Quick Take:
Chancellor Cynthia Larive has been meeting regularly with local leaders to find ways to maximize the university’s...
Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, October 12 and it will be sunny with a high of 65. A Red Flag Warning remains in place for the Santa Cruz Mountains through 5 p.m. and wind gusts are expected of up to 21 miles per hour.
With weather top of mind today, let’s dive into headlines:
Thousands remain without power Tuesday morning as high winds prompt Red Flag Warning
A Red Flag Warning remains in place for much of the Bay Area and the Santa Cruz Mountains until 5 p.m. Yesterday, high winds knocked out power for thousands of Santa Cruz County residents and a quick look at the PG&E Outage Map shows many are still in the dark this morning. Read more from Lookout contributor Hanna Merzbach here.
READ ALSO: How much do wildfires really cost California’s economy? (CalMatters)
With the sweet sounds of Warriors basketball set to return, here are the new faces at the helm
Diehard Sea Dubs fans who watched one of their favorite community activities become a pandemic casualty have drawn comfort knowing that the sounds of basketball would return this fall. They didn’t, however, know who would be the architects of the comeback season. In September, David Fatoki and Seth Cooper were officially named the Santa Cruz Warriors’ new general manager and head coach, respectively. Read more from Lookout contributor Max Chun here.
Kaiser Permanente workers vote to authorize strike, citing staffing and safety concerns
Thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees voted to authorize a strike against the healthcare giant, as the workers continue to protest what they describe as severe staffing shortages that put both medical staff and patients at risk. Read more here.
Netflix suspends trans staffer who criticized Chappelle special for crashing meeting
Netflix has suspended three employees — including a transgender staffer who criticized Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special — for allegedly attending a business meeting they were not invited to.
Last week, multiple trans staff members publicly condemned Netflix’s decision to release Chappelle’s “The Closer,” which included several transphobic and insensitive remarks. Read more here.
Civic Life
Cal Grant expansion: Newsom vetoes game-changer bill for 150,000 college students: On Friday night, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the most consequential legislation to college financial aid reform in a generation. With Newsom’s dissent, Assembly Bill 1456, which would have increased by about 150,000 the number of community college, Cal State, University of California and private college students eligible for the Cal Grant, won’t become a reality. Read more here.
California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers: California will outlaw the sale of new gas-powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers and chain saws as early as 2024 under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend. The law requires all newly sold small-motor equipment primarily used for landscaping to be zero-emission by that target date or as soon as the California Air Resources Board determined it is feasible. Read more here.
Around the county…
City asks Watsonville City Council to deem Kmart property a public nuisance (The Pajaronian)
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher visits hometown in Santa Cruz County (KION-TV)
Red flag warning brings high winds and more fire crews to the Santa Cruz Mountains (KSBW-TV)
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.
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Have a great day!
Tulsi Kamath
Lookout Santa Cruz