Morning Lookout: Buzzy Santa Cruz surf film project, supes race lead change and Eaters Digest

What is up, Santa Cruz County? It’s Friday, Nov. 18, and we’re in for a mostly sunny day with temperatures in the 60s.

Fancy a solo stroll through Lookout’s latest? Stroll this way.
JUMP TO ... Latest News | Opinion | Events | Guides | Puzzles | Obituaries

Surfing is again in the spotlight as we head toward with weekend, so let’s whet our appetites with Mark Conley’s update on the Cold Water Classic:

Finals Day is here, one day earlier than organizers hoped, but Mother Nature is the boss. And at least the remaining swell (3 to 5 feet) should be enough to give the remaining local contingent who made the quarterfinals — Shaun Burns and Sam Coffey on the men’s side, Autumn Hays and Maddie Storrer on the women’s — a chance to flex their Steamer Lane knowledge. That action will kick off Friday morning after organizers size up the swell/tide conditions and make a call on when to get going. Stay tuned for the latest on that here.

Mark also digs in on efforts to make the definitive surf-culture film Santa Cruz deserves. “You don’t want to jinx it,” surf legend Darryl “Flea” Virostko told him, but with the big Hollywood names behind Oscars darling “Nomadland” attached to the project, hopes are high.

There’s also big news from the local elections front, where Thursday’s vote-count update saw Justin Cummings take a narrow lead on Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson in the race for 3rd District Santa Cruz County Supervisor. Read on for more on that, and you can find updated tallies on all 40 local races right here in chart form.

And this being Friday, Lily Belli is here with another tasty helping of Eaters Digest, leading off with her review of Faultline Brewing’s open-at-long-last Scotts Valley outpost.

The day’s headlines also includes an update on parklets in Santa Cruz, a controversial desalination plant in Marina, Wallace Baine’s recommendation-packed Weekender and election opinion from our Community Voices section, so let’s delay no longer.

‘These guys are legit’: Could the best Santa Cruz-centric surf film ever made be quietly in the works?

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Ten years after Hollywood gave us “Chasing Mavericks,” based on an iconic young Santa Cruz surfer, Jay Moriarity, who overcame odds and died too soon, there is another Santa Cruz-based surf film percolating. Because of the star power involved in its conception by the acclaimed filmmakers of “Nomadland,” and the fact that filming could begin soon, the anticipation is palpable. Mark Conley has the details.

➤ 20 YEARS OF ‘LIVING LIKE JAY’: Honoring the legend of one of surfing & Santa Cruz’s brightest shooting stars (Lookout)

Cummings pulls ahead of Kalantari-Johnson in District 3 supervisor race

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Justin Cummings leads Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson by 35 votes in the race for District 3 Santa Cruz County Supervisor after Thursday’s update, a mere 0.19 percentage points, with little more than 3,000 ballots left to count across the county. County Clerk Tricia Webber said Thursday that her office would do a “full manual tally” of the votes cast in the District 3 race before certifying the results next month. Get the latest here.

➤ CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: Thursday’s vote tally for all 40 Santa Cruz County races, broken down (Lookout)

Definitely a full dance card as we waltz toward the weekend. Follow Lookout on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep tabs on everything going on around Santa Cruz County, and sign up here for breaking news alerts and our other newsletters, including the specially curated Sunday Reads, hitting inboxes on ... well, I think you can figure that one out.

Our content isn’t possible without community support — so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.

Enjoy what’s shaping up to be a pleasant Friday and have a safe, relaxing weekend — I’ll see you on the flip side!

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz