Morning Lookout: Cabrillo renaming shortlist, UCSC grads’ bumpy road & much-needed conversations

What’s happening, Lookout fam? It’s Thursday, June 15, and Santa Cruz County is looking at a familiar weather pattern: morning clouds, sunnier later, highs in the 60s and 70s.

It’s a busy morning around Lookout, and if you’re too busy for the tour, here’s a shortcut to it all.
JUMP TO ... Latest News | Opinion | Events | Guides | Puzzles | Obituaries

We got a look Wednesday evening at the shortlist of possible new names for Cabrillo College, and Hillary Ojeda was on hand, reporting on both the names and what’s behind them and reaction from the community.

Elsewhere on the local higher education scene, Naomi Friedland talked to soon-to-be UC Santa Cruz grads about what’s been a tumultuous four years. The pandemic, storms, strikes, power outages and more have made for an unusual college experience, to say the least, but it’s an experience that’s transformed them all the same.

And in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, Buddhist teacher Tenzin Chogkyi previews the return of a gathering that allows Santa Cruzans of disparate backgrounds to engage in conversations about identity — something she says is more important than ever with hate crimes and intolerance in the headlines locally and nationwide.

Without further delay, to the Thursday headlines ...

Aptos, Cajastaca, Costa Vista, Seacliff, Santa Cruz Coast: Cabrillo College’s potential new names spark debate

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Community members weighed in Wednesday in person after Cabrillo College unveiled its renaming shortlist as it aims to move on from its association with explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. There will be two more in-person forums and two online meetings, plus an online survey, for those looking to make their voices heard. Hillary Ojeda has the story.

➤ MORE FROM WEDNESDAY: Cabrillo College unveils shortlist of potential new names

UCSC Class of ’23: Strikes, storms, pandemic made for turbulent four years, but some are grateful for the experience

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

College is often branded as a time for young adults to engage in self-discovery. While a series of campus strikes, power outages and a pandemic meant that this year’s UC Santa Cruz graduating class might not have received the romanticized ideal of college life, many say the experience was nonetheless a positive one. Here’s what Naomi Friedland found.

➤ MORE FROM CAMPUS: She studies slug sex by the seashore: UCSC researcher works to unlock secrets of banana slug sex

Upcoming events in Santa Cruz County

FRIDAY 9/29
Midtown Fridays @1111 Soquel Ave.
Food Truck Friday @Skypark
Mountain Film on Tour Santa Cruz @Rio Theatre
Roosevelt @The Catalyst

SATURDAY 9/30
Out of The Darkness Santa Cruz County Walk @Skypark
Community Crafters-Basic Earring Making Workshop @Boulder Creek Branch Library
Farm Dinner @1481 San Miguel Canyon Rd.
Big Mountain @Moe’s Alley
MaMuse, WildChoir & The Feelings Parade @Rio Theatre

SUNDAY 10/1
Halloween Pop-up Event @Little Trends
Rail & Trail Festival @Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
David Luning @Kuumbwa Jazz Center
Marc E. Bassy @The Catalyst

That should get your Thursday up and running, but don’t fret, there’s more on the way from Lookout. Wallace Baine will be along presently with Weekender, his recommendation-filled dispatch from the Santa Cruz County arts and culture scene. That will be arriving in inboxes in newsletter form later Thursday, and you can sign up for Weekender, all of our other newsletters and breaking news alerts by clicking right here. You can also keep tabs on local news and views by following on social media — Lookout is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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

Here’s to a productive Thursday, and let’s do this again Friday.

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz