‘Family Democracy Day’ and new ballot languages in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County is expanding language services ahead of the June primary.
Starting this election, voters will be able to access ballots and other voting materials in two new languages—Japanese and Thai.
Election materials are also available in Spanish and English.
And, in an effort to expand civic engagement among the county’s future voters, the elections office is hosting a “Family Democracy Day” on May 9.
There will be events in Santa Cruz, Watsonville, and Felton.
Families can pop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Assistant County Clerk Rita Sanchez says the goal is for families to play some games, learn how elections work, and walk away with a better understanding of how Santa Cruz County ensures elections are safe and secure.
State bill aims to ensure education programs like TK deliver on promises
New education programs California rolls out—like transitional kindergarten—would require independent evaluations under a new state bill.
Earlier this year, KAZU’s California Newsroom partner LAist reported that the state spent billions on the new grade for 4-year-olds without a formal plan to see how it’s going.
“That means that, as we make massive investments, as have occurred in the last several years, like universal transitional kindergarten, that there is a built-in independent check to tell us what is actually working and what is getting diluted by fragmented implementation,” said State Assemblymember David Alvarez, the bill’s author, “so that that can be corrected before more dollars get spent.”
The measure would require evaluations for programs that cost at least $1 billion overall, or $500 million annually.
