Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin, who sits on the Regional Transportation Commission and the Santa Cruz Metro board of directors, weighs in on the problems of buses at UC Santa Cruz and the sad death of UCSC bus driver Dan Stevenson. Rotkin, who teaches a course at UCSC through Merrill College, says students deserve better service for the $171 quarterly fees they pay. He thinks a merger with Metro is necessary, but wonders how the transit agency will manage such a complicated deal, given CEO Michael Tree’s imminent departure.
UC Santa Cruz
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UCSC students say campus bus inspections after Dec. 12 crash cause overcrowding, delays
UC Santa Cruz students say they’ve experienced longer wait times for buses and more overcrowded buses since the campus removed buses for inspections after a crash last month. Officials say they’re still investigating the cause of the Dec. 12 crash.
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‘He was always really giving’: Family, coworkers remember UCSC bus driver Dan Stevenson as smart and caring
More than a month after the Dec. 12 bus crash on the UC Santa Cruz campus, family members and coworkers of Dan Stevenson, who died Dec. 29 from injuries sustained in the crash, remembered him as a caring person who loved a good laugh and said they are still reeling from the accident.
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Court dismisses professor’s free speech lawsuit against UCSC over DEI statement
A federal court judge dismissed a lawsuit against UC Santa Cruz senior officials on Friday over the school’s requirement that candidates for academic positions submit a diversity statement with their applications. The judge ruled that John D. Haltigan hadn’t proved that he had standing. Haltigan alleged the school’s policy violated his free speech rights.
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A month after UCSC bus crash, officials still investigating the cause
UC Santa Cruz officials say they’re still investigating the cause of a Dec. 12 bus crash that led to the death of the driver on campus.
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Cabrillo-UCSC joint housing project groundbreaking delayed to 2025
Cabrillo College President Matt Wetstein says the challenges of doing a joint housing project with the University of California are delaying the groundbreaking of the complex planned for Cabrillo’s Aptos campus. That could push the opening of the 624-bed project a year later, from fall 2026 to fall 2027.
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UC Santa Cruz whistleblower lawsuit shines spotlight on inner workings of big campus donations
A former UC Santa Cruz deputy development director claims a retaliatory firing after she complained about a scheme by a consultant to mislead and pressure campus donors involved in the key higher education program of planned giving. Campus officials call the claims “absurd.” The lawsuit centers on one top donor. In interviews, both the consultant and the donor contend that the lawsuit mischaracterizes their financial dealings and casts an unfairly negative light on donation arrangements that are widespread across the charitable giving sector.
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One year after UC grad student strike, UCSC workers are still pressing for a better deal
More than 80% of Santa Cruz’s graduate student workers voted against the December 2022 contract that ended a historic six-week UC-wide strike. The deal, which boosts wages and child care subsidies, exacerbated a rift between workers at prestige campuses such as UCLA and those at smaller schools. The union representing UCSC grad student workers says it’s continuing to find new ways to organize and push for better employment contracts to offset the region’s high cost of living.
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Driver in UC Santa Cruz bus crash dies
Dan Stevenson, the bus driver who was behind the wheel of a bus that crashed on UCSC’s campus on Dec. 12, has died from his injuries. The school’s investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing.
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UC Santa Cruz continues investigation into Dec. 12 campus bus crash
UC Santa Cruz officials say the cause of the Dec. 12 bus crash on campus remains under investigation. Two passengers were critically injured and four others suffered minor to moderate injuries.