Quick Take:
Celebrating Watsonville’s multi-ethnic history, the mosaic installation titled Watsonville Brillante, graces...
Good evening, everyone — hope everyone has had a good Wednesday as we prepare to flip the calendar over to July. As you might recall, Deputy Managing Editor Mark Conley is taking a well-earned break, but you’re in good hands. Please scroll on for a must-read dispatch by Mark from South County and more.
To the headlines of the day …
Could a former soccer star have been saved?
A family grieves, a community wonders: Edward “Lalo” Murillo-Jimenez dreamed the kind of dream many soccer-loving kids growing up in Watsonville do. But when the dream fizzled at San Jose State, Murillo-Jimenez went into a life spiral he could never quite shake. Last week he was found dead below the cliffs at New Brighton State Beach at age 32. More from Mark Conley here.
Pleasure Point saboteurs strike bike safety pop-up
Resistance from the beginning on Portola Drive: The nonprofit partnering with Santa Cruz County said it has “never had such unfriendly and aggressive behavior from the community” on such a project but, as one resident countered, “Pleasure Point is a different animal … people are very protective of their neighborhood.” More from our Mallory Pickett here.
ICYMI: Explore the ocean’s depths with MBARI
Watch this (or watch it again): Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute guided the public on an exploration of the ocean floor Wednesday as they piloted a remote-control vehicle two-thirds of a mile below the surface off Big Sur in search of ancient sponges, deep-sea corals and other rare creatures. See the video and read more from Mallory here.
Hate crimes against Asians jumped 107% in 2020
“An epidemic of hate” in California: In March and April 2020, as stay-at-home orders prompted by the coronavirus pandemic kicked in, anti-Asian hate crimes spiked in California, a new report says. Hate crimes against Black people constituted a majority of those reported last year and were up by 87%. More from our partners at the Los Angeles Times here.
Inside California’s faltering vaccination efforts
Following the money: California’s vaccination rates have stagnated, particularly in Black and Latino inner-city neighborhoods and in rural towns. County health officials, who say trust is their most important commodity, need more money for one-on-one interactions with holdouts, but the state has instead largely funneled money to advertising firms and tech companies. More from our partners at Kaiser Health News here.
Should California homeowners pay for climate change?
What to know about wildfire insurance: Insurance companies want to factor climate change in calculating wildfire coverage, but consumer watchdogs worry California homeowners will end up with higher premiums. Lawmakers from fire-damaged districts say they are open to change because their constituents are already losing coverage. More from our partners at CalMatters here.
That’s all for today, folks! See you tomorrow as we embark on a whole new month.
Lookout Santa Cruz Staff