What’s up, friends and neighbors? It’s Thursday, June 11, shaping up to be a sunny, warm one around Santa Cruz County – temperatures around 80 at the bay, closing in on 100 in the mountains.
I WANT TO … Become a Lookout member | Download the Lookout app | Browse latest news | Get other Lookout newsletters | Solve a puzzle | Find local events | Advertise
Dieter Holger has been sifting through local voting data in California’s gubernatorial race and has a picture of which areas backed Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer and Steve Hilton. Democrat Becerra and Republican Hilton are set for a November run-off. You’ll also find lots more Santa Cruz County election coverage below after Wednesday’s vote-count update.
In Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, Paul Koch, UC Santa Cruz interim campus provost and executive vice chancellor, takes on charges that the university’s signature college system is being diminished. Rather, it’s evolving with the times, Koch writes, as the university explores hard questions about how the 10 colleges can best serve students.
Caly Plowman looks ahead to another round of “No Kings” events this weekend, opposite President Donald Trump’s birthday/America 250 mixed martial arts fights on the White House lawn. Grassroots group Indivisible is encouraging local chapters to gather for a concert livestream, and there will be a Flag Day rally in Felton.
You’ll find all the Thursday headlines on the other side of this:
Lookout Trivia Night returned to Abbott Square in downtown Santa Cruz on Wednesday night, with 65 people in attendance and 15 teams competing over four rounds emceed by Wallace Baine. The winners were first-time trivia participants Scrambled Eggheads. Mark your calendars for the next edition July 8.
Were you forwarded this newsletter? Sign up here to receive Morning Lookout in your inbox every weekday.
You’re missing out on full access to Lookout
As a reader of Lookout’s newsletters, you get access to a limited number of free articles per month — but there’s much more! Members of Lookout Santa Cruz get full access to every article published by our team of on-the-ground correspondents. Join now to go beyond the headlines and dive deep into Lookout’s local coverage.
See which Santa Cruz County communities backed Becerra, Steyer and Hilton
Santa Cruz County’s gubernatorial primary results revealed a clear demographic divide: Tom Steyer performed best in whiter, more college-educated communities, while Xavier Becerra drew strong support from Latino-majority areas such as Watsonville, helping propel him into the November run-off against Republican Steve Hilton. Dieter Holger goes inside the data.
OPINION: UC Santa Cruz’s nationally known college system is here to stay
UC Santa Cruz’s famed residential college system is not disappearing — it remains central to the university’s identity and mission, writes Paul Koch, interim campus provost and executive vice chancellor. But as the campus grows and changes, the colleges must evolve to better serve today’s students, he writes. He argues that new staffing models will strengthen, not weaken, the system and explains how a broad community conversation on the colleges will continue into the next academic year. The challenge, he insists, is preserving what makes the colleges special while creating a roadmap for their future. Read his Community Voices op-ed here.
DAILY DIGEST
Starting to think about the weekend? Join the club! Lookout’s got you covered as Thursday chugs along, with a cheat sheet to eating well and going out around Santa Cruz County, including recommendations from Lily Belli, via Weekender – one of the many free newsletters and breaking news alerts you should sign up for here. You can get breaking news notifications in addition to all of our award-winning local coverage on the Lookout Santa Cruz app, available for download in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. On social media? Follow Lookout on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Threads for our latest there.
Before I go, a reminder about a Lookout event happening Thursday evening:
- The Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce will host a business after-hours event at Lookout’s office above Pacific Avenue. Attendees will get to tour the newsroom, meet staff members and learn more about Lookout. Details and registration here.
Our content isn’t possible without community support, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.
Thank you for reading – keep it cool, and I hope to see you back here Friday morning.
Will McCahill