Two young women have posted more than 45 stories detailing sexual assault and violence from students and alumni of San Lorenzo Valley High and other schools in Santa Cruz County to an Instagram account. The accusations have resulted in the district putting two teachers on paid leave and investigating two other district employees. The 18-year-olds sat down with Lookout to talk about the account, their motivation and their goals.
Six months, 1,600 stories, one Lookout
Posted inK-12 Education
‘This is a pattern’: At least five people now raising misconduct allegations against SLV High teacher
Two former San Lorenzo Valley High School students are telling Lookout about their experiences with Eric Kahl, one of two veteran teachers placed on paid leave by SLVUSD. The allegations are part of a larger investigation into inappropriate behavior by district staff that is underway by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
Posted inCity Life
When he endured racism at a Santa Cruz donut shop last year, Spike Wong did what he does: He wrote about it
Santa Cruz playwright and actor Steve “Spike” Wong, a former schoolteacher, talked to Lookout Santa Cruz about the growing racist aggression against Asian-Americans, his fear for his own son’s safety and what his father’s true-blue American heroism means to him.
Posted inCOVID 2022
‘Impending doom’? What scientists say about chances of fourth COVID-19 wave in Santa Cruz, rest of California
A “fourth surge” in Santa Cruz County, and California as a whole, is now unlikely, according to scientists and local health authorities, who also explain why variants aren’t turning out to be as alarming as was feared.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Six-figure mistake: Flaw in Capitola Library plans sparked delays, cost taxpayers at least $580,000
The architecture firm hired by Capitola to design its new library made a critical mistake by setting the building too close to high-voltage wires next to the property line, officials say. Now, city leaders and taxpayers are getting a handle on what that error is costing.
Posted inK-12 Education
Were shaky finances behind PVUSD superintendent’s firing? Hastily deleted post reveals tension
LOOKOUT INVESTIGATES: Documents obtained by Lookout and interviews with district and county education officials reveal how a gloomy — but improving — financial forecast for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District came to a head the week Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez was abruptly fired.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How much will rail cost, and is it worth it? Santa Cruz County’s 4 mayors, others weigh in
Although three quarters of RTC members voted to accept a recommendation that both rail and a recreation path run along…
Posted inHealth & Wellness
The inequities of COVID: Why has South County been impacted so disproportionately?
Who were Miri Villalobos and Santiago Tehandon? Two members of a Watsonville community that has absorbed 45% of Santa Cruz County’s COVID-19 death toll despite accounting for just 18% of its population.
Posted inRecreation & Sports
‘I was dead’: How a quick-rising swell at Pleasure Point nearly cost one experienced surfer his life
Wayne Kiba was lucky to end up floating on his back in the water, he was lucky to have quick help from first responders and he was lucky to have the fortune of good karma on his side.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Who is Manu? Winner of 2020’s most-watched local political race prepares to step in
For the record, it’s MAH-noo, not MAN-noo. However it’s pronounced, Manu Koenig’s name now has a new currency in Santa Cruz County politics, one shaped in part by a cyclist-architect grandfather, a Massachusetts boarding school and a background in tech.