Morning Lookout: Salmon cancellation fallout, country star’s homecoming & public restroom push

Good morning, friends and neighbors. It is Tuesday, April 11, and Santa Cruz County has a partly cloudy day on tap, with highs in the upper 50s and low 60s.

Plenty to explore on Lookout, so if you’re more into flying solo than the guided tour, head this way.
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The cancellation of the 2023 salmon season is a blow to locals who make their living in pursuit of the prized fish, Jessica M. Pasko reports. “I have some money saved and I can go do some tuna fishing, but not everyone can do that,” one veteran tells her. “It’s a really tough situation for commercial fishermen in California.”

It’ll be a happier scene Friday at the Catalyst when Son of the San Lorenzo Jesse Daniel returns for a homecoming show. His new album, “My Kind of Country Live At the Catalyst,” is getting national love, Mat Weir writes, quite the trajectory for a career almost derailed by opioid addiction.

In our Community Voices opinion section, meanwhile, Ryan Hoffman shares some love for his Live Oak neighbors and invites us all to drop by the heart of the county Sunday for a fundraising fun run.

And in case you missed it Monday, be sure to check out the latest edition of In the Public Interest, Christopher Neely’s newsletter exploring the realm of Santa Cruz County politics and policy. This week, he digs into a request from county supervisors to local businesses to make their restrooms available to all members of the public and not just customers.

OK, about those headlines ...

‘Disaster of a season for us’: Cancellation ripples through California salmon fishery

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Citing record-low stock of the fish prized by commercial and recreational interests alike, a federal commission moved last week to cancel the 2023 salmon season, which had been set to open in May and run into the fall. “It’s a really tough situation for commercial fishermen in California,” said one industry veteran from Ben Lomond. Jessica M. Pasko has details.

➤ FROM DECEMBER: Delayed crab season weighs heavily on Central Coast fishermen

Son of the San Lorenzo: Rising country music star Jesse Daniel returns to the Catalyst

(Via Lyza Renee Photography @lyzarenee00)

Ben Lomond native turned Texan transplant Jesse Daniel plays a homecoming show Friday in support of his new live album, “My Kind of Country Live At the Catalyst,” recorded at the downtown Santa Cruz music venue last year. The album has drawn praise from Rolling Stone and Billboard. It’s an amazing trajectory for Daniel, whose career almost never happened because of an opioid addiction. Read more from Mat Weir.

➤ DOWN THE LINE: Check out Wallace Baine’s expertly curated list of all the big events coming to Santa Cruz County

A busy start to our Tuesday, for sure. You’ve already had a taste of Jessica M. Pasko’s food and drink coverage, and there’s more of that coming later in newsletter form. Sign up for that and all of of our newsletters, plus breaking news alerts, by clicking right here. And of course, following Lookout on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will also help you stay current with goings-on around Santa Cruz County.

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May your Tuesday be a good one, and let’s meet back here Wednesday.

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz