemns recent federal immigration raids and the use of the military to control Los Angeles County protests. She supports the right to peaceably assemble and calls on the federal government to end fear-based enforcement. She urges members of the public to join local “No Kings” protests Saturday to stand up for democracy.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Let’s consider alternatives to rail
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident advocates for personal rapid transit after seeing the price tag for county-spanning passenger rail.
Posted inEducation
PVUSD board overturns votes related to ethnic studies dispute after complaint alleging violations of state law
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board voted to nullify two controversial April decisions — a failed censure of former trustee Kim De Serpa and an apology letter to a consultant — amid allegations of violating California’s Brown Act. While the board denied wrongdoing, it agreed to cease potential violations to avoid litigation.