Quick Take:
Health care organizations looks to strengthen services for low-income and homeless residents of the county to bolster...
Good Morning! It’s Friday, November 12 and it will be sunny with a high of 77.
For 20 months of the pandemic, the goal we’ve worked towards is “herd immunity” but now, the CDC has set that goal aside. And as we enter the second winter of the pandemic, the state is ramping up its push for people to get booster shots.
There’s a lot more to cover but before we get to your headlines, I have a bit of personal news to share with y’all: This will be the last time I write Morning Lookout and starting next week, you’ll be in the capable hands of my awesome co-workers. Like many others, this pandemic led me to reevaluate my priorities and I decided to take a break and focus on family while I search for my next adventure. It’s been a year since I started writing this newsletter and whether you’ve been reading us since day one or just signed up yesterday, I thank you. If you like this newsletter, the best way you can help my colleagues continue their important work in Santa Cruz County is by becoming a Lookout member.
And with that, here’s your news:
‘It saved my life’: Ex-Marine David Pedley gives back, helping homeless vets as he was once helped
David Pedley, who served in the Marines for 13 years, came to Santa Cruz in 2018 with nowhere to go and not much to live on. He was homeless for four months, but is now a building manager for Vets Hall, working to get other veterans the housing he once desperately needed. Read more from our Hillary Ojeda here.
State putting pressure on Santa Cruz to push forward on 831 Water Street project
The city’s first SB-35 project proposal has spurred much contentious debate over community input for mixed-use developments. Yet, as the law states, the community feedback doesn’t necessarily matter — the city needs to provide its approval or disapproval of the project within a certain time frame. Read more from our Grace Stetson here.
BOLO Best Bets: Theater, comedy, music, arts, crafts and foodie fun have our heads spinning
This week’s opportunities for entertainment enlightenment “are like a Vegas buffet bar,” says our Wallace Baine and Team BOLO. There’s new musical theater, adventuring on film, stand-up comedy, food-tasting events, live poetry, a discussion with a nationally celebrated chef, a craft fair, even a live demonstration of how the Native people of this area lived. Read this week’s Best Bets newsletter here and sign up to receive the weekly updates here.
COVID 2021 Updates
California turbo-charges push for COVID-19 booster shots: Faced with growing worries over a potential winter coronavirus surge, health officials in California and other areas are turbo-charging the push for COVID-19 booster shots in hopes of getting more adults the extra dose as soon as possible. Read more here.
CDC shifts pandemic goals away from reaching herd immunity: Since the earliest days of the pandemic, there has been one collective goal for bringing it to an end: achieving herd immunity. Now the herd is restless. And experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have set aside herd immunity as a national goal. Read more here.
Around the state…
Most Californians say economic inequality is getting worse, new survey shows: Seven in 10 Californians say the gap between rich and poor is getting larger, according to a statewide survey released this week. Overall, Californians have mixed views of the state’s economic outlook for the next 12 months. About 47% said they think good times are ahead, while 52% say they foresee bad times. Read more about the survey and its findings here.
Cars and trucks: How international climate promises compare to California’s mandates: Nations convening at the United Nations climate conference pledged this week to end the sale of new gasoline-powered cars in major markets by 2035 and globally by 2040, mirroring California’s plans. The nations took another major step: a plan to eliminate sales of trucks and buses that pump out planet-warming pollution by 2040. Read more here.
Around the county and area…
Cal Fire appoints new CZU fire chief for Santa Cruz, San Mateo counties (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Photos: Watsonville’s Veterans Day parade returns (The Pajaronian)
5 people hurt in crash on Golden Gate Bridge near anti-vaccine mandate protest: CHP (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.
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!
Signing off for the last time,
Tulsi Kamath
Lookout Santa Cruz