The council chambers in Santa Cruz City Hall has been the scene of countless heated political battles, and at least one melee.
In November, 2021, more than 2,000 people gathered in the bucolic Silicon Valley suburb of Los Gatos for what was called the United Against Hate March. They did so in part because the town's mayor and elected council had been subjected to a slew of attacks in the wake of vaccination mandates and policies promoting diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI). Similar incidents had already happened during public meetings throughout the state and nation, and they have continued ever since. And last Jauary, my friend Fred Keeley, mayor of Santa Cruz, received a death threat following a contentions city council meeting during which protesters stormed the council dais and broke windows in the chambers.
Last month, the Los Gatos town council voted unanimously to cancel its November election because nobody filed to run against the incumbents for two seats that would have been in contention. We've noticed that the same thing has happened in multiple towns and cities throughout Northern California. In this week's edition of The Newsletter, Chris Neklason examines the trend and posits some reasons people might find running for a public office or advisory board—an admitedly serious conmmitment to civic duty—increasingly daunting.
But first, Chris talks with Ryan Coonerty, a former veteran Santa Cruz elected official and, not incidentally, co-host of the podcast "An Honorable Profession," which is about (you guessed it) elected public service.
