Good morning. It is Friday, Jan. 12, and another day of mostly sunny skies is ahead for Santa Cruz County, with temps topping out in the mid-50s. Rain returns Saturday, then back to sun Sunday and MLK Day on Monday.
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The inner workings of big donations at UC Santa Cruz are in the spotlight after a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit was filed against the school earlier this week, with Hillary Ojeda digging in on donation arrangements that are widespread across the charitable giving sector.
Hillary also has an update on the UCSC-Cabrillo College housing project planned for Cabrillo’s Aptos campus, where groundbreaking has been delayed until 2025 as the parties involved navigate the unusual joint arrangement.
You’ll find two servings of Lily Belli among the Friday headlines: She reports on state fish and wildlife officials finally setting an opening date for local Dungeness crab season, and continues her vegan January journey with a pair of unlikely dishes: pizza and “wings.”
Wallace Baine’s guide to the coming weekend also awaits, on the other side of this update from Lookout HQ:
Lookout hosted the year’s first Business After Hours networking event over wine, cheese and New Year’s greetings at our new office on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz. About 75 people attended the event, sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce. Attendees talked about the year ahead, toured our history wall showcasing Santa Cruz newspapers over the years and heard from CEO Ken Doctor and Director of Community and Student Engagement Jamie Garfield on Lookout’s growth and plans. After covering many ribbon-cuttings over the years, we got to slice our own red ribbon marking our new office, with Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley offering his own mayoral imprimatur to the event.
It’s just the beginning of public events we’ll hold at our office as we encourage readers to engage with us — and each other — on the issues of the day. Next up: We host a pre-Bookshop Santa Cruz event reception for local writer Clifford Mae Henderson, who is releasing her sixth novel, “Bait and Witch,” with a reading and book signing at Bookshop next Thursday, Jan. 18. If you would like to meet the author and enjoy some wine and cheese at Lookout before her talk, learn more and RSVP here.
UC Santa Cruz whistleblower lawsuit shines spotlight on inner workings of big campus donations
A former UC Santa Cruz deputy development director claims a retaliatory firing after she complained about a scheme by a consultant to mislead and pressure campus donors involved in the key higher education program of planned giving. Campus officials call the claims “absurd.” The lawsuit centers on one top donor. In interviews, both the consultant and the donor contend that the lawsuit mischaracterizes their financial dealings and casts an unfairly negative light on donation arrangements that are widespread across the charitable giving sector. Hillary Ojeda reports.
Bookie’s elevates plant-based pizza and vegan ‘wings’ from afterthought to stars
At Bookie’s, inside Sante Adairius Rustic Ales’ Santa Cruz Portal, chef Todd Parker makes ingredient-driven Detroit-style pizza, a thick-crust pie characterized by its crispy, cheesy edges, and killer crunchy “wings” that are entirely plant-based. Get a taste from Lily Belli.
DAILY DIGEST
Keep it tuned to Lookout this Friday and beyond for more from around Santa Cruz County – follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads and you won’t miss a thing. What’s still coming Friday includes Lily Belli’s Eaters Digest, and you can get that and all of Lookout’s other newsletters, plus breaking news alerts, by signing up here.
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No Morning Lookout on Monday due to the holiday; have a good weekend and see you back here Tuesday.