Morning Lookout: Supes forum fireworks, Cabrillo Festival returns and Measure C explained
Morning, all! Today is Friday, May 13, and Mother Nature is turning up the heat on us a bit, with sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s forecast around Santa Cruz County.
There were plenty of elevated temperatures last night as Lookout hosted a forum for candidates running for 3rd District County Supervisor and State Assembly District 28. Mark Conley has this taste of what went down:
Election season heated up before our eyes and ears Thursday evening at Hotel Paradox, where some simmering tension between 3rd District Supervisor candidates Justin Cummings and Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson emerged during a candidate forum moderated by Lookout’s Community Voices editor, Jody K. Biehl. All three candidates, the third being Ami Chen Mills, agreed afterward it was the most emotional debate they had been a part of in the lead-up to the June 7 primary. The event, which also featured the four candidates vying for the State Assembly District 28 seat, was held before approximately 150 viewers split evenly between the Paradox ballroom and a Zoom audience.
Look for more details on the 3rd District tension from Lookout later this afternoon — and check out what the supervisor candidates told Mark about their approach ahead of last night’s event. And thanks to our forum partners: Hotel Paradox, Santa Cruz County Business Council, Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, Santa Cruz Works and Downtown Santa Cruz.
Other headlines we have for you this morning:
- The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is set for an in-person return this summer, and Wallace Baine talked to conductor Cristian Măcelaru for a preview.
- County voters will get a chance to decide where revenue from a tax on disposable cups will go, as Max Chun explains in an overview of Measure C.
- And it’s Friday, so that means another edition of Student Lookout, with deals, hot tips and more for the students among you (and anyone who knows a student, of course!).
To the headlines!
Revel in the glory of “Carmina Burana” with the Santa Cruz Symphony
Revel in the glory of “Carmina Burana” with the Santa Cruz Symphony
Cabrillo Festival announces new season, to memorialize the traumas of 2020
After two years struggling to be remake itself into a temporary media production company, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music returns triumphantly to live performances at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in late July and early August. Wallace Baine brings the preview.
➤ DOWN THE LINE: Wallace’s expertly curated list of all the big events coming to Santa Cruz County
Measure C: County Disposable Cup Tax explained
As Santa Cruz County follows the cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville in levying a new single-use cup charge, voters get to decide how to divvy up the estimated $700,000 in new revenue. Get the details from Max Chun.
➤ STUDYING THE JUNE BALLOT: Measure F: Santa Cruz City Sales and Use Tax explained (Lookout)
- Manager of Community Engagement at The Diversity Center of Santa Cruz County
- Assistant Director of Donor Relations at UC Santa Cruz
- Cloud Software Engineer at Fullpower
- Program Specialist - Extension at Cabrillo College
- Grants Manager at DigitalNEST
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Student Lookout: Take a hike, eat some pizza and check out the Santa Cruz History Fair
Students (or anyone with a student in their lives) should check out the latest from Max Chun & Co., with local discount, food finds, weekend events and more. Dive in here.
➤ GET LOOKOUT FOR FREE: Click here for info about student access
1% for Good: local company’s quest to make a difference celebrates ten-year anniversary
1% for Good: local company’s quest to make a difference celebrates ten-year anniversary
North County Supervisor candidates on the issues
Ahead of last night’s forum, Justin Cummings, Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson and Ami Chen Mills answered a wide-ranging set of questions from Mark Conley about how they would approach the job.
➤ PART 1: How would they lead, make a difference and build community?
➤ PART 2: How would they take on homelessness, affordability and climate change?
➤ MORE LOCAL POLITICS: Find all of Lookout’s election coverage here
Weekender: Cabrillo Fest turns 60; Smoke Chaser dreams of California summer; ‘Mulholland’ on the big screen
With the end of the workweek in sight, who better to take you on a tour of the latest from Santa Cruz County’s arts and entertainment scene than Wallace Baine? His jam-packed latest newsletter.
➤ OUR FULL EVENTS CALENDAR: BOLO, your place to go for things to do
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California Coastal Commission rejects plan for Huntington Beach desalination plant
After hours of intense debate Thursday, coastal regulators rejected Poseidon Water’s proposal to build a desalination plant in Huntington Beach. Our partners at the Los Angeles Times report on the decision and its impacts.
➤ DROUGHT DRAGS ON: How bad is water use in California? March is the worst so far, up 19% (CalMatters)
Five things to know about nuclear power in California
Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering seeking federal funds to keep Diablo Canyon open as California transitions away from fossil fuels. But there are many complications to keeping nuclear power in California. Our partners at CalMatters explain.
➤ BACKGROUND: California promised to close its last nuclear plant. Now Newsom is reconsidering (Los Angeles Times)
Around the county ...
➤ ‘Skatetola’ contest returns to Capitola (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
➤ The long road to Lompico: Lois Henry retires from SLV water district board (San Lorenzo Valley Post)
➤ Sunday’s total lunar eclipse should be visible on the Central Coast (KSBW-TV)
➤ California to open first new state park in 13 years (San Jose Mercury News)
OK, you’re up to date on this Friday. But if you’re hungry for more, you’re in luck: Another hand-crafted Eaters Digest from Lily Belli is on its way with the latest from Santa Cruz County’s food and drink scene, so bookmark our website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep tabs throughout the day. Lily’s got a newsletter, too, and you can find out more about that and all the alerts we offer by visiting our Lookout Newsletter & Text Center.
And what better way to stoke some good weekend vibes than by helping make all this local journalism possible? Our content isn’t possible without community support, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.
Cheers to an excellent Friday, and have a safe, relaxing weekend!
Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz
