Hello, Santa Cruz County. It is Wednesday, Jan. 17, and the forecast calls for a foggy start giving way to a mix of clouds and some sunshine, with temperatures maaaaybe scraping into the 60s for some of us.
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Max Chun starts us off, reporting on how community members and friends are remembering Capitola resident Alyx Herrmann, who’s been missing since early December and whose boyfriend, Theo Lengyel, has been charged with murder. On Tuesday, a Santa Cruz judge continued Lengyel’s arraignment to Feb. 8.
Hillary Ojeda has the latest on a lawsuit against UC Santa Cruz, with a federal judge saying that a prospective job candidate didn’t have standing to claim that the university’s required diversity statement violated his free speech rights.
And this being Wednesday, Jessica M. Pasko rounds up news and notes from the local business community, leading off with a Joby Aviation move in Southern California and the closure of Santa Cruz County’s three Kelly-Moore Paints stores.
Before we get to the day’s headlines, a report from Watsonville:
The push to have local elected governments support a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas made its way to South County on Tuesday. People filled Watsonville’s city council chambers to urge the city’s elected officials to call a special meeting and approve a cease-fire resolution, similar to the efforts at the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Cruz City Council. Expecting the organized campaign to greet its halls, the Watsonville City Council made the call to cap public comment at one hour. Watsonville Mayor Vanessa Quiroz-Carter, who began her one-year term as mayor in December, agreed to call a special meeting regarding a cease-fire resolution; however, the date and contents of the meeting are still to be determined. — Christopher Neely
Friends, community members honor Alyx Herrmann as they await boyfriend’s arraignment for murder
Theo Lengyel, boyfriend of missing Capitola resident Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann, is set to be arraigned on murder charges Feb. 8. Herrmann’s Outrigger Santa Cruz teammates, family and community members gathered last Sunday for a vigil at the Santa Cruz Harbor to remember how Herrmann had touched their lives. Max Chun reports.
Court dismisses professor’s free speech lawsuit against UCSC over DEI statement
A federal court judge dismissed a lawsuit against UC Santa Cruz senior officials on Friday over the school’s requirement that candidates for academic positions submit a diversity statement with their applications. The judge ruled that John D. Haltigan hadn’t proved that he had standing. Haltigan alleged the school’s policy violated his free speech rights. More here from Hillary Ojeda.
DAILY DIGEST
That’s the lay of the land as we hit midweek. And you never know what we here at Lookout might have up our sleeve, so keep in the loop on social media by following Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads. We also offer breaking news alerts via text and email, and a host of other newsletters (coming Thursday, for example, is Wallace Baine’s recommendation-packed Weekender) – all of which you can sign up for right here.
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Be good and stay safe out there, friends.
Will McCahill