LOOKOUT PM: Some good news on the Santa Cruz outdoor dining front

By Mark Conley

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Good evening, folks, and thanks for joining us here at Lookout PM headquarters.

A nice bit of Santa Cruz pride to be taken in the news that native daughter of the Westside, and Stanford junior, Haley Jones, is among the final four of player-of-the-year candidates in women’s college basketball.

The reigning national champion Cardinal (29-3), of course, have plenty of (team)work left to do in March, so stay tuned for more Haley/Stanford updates here. Next up: A Sweet 16 matchup against Maryland on Friday (6:30 p.m., ESPN), with a win setting up a rematch against one of the few teams that beat them this season, Texas.

To the headlines du jour ...

Lily Belli on Food: Outdoor dining to stay in downtown Santa Cruz; a farm-to-table guide

Workers dismantle a parklet on Pacific Avenue in preparation for the block to reopen to one-way vehicle traffic.

Lily’s latest: Last week, the sudden deconstruction of the parklets in front of Kianti’s, HoM Korean Kitchen and Snap Taco in downtown Santa Cruz might have led you to believe that the pandemic-era outdoor seating was being permanently dismantled, but fear not. More from Lily Belli on why and much more here.

➤ The al fresco renaissance: Your guide to Santa Cruz County’s revitalized farm-to-table dinner offerings (LB)

A baby step: UCSC students celebrate reopening of infant care program

An important addition: Graduate students at UC Santa Cruz are celebrating a small but impactful decision: The school is reopening its infant care program after it closed in December 2019. The program will return in the fall and provide care for up to six infants. More from Hillary Ojeda here.

➤ Knowing when you’re not OK: UCSC Olympian Izzy Connor knew she wasn’t — and luckily, she had someone to tell (Mark Conley)

What Californians should do now to prepare for a possible spring Omicron BA.2 surge

Need to know: From tracking early signals to getting boosters and knowing about new drug options, here’s what should Californians be doing now to prepare for a possible spring surge of infections by the Omicron BA.2 subvariant. More from the LA Times here.

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Coast Guard’s failure to act on boat safety costs lives in Conception fire, feds say

A plaque was unveiled in 2020 to remember the 34 people who died in the Conception boat fire off Santa Cruz Island.

The latest: The NTSB chairwoman says the Conception fire and other maritime disasters were preventable, but that the Coast Guard has either ignored or slowly implemented her agency’s safety recommendations. More from the Times here.

Newsom’s new push for homeless mental health treatment lacks details, which has some worried

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, center, joins a cleanup effort Tuesday, May 11, 2021, in Los Angeles

Too fast? At the heart of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to compel people into court-ordered treatment for mental illness and addiction is a sense of urgency to solve a decades-old crisis festering on California’s streets — even if it means building the plane as it flies. More from the LA Times here.

➤ RELATED: Check out our Unhoused Santa Cruz series.

DevOps Engineer at Fullpower
Manager, COVID-19 Response & Compliance at Cabrillo College
Associate Director for Equity in Mental Health at UC Santa Cruz
Program Specialist I - Friends Outside Program at Santa Cruz Volunteer Center
Community Outreach Representative at Santa Cruz Community Credit Union

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Putin’s war media machine goes after ‘scum and traitors’ and ‘imperial’ powers

Games behind the games: Moscow’s war machine includes a popular TV talk show whose host, Dmitry Kiselyov, takes on anyone who contradicts Russian President Vladimir Putin. More from the Times here.

More from here & elsewhere

➤ Santa Cruz County opens week with three new COVID-related deaths (Sentinel)
➤ Santa Cruz County Supervisors confirm south county district board (Sentinel)
➤ Pajaro Levee engineer’s report open for public comment (Pajaronian)
➤ Cruz called ‘major jackass’ for Ketanji Brown Jackson questions (SF Gate)
➤ Another top California outdoor attraction, Fern Canyon, now requires a permit (SF Gate)
➤ What Ketanji Brown Jackson’s husband’s tears, daughter’s face tell us about this historic moment (USA Today)

That’s a wrap for Tuesday. See you guys again tomorrow.

Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor