Morning Lookout: Judge sides against Browne, labor targets Rotkin and Lookout festivities

Hiya, folks! It’s Tuesday, Dec. 13, and another sunny (if chilly) day is upon us in Santa Cruz County, with temperatures headed into just the 50s and patchy frost expected to continue the next few nights.

If you’re warmed up and ready to hit Lookout’s latest, by all means.
JUMP TO … Latest News | Opinion | Events | Guides | Puzzles | Obituaries

The Aptos property dispute involving singer-songwriter Jackson Browne is one step closer to an end, Max Chun reports, after a Santa Cruz judge ruled Monday mainly in favor of the plaintiffs — though both sides have a last chance to change the judge’s mind.

With county supervisors set to meet Tuesday, meanwhile, some local labor organizations are hoping to unseat Mike Rotkin from the METRO transit board, Christopher Neely reports. It’s a move that might come as a surprise to some given Rotkin’s long history as a local organizer and labor negotiator.

After a bruising election season, Santa Cruz City Councilmember Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson is ready to put differences aside and focus on the work at hand, she says in our Community Voices opinion section. “Whether you voted for me or not, if you care, like I do, about creating a thriving, vibrant Santa Cruz,” she writes, “I invite your partnership.”

And Monday night was a festive occasion for Lookout and our members; here’s founder and CEO Ken Doctor to set the scene:

We celebrated Lookout’s second birthday with members Monday evening at UC Santa Cruz’s Seymour Marine Disccovery Center. Almost 100 people enjoyed meeting our team, with Movin’ & Shakin’ Cocktails providing the holiday drinks and Pana serving up Venezuelan arepas from its food truck. Overall, it was a local-local-local event, with event partners — Bagito, Cracked Cookies, Emozioni Patisserie, CineLux Theatres, Shopper’s Corner, The Glass Jar, Make It Sweet, Pacific Cookie Company, MJA Vineyards — helping us throw our holiday party as a gift to members.

Our program provided the first “print” edition in our two-year digital history:

Trivialist supreme Wallace Baine put together a special contest for the crowd, which nailed four of the five questions. Here’s three to test your Santa Cruz County smarts:

1. Which recently elected local government official shares a name with the French term for pilgrim?
2. What Santa Cruz distiller shares a name with a heavenly body best viewed in the western sky just after sunset?
3. Which legendary figure from the Santa Cruz surf scene shares a name with an even more famous icon of the holiday season?

Answers: 1. Gail Pellerin. 2. Venus Spirits. 3. Frosty Hesson.

Now how about those Tuesday headlines?

Judge rules mainly against Jackson Browne in Aptos property dispute

Judge Timothy Volkmann issued his statement of decision on the Jackson Browne property dispute Monday, mostly siding with the plaintiffs. Each side has the chance to object and try to convince Volkmann to change his mind. Get the details from Max Chun.

➤ PREVIOUSLY: Closing arguments end in Jackson Browne property dispute trial (Lookout)

Drama stews as labor orgs push to unseat Rotkin from public transit board

An effort to replace Mike Rotkin, an incumbent director on the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District board, has gained backing from some of the most powerful labor organizations in the county. Christopher Neely scopes it out.

➤ ALSO ON THE SUPES’ AGENDA: Santa Cruz County’s sheriff will soon be subject to independent oversight (Lookout)

That ought to whet your appetite for the Tuesday ahead. And Tuesday is appetizing indeed here at Lookout, with another serving of Lily Belli on Food coming our way in mere hours. Sign up here to get that and all of our newsletters (plus breaking news alerts) delivered right to you, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram out there on the socials.

We’re extremely grateful for all of our members, and that community support is absolutely crucial to everything we do here. We’d love to have you aboard, too, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.

Have a super Tuesday!

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz