Quick Take:
Homelessness is California’s biggest crisis and a problem Santa Cruz County cannot seem to get a handle on, as hard as...
Hail, headline hounds. It is Thursday, Oct. 19, and the heat advisory remains in effect until 11 p.m. for the Santa Cruz Mountains, with temperatures there expected to break 100; it’ll be in the upper 70s or warmer by the bay. But beware if you’re heading that way to cool down — the National Weather Service is warning of sneaker waves and high surf (about which more later).
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Max Chun has details on the potential dangers at local beaches. Sneaker waves, he reports, are very large and often appear unexpectedly following periods of calm waters, and have the potential to sweep swimmers, beachgoers and others out into hazardous waters.
A danger of a different kind is lurking in the waters off Capitola Village — or that’s how one local novelist imagined it in the wake of the storm that punished the village this past winter. Ahead of his Weekender newsletter, coming later Thursday, Wallace Baine caught up with Debra Castaneda to talk about how her latest novel came together.
And in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, former Santa Cruz mayor turned housing advocate Don Lane writes about three approaches to our county’s seemingly intractable homelessness crisis. It’s the first of a two-part series, with Part 2 coming next week.
To the headlines …
‘Sneaker waves,’ high surf to hit Santa Cruz coastline, posing potential danger for beachgoers
A powerful type of wave referred to as “sneaker waves” are expected to hit the Monterey Bay coastline Thursday. The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory through 7 p.m., and the Santa Cruz Harbor will be prepared with rescue boats and staff in case of emergency. The warnings come as a heat wave brings temperatures as high as triple digits to Santa Cruz County. More here from Max Chun.
➤ FROM LAST MONTH: Santa Cruz Harbor’s anchovy invasion is over — for now
‘A Dark and Rising Tide’: Novelist’s supernatural twist on Capitola Village’s devastating winter storm
The latest novel from former KION-TV news director Debra Castaneda is directly inspired by Capitola’s experience with the Storm of ’23. “A Dark and Rising Tide” imagines a scary winter storm that actually brings forth some enormous and mysterious sea creature, and a couple trying to survive both the ocean’s fury and the monster it washed to shore. Wallace Baine peeks inside.
➤ MORE: Capitola Wharf repairs underway, with plans to reopen next summer
That’s how we’re rolling here at Lookout this Thursday morning. As I mentioned earlier, Wallace Baine is just offstage, putting the finishing touches on Weekender. Chock full of news, notes and recommendations for things to do from Santa Cruz County’s bustling arts and entertainment scene, that’s just one of the many other Lookout newsletters you can sign up for here — and don’t miss out on our breaking news alerts there, either. We also keep you informed on social media — follow Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads to stay current.
Our content isn’t possible without community support, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.
Here’s to what’s supposed to be a cooler Friday — I shall see you all then, and thanks for reading!
Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz
Upcoming events in Santa Cruz County
SATURDAY 11/11
Apple-Palooza @Farm Discovery at Live Earth
Cloe Hubbard @Steel Bonnet Brewing Company
James Durbin: Unplugged @Veterans Village
Noah Gundersen @Felton Music Hall
Lowdown Brass Band @Moe’s Alley
SUNDAY 11/12
Sip & Stroll @Capitola Village
Fall Wine Walk @Downtown Santa Cruz
Grateful Sundays with Matt Hartle & Friends @Felton Music Hall
The Lacs @The Catalyst
Gene Luen Yang | “The Books Of Clash Volume 2″ @Bookshop Santa Cruz