Santa Cruz County Local News: Elections & Politics

With more than 132,000 ballots processed and an estimated 2,980 ballots to go as of Friday, Santa Cruz County election officials started to wind down their work. Official results are due by Dec. 6.
Several themes emerged from the candidates who appeared likely to win their races.

Kim De Serpa has held her seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees for more than a decade. In her full-time professional life she serves as social services manager for Salinas valley Memorial Healthcare System.

After first-place finisher Donna Lind, the incumbent for Scotts Valley City Council, local voters selected Steve Clark—a retired law enforcer, known for volunteering around town—and Krista Jett—a relatively-young nurse, who’s also a mother—for the dias.

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).