Morning Lookout: Local surfers shine, Alderwood’s grand ambitions, UC strike update & more

Greetings, Lookout fam! It is Thursday, Nov. 17, and the forecast calls for a mix of sun and clouds around Santa Cruz County, with highs in the 50s and 60s.

We’ve got a lively mix of new Lookout content, so if you want to explore solo, get to it.
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Lots of news to get to, but let’s start with Mark Conley’s dispatch from Steamer Lane:

Local knowledge is paying off for the hometowners thus far at the Cold Water Classic. But something will have to give Thursday when three locals are part of a four-person heat that can send only two surfers onward into the quarterfinals. Somewhere in the 1 p.m. zone, just as new northwest swell is filling in at Steamer Lane, Nat Young, Shaun Burns and Sam Coffey will duke it out for two spots. Bud Freitas will try to nab one in the men’s first round-of-32 heat of the day, and after the Young-Burns-Coffey heat, John Mel will try to earn a spot in the quarters. If you’re counting, that means four of the 16 surfers in the CWC men’s quarters could be locals.

If you can’t sneak out to West Cliff on a lunch break, you can hear two local legends in Peter Mel and Adam Replogle announce the triple-local heat from your desk.

Elsewhere this Thursday, we’ve got updates on a pair of local labor actions. As the systemwide University of California strike enters its fourth day, Thomas Sawano reports that no more negotiations are scheduled this week. Meanwhile, Max Chun has the news that three Santa Cruz County Starbucks are joining in a one-day nationwide strike to protest what organizers say are continuing unfair labor practices by the coffee giant.

The group that owns fine dining establishment Alderwood Santa Cruz has ambitious plans, with executive and Capitola native Sam Woods telling Lily Belli that Santa Cruz Sky aims to be a key player in revitalizing downtown as it adds to its stable of restaurants.

The Election 2022 vote count continues, and Wednesday’s update revealed that fewer than 100 votes separate Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson and Justin Cummings in the race for 3rd District Santa Cruz County Supervisor. Another update is slated for 4 p.m. Thursday, so check back with Lookout for that, and in the meantime here’s a look at where all 40 county races stand in chart form.

And with sentencing set for Friday in the 2021 vandalism of the downtown Black Lives Matter street mural, artists and activists behind the project write in our Community Voices opinion section to urge Santa Cruzans to send a message in the courtroom.

Thursday’s headlines also include an update on the Aptos property dispute involving singer-songerwriter Jackson Browne, so read along.

As UC systemwide strike heads into its fourth day, negotiations fall quiet

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Dialogue has been scant between University of California negotiators and striking union groups during statewide demonstrations that have been billed as the largest in the history of academic labor. Thomas Sawano reports.

➤ MORE: UC says strikers’ demand to tie pay to housing costs could have ‘overwhelming’ cost impacts (Los Angeles Times)

Alderwood group Santa Cruz Sky aims to revitalize downtown Santa Cruz

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Alderwood, Santa Cruz’s only restaurant with a Michelin nod, is adding new branches to its family tree. Under its parent company, Santa Cruz Sky, several new culinary projects are slated to open within the next few months, including casual sibling Alderwood Pacific. Get the dish from Lily Belli.

➤ MORE FROM LILY: Sante Adairius now 100% woman-owned, inside Chef’store and a turkey to savor

That’s definitely plenty to digest, so take your time. It is Thursday, though, and that means we’re just hours away from another bracing edition of Weekender, Wallace Baine’s recommendation-packed look at Santa Cruz County’s arts and culture scene. Get that and all of our newsletters, plus breaking news alerts, delivered right to you by signing up here. Social media is another great way to stay current on Santa Cruz County happenings; follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Now get out there and show Thursday who’s boss!

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz