Tarmo Hannula: Santa Cruz has a new mayor: Justin Cummings, 36, a Beach Flats resident was sworn in Tuesday. A biologist, he told the council that he wants to keep Santa Cruz abreast with the latest environmentally sustainable topics. Homelessness is also at the forefront of council issues, he said. Cummings replaces mayor Martina Watkins. Donna Meyers, a west side resident, is the new vice mayor.
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Commercial Dungeness crab season opened Sunday. It was delayed due to droves of passing whales be endangered by the crab pot ropes. The season will remain closed north of San Francisco to the Canadian border.
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The first day of winter is Saturday. Cold weather gripped the Central Coast over the weekend and is spilling into the week. It was 10 degrees in Lake Tahoe this morning. The next rain is on tap for late Tuesday night and into Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are expected to be mostly sunny, with some clouds. The next rain will start up Friday night, the national Weather Service said, and will spread over the weekend.
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Raiders fans bid farewell to “home” games at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Sunday as the team now moves to Las Vegas. In the awkward farewell game Sunday, the Raiders lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-16. Rubbing salt in the wound of their unpopular departure.
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The House could vote as early as Wednesday on two articles of impeachment for President Trump, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
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Five more vehicles were hit by flying projectiles Friday between 5:25 and 5:32 p.m. on Highway 101 in Prunedale. That makes it 11 attacks since Thursday and around 62 attacks since February. No arrests have been made in the bizarre attacks that have left numerous windows broke and five people injured.
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Thieves broke into Judi Wyant’s Antiques in downtown Santa Cruz Friday morning and made off with around $100,000 worth of goods.
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At least 16 people died in a 6.9 earthquakes in the southern Philippines Sunday afternoon. The quake comes after a series of powerful quakes to hit the island nation since October and November. The previous quakes left 20 dead.
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A crew of volunteers joined workers from the Second Harvest Food Bank and Pajaro Valley Fire to help hand out tons of food to farm workers at six labor camps around the Pajaro Valley Monday. The efforts are part of the Christmas Project, which has been headed up by Gladys Anderson since 1978.
