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Morning Lookout: Latest on the weather, new interim police chief announced and more

Good Morning! It’s Friday, October 22 and the weather is top of mind today, so let’s dive right in:

The National Weather Service says it will continue to rain through 11 a.m. with about a quarter to half an inch of rain expected. While NWS officials haven’t yet updated rainfall totals this morning, here’s what it looked like around our area as of 6 p.m. last night:

Here’s what was expected of the Category 5 Atmospheric Riveer around the rest of the state yesterday.

MORE FROM THE LA TIMES: Burned by wildfire, Northern California towns now fear flooding and toxic runoff from storm

Presented by UC Santa Cruz

Chancellor Cynthia Larive has been meeting regularly with local leaders to find ways to maximize the university’s...

Bernie Escalante named interim Santa Cruz police chief

Bernie Escalante has been named interim Santa Cruz police chief.
(Courtesy Santa Cruz Police Department)

A 25-year veteran of the department and current deputy chief has been named Santa Cruz’s interim police chief. The search for a permanent chief to replace the outgoing Andy Mills will begin following the hiring of a city manager, expected to occur in early November. Read more from Lookout contributor Max Chun.

CDC poised to expand COVID booster shots. What does that look like in Santa Cruz?

vaccine

Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded the types of COVID booster shots it recommends for Americans, making tens of millions more eligible. Locally, health care providers say they are preparing for the expected spike in demand. Read more from Lookout contributor Haneen Zain here.

MORE COVID READS:

Halloween still presents scary COVID-19 risk. How you can celebrate safely (LA Times)

For the vaccinated, how risky could holiday gatherings be? (LA Times)

Pressure mounts on UC system to reach agreement with lecturer workforce as strikes, class cancellations loom

Students hold signs while listening to UCLA faculty members share their stories of unfair wages on Oct. 13, 2021.

The UC workforce has a churn problem as about a quarter of the system’s 6,000 lecturers don’t return annually. The lecturer union and UC have made some progress in their multi-year impasse over a new contract, but many issues remain unsolved as the threat of strikes loom. Read more here.

Presented by Santa Cruz County Bank

Botanic and Luxe opened their doors in the spring of 2016 in downtown Santa Cruz and quickly became a local staple and a...

Alec Baldwin discharged prop gun that killed woman on movie set, sheriff says

Actor and producer Alec Baldwin fired the prop gun on a New Mexico movie set that killed the director of photography and injured the director, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. Two people were shot yesterday afternoon on the set: cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42; and the film’s director, Joel Souza, 48, according to a statement by the Sheriff’s Office. Read more here.

The Joe behind Joze: New ‘Foodie’ doc pays tribute to a Santa Cruz culinary legend

Filmmaker Jon Silver (right) with Jozseph Schultz at India Joze.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

“Foodie for the People,” showing the next two Wednesdays at the Del Mar, is a portrait of Jozseph Schultz and the community he helped create in Santa Cruz both inside his India Joze restaurant and among those less fortunate. Read more from our Wallace Baine here.

THIS WEEK’S BOLO Best Bets: Dance through the raindrops to the SC Symphony, chili cook-off and Pivot

Go to the movies, on us!

A promotion for CineLux tickets with Lookout membership

Whether it’s the Daniel Craig James Bond finale “No Time to Die,” the “Venom” sequel or the long-awaited “Dune,” Hollywood is back, and there’s no better place to see big-ticket movies than in the theater. That’s where Lookout’s special offer comes in: Become a new member today and grab two movie tickets for your local CineLux Theatre. Sign up here.

Around the county...

Santa Cruz County joins others in suing pharmaceutical management consultant (Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Mobile home park prevails: Residents won’t see rent increase, for now (The Pajaronian)

A complete guide to the 13th annual Santa Cruz restaurant week, Oct. 20-27 (Good Times)

That’s it for today. If you’re enjoying our coverage, please tell your family and friends about our Lookout Newsletter & Text Center, where they can sign up for all the newsletters and alerts we offer. You can also keep tabs on everything we’re publishing through the day by bookmarking our website and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

To ensure you’re staying informed about all the goings-on in Santa Cruz, consider becoming a Lookout member. Our content isn’t possible without community support.

Have a great day!

Tulsi Kamath
Lookout Santa Cruz

The need for a supplemental water supply in Santa Cruz during dry years has only grown with the increased impacts of...