Morning Lookout: COVID holiday caution, CZU rebuild roadblock and UCSC reaction

By Will McCahill

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Hello, hello, hello. It’s Thursday, Nov. 18, and we’re in for a cloudy, cooler day ... though it doesn’t look as though we’ll get any rain, unlike our neighbors farther north. (And those clouds will keep us from seeing a historic lunar eclipse overnight.)

We’re just a week out from Thanksgiving, with more holiday gatherings beyond that, and as Lookout’s Haneen Zain found out, county health officials are asking folks to keep their guard up with COVID still very much in the picture.

Meanwhile, damaged roads are creating headaches for residents trying to rebuild from the CZU fire, and Lookout’s Grace Stetson reported on what steps local officials are taking.

And Lookout’s Hillary Ojeda and Kevin Painchaud got reaction from UC Santa Cruz lecturers after their union struck a deal to avoid a strike.

Ready for some headlines?

Holiday gatherings could trigger COVID spread, officials warn

With cases on the rise, Santa Cruz County health officials are urging residents to redouble their COVID-19 safety efforts as Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings approach. Here’s what Dr. David Ghilarducci told Lookout’s Haneen Zain.

➤ ANOTHER SHOT: Do I have to lie to get a COVID-19 booster shot? No, and here’s why (Los Angeles Times)

Damaged roads creating a rebuild headache for many CZU families

A muddy road in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Supervisors voted to asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to pressure Anvil Builders Inc. to repair damage Santa Cruz County says it caused to local roads as part of a debris-removing project. Read what families and officials are saying via Lookout’s Grace Stetson.

➤ MORE REBUILDING WOES: Supervisors set to reevaluate geologic surveys for those trying to rebuild (Lookout)

UCSC lecturers hail new deal as ‘a landmark and transformative achievement’

UCSC lecturer Roxi Power celebrates a tentative contract agreement with the UC

Lecturers at UC Santa Cruz and elsewhere celebrated gains on salary, job security and more after a strike was averted Wednesday. Lookout’s Hillary Ojeda has the details here.

➤ BACKGROUND: What’s behind looming strike by UC lecturers? (Lookout)

Sixty-foot waves exploded off the Pacific Coast during October’s bomb cyclone

Satellite view of bomb cyclone and atmospheric river.

Beyond the huge waves and driving rain, forecasters were most impressed by the amount of wave energy pushing up onto the beaches. Our partners at the Los Angeles Times sort through the big numbers.

➤ LOCAL ANGLE: Sorting through the storm’s aftermath: No debris-flow issues make for a good ‘dry run’ before winter (Lookout)

California redistricting: Which incumbents are in tough spots?

Preliminary maps put some House members and state legislators into less politically friendly districts, or in the same district as another incumbent. Our partners at CalMatters survey the changing landscape.

➤ LOCAL CHANGES: County supervisors votes to redraw supervisorial districts, reunifying Scotts Valley (Lookout)

Around the county ...

➤ Man points gun-shaped lighters at people passing by in Santa Cruz (KION-TV)
➤ Santa Cruz County health agencies roll out $8M in new grant programs (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
➤ Pajaro levee homeless group seeks halt to Monterey County cleanup (The Pajaronian)
➤ From $15,000 to $2 million, Bay Area home prices leap in two generations (San Jose Mercury News)

That ought to get you ready for Thursday. We’ll get another edition of Best Bets later today, and you can sign up to get all the great recommendations for things to do this weekend and beyond from Wallace Baine and Lookout’s Team BOLO right to your inbox or phone via our Lookout Newsletter & Text Center. You can also keep tabs throughout the day by bookmarking our website and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Now get out there and make it a good one!

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz