Quick Take:
Recent UCSC graduate and Bay Federal Credit Union’s Certified Financial Educator, Tiffany Zachmeier, looks back at her...
Good Morning! It’s Friday, September 10 and it will be a sunny day with a high of 84. A Red Flag Warning is in place for a large part of the Bay Area but Santa Cruz County is excluded.
With just days left for election day, new poll results released this morning reveal the winds may be blowing in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s favor. Meanwhile, part of his prolific campaigning has been focused on lambasting the healthcare policies of his challengers — so where do they stand in that realm?
At the end of the month, protections against evictions will expire but it seems unlikely lawmakers will extend the moratorium on the last day of the legislative session. And here at home, some good news — county public health officials say they’re seeing a significant downturn in COVID cases.
Here are your headlines:
New poll finds Newsom could easily beat recall thanks to motivated Democrats
NEW POLL RESULTS: Momentum has turned strongly against the effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom with just days to go before voting ends, a change that comes after a deluge of political ads and support from leading Democrats who have slammed the effort as a Republican power grab. The results of the poll, released this morning, show 60.1% of likely voters surveyed oppose recalling Newsom compared with 38.5% in favor of ousting him. Read more here.
It’s not just COVID: Recall candidates represent markedly different choices on health care
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 rules have been a lightning rod in California’s recall election. But there’s a lot more at stake for Californians’ health care than mask and vaccine mandates. To see where the leading recall candidates stand on health care, our partners at Kaiser Health News combed through their speeches and writings. Here’s what they found.
Out of time: California legislators won’t extend eviction ban
The California eviction moratorium is scheduled to end after Sept. 30, but legislators aren’t planning to extend the protections for renters. The legislative session ends today, so that’s the last day that lawmakers could push off the deadline. But the political appetite just isn’t there to act, according to San Francisco Democrat David Chiu. Read more here.
Some good COVID-19 news: Santa Cruz County seeing marked decline in cases
Santa Cruz can enjoy some good COVID-19 news 一 a substantial decline in positive cases, moving the county toward the orange from the red tier. During a news conference yesterday, Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel discussed current trends and community impacts. Read more from our Neil Strebig about what transpired at the meeting.
STATEWIDE: Younger unvaccinated Californians increasingly hospitalized with COVID-19 (LA Times)
Save Our Shores hires marine science expert as executive director
Save Our Shores announced yesterday the hiring of its next executive director, a marine ecologist who recently led a citizen science program at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. The search for a new leader came after Katherine O’Dea, who had been in the position for six years, announced her retirement in April. Read more about the new hire here.
Punk by the Pacific: Patti Smith rocks it poolside for the Dream Inn, Cowell crowds
Talk about your “Only in Santa Cruz” happening. Against a backdrop traditionally associated with the Beach Boys, Patti Smith growled, charmed, and basically rocked the swim shorts off a guesstimated crowd of 800 or so on Dream Inn balconies and 200 more on Cowell Beach on Wednesday night. Lookout contributor Catherine Graham was at the vertical concert that Smith described as “the most wackiest show we’ve ever done.” Read more about it here.
BOLO Best Bets: The Del Mar is back, and Kuumbwa, Jewel Theatre and Capitola Art & Wine with it: If you’re worried about missing other cool events like Wednesday night’s vertical concert, not to worry! Our Team BOLO has you covered. In this week’s edition of the best things to do newsletter in town, we have details about what’s going on at the Del Mar and Colligan theaters and the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, among others. Check it out here and sign up to get this weekly newsletter here.
Around the county…
Foreign object triggers power outage in south Santa Cruz County (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Sailor surprises his mom with homecoming in Watsonville fields (KSBW-TV)
Meet Dan Walters, Zayante’s new fire chief (San Lorenzo Valley Post)
That’s it for today. If you’re enjoying our coverage, please tell your family and friends about our Lookout Newsletter & Text Center, where they can sign up for all the newsletters and alerts we offer. You can also keep tabs on everything we’re publishing through the day by bookmarking our website and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
To ensure you’re staying informed about all the goings-on in Santa Cruz, consider becoming a Lookout member. Our content isn’t possible without community support.
Have a great day!
Tulsi Kamath
Lookout Santa Cruz