State Bill Threatens Integrity of Ethnic Studies Curricula
First read to the California State Assembly on Feb. 12, AB 715 was a bill aimed at protecting lawyers licensed under the California State Bar from disciplinary action due to the laws of other states. Now, three months after its first reading, the bill bears...
Sabores Familiares de Santa Cruz: Exploring 5 Local Taquerias
“When you’re far away from your culture, food is one of the only ways that you can get that connection,” said Keyla Garcia, a co-chair of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán de UCSC (M.E.C.h.A.). “When I would go home for the weekend and come back,...
The Cuts Come to Santa Cruz: Museums and Libraries Threatened
Editor’s note: This piece has been slightly edited for brevity. “This grant is no longer in the best interest of the United States.” That’s what a letter sent to the Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery (MOD) on April 8 read, informing them that the...
“We are here, We are Alive, and We are Part of This Country.”: Senderos’ 20th Guelaguetza Festival
“This is activism,” said Maestra Fe Silva-Robles, the co-founder of Senderos, as she pointed to a lively crowd dancing on Cooper Street in Downtown Santa Cruz. “This is the way that we are active …. This is the way that we show how proud we...
“An Important Win”: Judge Narrows Search Warrant After Two-Month Legal Battle
For the past seven months, UC Santa Cruz police have had access to the entire contents of third-year Laaila Irshad’s phone. From private emails and text messages, to photos and even location data, authorities had access to over a decade’s worth of personal data. UCSC...
Santa Cruz Community Tells Trump and Musk: Hands Off!
Angela Farley and her team deliver over 3,000 meals each week to people living with critical and chronic illnesses, 87 percent of whom are considered low income. But due to the Trump administration’s flurry of budget cuts and layoffs across federal agencies, the fate of...
“Cine Se Puede”: Watsonville Film Festival Uplifts Latine Filmmakers
“We are underserved by film festivals and other cultural organizations,” said Brenda Avila-Hanna. “We are a filmgoing community, and we deserve a good festival.” Avila-Hanna is a board member for Watsonville Film Festival (WFF), an event and non-profit organization that highlights films directed by Latinx...
“Folks at the Margins”: Santa Cruz County Funds $200,000 to Minority Groups
“Affecting change in our world starts right at home,” said Dustin Worth, the outreach manager for The Diversity Center of Santa Cruz and an attendee at the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors meeting. “We know we can affect the lives of those that we...
Battery Fire in Moss Landing: Smoke Subsides, Concerns Remain
Tracy Mardon, a longtime resident of the Monterey area, was eating lunch at Woodward Marine Market, opposite the Moss Landing Power Plant, when alarms began to shriek. Restaurant staff approached Mardon, who appeared visibly uncomfortable, and reassured her that the plant often has emergency drills. ...
An Uncertain Future: Queer Students Face Attacks From New Administration
I woke up on the morning of Jan. 20 and went about my routine like any other day. I settled down on my couch with a cup of coffee in my hand and a computer on my lap. Nearly three thousand miles away, Donald Trump...