Santa Cruz County Elections & Politics Articles

In Hollister, a nonprofit newsroom keeps local residents apprised of momentous changes.

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees will appoint a new member to replace outgoing Trustee Kim De Serpa, rather than hold a costly special election.

With the recent election results now clear, the Encompass Community Services Board of Trustees has announced that its CEO, Monica Martinez, will be transitioning from her role at Encompass as she steps into her new position as Santa Cruz County …

The crowd attending Watsonville City Council’s meeting got a surprise Tuesday evening as Speaker of the California Assembly Robert Rivas and his entourage entered the council chambers just in time for him to swear in Kristal Salcido and Maria Orozco …

Measure M, which will raise millions of dollars for construction, rebuilding and maintenance projects at each of Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s 35 schools has passed, and officials are starting to make plans for the money.

Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra has fended off a challenge from Trina Coffman-Gomez to hold onto his Sixth District seat, garnering a weighty 54% of the 2,321 votes in the race, results released Friday showed.

SANTA CRUZ >> 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 …

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 >> 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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.
In the final week, Brown's campaign to focus on …

Measure Q asks Santa Cruz County voters whether public agencies and nonprofits including the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County should collect about $7.5 million annually for land management, cleanup and conservation projects. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local)
SANTA …

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 …

As local voters prepare to fill in their ballots for the Nov. 5 election, they are faced with a large array of candidates and local ballot initiatives that can seem daunting. We attempt to demystify the local ballot. For more …

The No on Z campaign mailed at least nine fliers to Santa Cruz voters as of Oct. 18, sent at least five people door to door and blanketed social media and TV with advertisements. (No on Z campaign)
SANTA CRUZ …