LOOKOUT PM: More Homekey ruckus, Icons of Santa Cruz & Eaters Digest
Happy Friday, everyone. Let’s tie a bow on this thing.
First off a little news you can use if you’re a Santa Cruz resident. With Andy Mills living the desert life in Palm Springs now and Bernie Escalante only taking the reins temporarily, a new top cop is needed.
It goes without saying that this gig in a place like Santa Cruz requires a certain type of person and approach. Help the city nail down what that looks like.
Our crew of hardworking journos ended the week strong, giving you a little bit of everything from across the county. Hope you enjoy.
To those headlines...
Koenig met by angry Soquel crowd over proposed Homekey project on Park Avenue
Lookout Update: Why a small town hall meeting turned into a sometimes-heated exchange between 1st District Supervisor Manu Koenig and a crowd of neighbors displeased at how a supportive housing project is being rolled out along Park Avenue in Soquel. I’ve got the details for you here.
➤ PREVIOUSLY IN UNHOUSED SANTA CRUZ: A ‘proper place’ for the homeless? Push to spread the burden stirs NIMBY backlash
Fountain of Uke — how Santa Cruz fell in love with the friendly and humble ukulele
Icons of Santa Cruz: In the second installment of our Icons of Santa Cruz series — spotlighting the people, places and things that are immediately identifiable with Santa Cruz County — Wallace Baine delves into how an instrument once considered campy has struck such a chord and inspired a legion of local devotees. Wally with the write.
➤ PREVIOUSLY: The centurion of West Cliff Drive (WB)
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Big Basin’s new downtown tasting room, plus where to celebrate St. Paddy’s
EATERS DIGEST: Lower Pacific’s food and drink scene is about to get a major upgrade, and there will be no shortage of places to shake your shamrock around Santa Cruz County next week, including a salute to the Poet & the Patriot. More from Lily Belli.
➤ PREVIOUSLY: Lily Belli on Food: Santa Cruz coffee shoes, the return of reusables and Big Basin’s downtown move
How do Santa Cruz kids and parents feel about the end of mask mandates?
How we feeling? Mask mandates are set to end in schools after Friday, and Santa Cruz parents and kids have mixed feelings about the return to normalcy following two years of pandemic-induced restrictions. Kids are ready to see each others’ faces, but remain worried about catching COVID-19. Lookout talked to students at Santa Cruz High and Gault Elementary schools. Hillary Ojeda with the report.
➤ PREVIOUSLY: Q&A: School superintendent Faris Sabbah says parents need to stop bullying teachers over mask mandates (HL)
‘It feels like a personal attack’: UCSC, Cabrillo College officials condemn hate-related vandalism
What to make of it: Two weekend hate-related incidents have left UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College students, faculty and administrators feeling shocked, vulnerable and angry. At UCSC, suspects scrawled anti-Black, antisemitic and white supremacist graffiti on five areas at Crown and Merrill colleges, while at Cabrillo, someone set fire to the rainbow Pride flag at the Watsonville Center. Hillary with more here.
➤ YOUR CAREER STARTS HERE: See all the most recent listings here.
- Branch Supervisor at Bay Federal Credit Union
- Office Manager at Schooner Realty
- Executive Assistant at UC Santa Cruz
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‘Deltacron’ is a hybrid of Delta and Omicron variants. How worried should California be?
What we know: Dubbed “Deltacron” by some, it’s essentially a blend of both the variants that fueled last summer’s and this winter’s COVID-19 waves, California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said in a briefing to the California Medical Assn. this week. More from the LA Times on that here.
➤ HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT OUR NEW COVID DASHBOARD?
Meet ‘Student Lookout’
Freshly launched today: We already give UCSC and Cabrillo College students free access to all of Lookout, and now we’re delivering a weekly infusion of timely news, things to do and tips for enjoying life in Santa Cruz County on a student’s budget. If you’re a student, or know one, go here for Max Chun’s intro to Student Lookout and also sign up for Student Lookout text alerts by going here.
More from here & elsewhere
➤ Measure U extension placed on November ballot (Pajaronian)
➤ Central Coast farmers feeling pain of rising diesel prices (KSBW)
➤ Some Central Coast school districts sticking with mask mandate (KION)
➤ Giants move quickly in free agency, sign All-Star pitcher Carlos Rodon (SF Gate)
➤ Exodus of ‘iconic’ American companies is taking psychic toll on Russians (NBC News)
➤ Much-loved Asian grocer to open location inside San Jose mall (SF Gate)
That’s it for this week, my friends. I hope you enjoy the weekend and I will see you back here Monday.
Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor
