Morning Lookout: Latest storm arrives, supporting SLV restaurants, Cabrillo renaming update

Good morning, all. It is Tuesday, March 28, and another storm system is rolling into Santa Cruz County — the forecast calls for wind gusts as high as 50 mph in the mountains and possibly another 3.5 inches of rain in some spots by Wednesday morning. More on that in a bit from Max Chun.

There’s a ton of new stuff on Lookout this Tuesday, so I won’t be too offended if you skip the guided tour.
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The Santa Cruz Mountains have been ravaged by the barrage of storms that began on New Year’s Eve, with road closures and power outages making life stressful for many. Restaurant owners are certainly in that group, but, Jessica M. Pasko reports, they’ve again found they can rely on the San Lorenzo Valley community for support.

At Cabrillo College, meanwhile, the renaming process is moving forward, with a name-change task force set for its first meeting next month. As Hillary Ojeda explains, the goal is a shortlist of three to five names.

And in our Community Voices opinion section, politics columnist Mike Rotkin takes issue with what he sees as instances of overreach by the powerful California Coastal Commission.

The Tuesday headlines also include a preview of Friday’s NEXTies awards show from Wallace Baine and the latest local COVID data, so please, read along.

Hit hard by storms, San Lorenzo Valley restaurants lean on community

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Road closures and power outages have been a near-constant fact of life in the San Lorenzo Valley since the parade of atmospheric rivers began New Year’s Eve. And as stressful as that’s been for restaurant owners, they’ve felt plenty of support from residents of the area that’s still recovering from 2020’s ruinous fires. Read what they told Jessica M. Pasko.

➤ RELATED: What goes into clearing a landslide? On Highway 9, it’s a lot of hours, people and uncertainty

The California Coastal Commission: It’s critically important, but it increasingly overreaches

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

The California Coastal Commission keeps our beaches and scenic views accessible to all, and that is a good thing, writes Lookout political columnist Mike Rotkin, who fought to pass the 1976 Coastal Act that followed the commission’s establishment. But Rotkin does wonder why the commission is weighing in on so many recent issues in Santa Cruz — from hotels to oversized vehicle parking — and suggests commissioners might be setting rules in Santa Cruz that don’t apply to other communities, including Carmel and Monterey. Read his latest column here.

➤ MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD: Submit a letter to the editor and read what Santa Cruzans are saying about local issues

A balanced news diet for your Tuesday morning. Lookout will of course be following the latest storm; also coming later is our latest food and drink newsletter (of which you’ve already gotten a taste above) — and you can sign up for breaking news email and text alerts and all of Lookout’s newsletters by clicking right here. We’re also out there on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram — give us a follow to keep up with what’s going on around Santa Cruz County.

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

Take it slow and stay safe if you must venture out — let’s meet back here Wednesday.

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz