Santa Cruz County Local News: Elections & Politics

When Monica Martinez is sworn in to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in January, she will be one of two women to take seats on the dais in more than a decade.

When Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s newly elected governing members are sworn in Dec. 18, the board will have a drastically different look with at least two new members—and possibly four—if recently released election results hold.

Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide is the most comprehensive guide to candidates and ballot measures in Santa Cruz County.
The guide provides in-depth and nonpartisan information to help voters understand candidates’ positions on the issues. It also explains 17 ballot measures across the county.

Some of you may have heard: We're having an election next week. And while there's, rightly, lots of focus on the various candidates and the measures that voters will weigh in on in only a few days, there is not as much attention on how elections are actually run.

Unlike some of its neighbor municipalities on the Silicon Valley side of the hill, like Monte Sereno and Los Gatos—which canceled their council elections when no more hopefuls put their name in the ring than the number of seats available—Scotts Valley has seen an incredible burst of enthusiasm this year, as seven people vie for three seats (with Councilmember Donna Lind the only incumbent).

There are three Scotts Valley City Council seats up for grabs this election, and Donna Lind, a retired Scotts Valley Police Department sergeant, is the only sitting member seeking another term. She’s formed a slate with food industry salesman Corky Roberson and retired Santa Cruz Police Department deputy chief Steve Clark, in hopes of edging out nurse Krista Jett, IT contractor John Lewis, UCSC student Dustin Lopez and mobile app founder Mercedes Molloy.

In this engaging interview, Kristen Brown, the current mayor of Capitola and candidate for Santa Cruz County Supervisor (District 2), discusses the final stretch of her campaign with host Bodie Shargel.

Campaign filings Thursday offered a peek at the money trail behind some measures and candidates in the Nov. 5 election in Santa Cruz County.

With mail-in ballots already sent out by the Santa Cruz County Clerk, early voting for the Nov. 5 election has begun. Included in the mail-in voting kits are a sample ballot, an official ballot and a voter guide. There are 22 ballot drop box locations across the county where you can leave your ballot if you don’t want to mail it.