Morning Lookout: Inside industrial design, county DNA lab funded, Bad Animal’s lofty ambitions

Hello again, Lookout friends. It is Monday, March 6, and Santa Cruz County will be dodging showers for at least the first part of the day, with an unsettled weather pattern and temps in the low 50s extending into the new week.

We’ve got lots to explore here on Lookout, if you’re so inclined.
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Our How I Got My Job series continues as we kick off another workweek, with Kaya Henkes-Power interviewing industrial designer Elisabeth Kooi. With recent projects including a whole-bean coffee maker for corporate offices and an autonomous submarine, it’s a varied gig.

From the world of law enforcement, Max Chun has an update on a DNA lab for the county sheriff’s office, a project that’s now funded and aiming to break ground by late summer. Instead of relying on the state to analyze samples, Sheriff Jim Hart says, a local lab could trim turnaround times from months to just days.

Also not to be missed is Wallace Baine’s look at downtown Santa Cruz’s Bad Animal — a true standout in our local firmament, he writes, and a case to be considered among the world’s great bookstores.

The Monday headlines also include Lookout’s latest local news quiz and opinion about the fraught future of the county fairgrounds, so please, join me as we take a look.

Variety is the spice of industrial designer Elisabeth Kooi’s work life

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Local industrial designer Elisabeth Kooi spoke with Lookout about what it takes to enter this line of work, her personal experience in the field and advice she would give to someone who is looking to join the industry. Kaya Henkes-Power has the latest chapter of our How I Got My Job series.

➤ PREVIOUSLY: How I got my job: Santa Cruz therapist David Schulkin switched from teaching surf lessons to mental health

Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office DNA lab project fully funded, aims for late-summer groundbreaking

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Adding the 1,700-square-foot lab could drop DNA sample analysis turnaround times from up to 12 months all the way to two or three days, Sheriff Jim Hart says. More here from Max Chun.

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And just like that, we’re off and running on a new workweek. Keep tabs on the latest news around Santa Cruz County by following Lookout on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and get yourself signed up for our other newsletters and breaking news alerts.

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Good luck navigating your Monday — you’ve got this!

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz