Resources, Not Bullets
It has been 165 days since George Floyd was murdered, sparking national protests calling for defunding the police and reallocating funds to community resources, yet Black people continue to die at the hands of police. On Oct. 26, Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old man with...
“Count Every Vote”: Santa Cruz Residents March for Election Integrity
Concerns over election integrity drew about 150 people to march from Downtown Santa Cruz to the County Clerk’s Office on Nov. 4. “Honestly, people across the political spectrum, in all sorts of jobs, are concerned about what could happen if election results aren’t respected,” said...
UC-AFT Unfair Labor Practice Charge Alleges UC Missed Retirement Contributions for 213 Employees
The University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) union filed an unfair labor practice charge against the UC Regents on Sept. 9, alleging the UC missed 2,140 retirement fund contributions to the Defined Contribution Retirement Supplement (DCRS) accounts of 213 UC-AFT employees, totaling $652,029.93. The charge...
Santa Cruz County Loosens COVID-19 Restrictions
As of Oct. 29 at 11:40 a.m, there are 2,861 cases of COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County, including 25 deaths and 2,621 recovered cases. A recent decline in reported cases prompted Santa Cruz county officials to relax COVID-19 restrictions on activities and business operations, but...
Benchlands Houseless Camp to Close November 15
The Benchlands houseless camp is set to close Nov. 15 due to its location on a floodplain. City officials currently do not have an alternative location to shelter approximately 70 residents. Outside the chain-link fence at the Benchlands camp is an eight-square-foot plot of dirt,...
New Interim Director and Student Staff Propel El Centro Into Remote Year
Established in 1995, El Centro serves as a home away from home for Chicanx and Latinx students, providing professional development and emotional support. This year, student staff and new Interim Director Valeria Vasquez are working to move El Centro’s programming online. She worked as the...
Pumpkin Patches Provide Alternative for Safe Fall Fun
Halloween 2020 will be different from any other Halloween we’ve experienced before. Come Oct. 31, streets once filled with candy-seeking children dressed up as ghosts and superheroes will be empty. While trick-or-treating is highly discouraged, there are still ways to have safe fall fun while...
New Chapter of Underground Scholars Initiative Supports Students Impacted By Incarceration
Starting at UC Berkeley in 2013, the Underground Scholars Initiative (USI) has swept across the UCs, creating a support system for previously incarcerated and system impacted students. The UC Santa Cruz chapter, the Underground Scholars Program (USP), began operations this fall. A UC systemwide initiative,...
Santa Cruz County Sees Surge in Poll Station Volunteers
With the November election less than two weeks away, Santa Cruz County has received 1,717 applications for the 430 available poll worker positions, according to Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin. “We’re usually begging [for poll workers],” Pellerin said. “It’s now cool to be working...
Change the Conversation About Prop. 25
“Yes” or “no.” These are the choices we get when we vote. If only the issues the proposed policy changes attempt to tackle were so simple. If only justice was a question to which we could just say “yes.” If you make it to the...