Santa Cruz County Elections & Politics Articles

Voters will help decide urban boundaries

WATSONVILLE—Two weeks into the candidate nomination period for the Nov. 8 election, several familiar names have surfaced on city and county “candidate watch” lists. This includes former mayor and councilwoman Nancy Bilicich, who on Monday pulled papers to run for …

WATSONVILLE—Five candidates have pulled papers to possibly run for Watsonville City Council in the upcoming Nov. 8 election, a key decision day that will see major turnover in South County leadership. Current Watsonville Mayor Ari Parker is running for reelection …

County sheriffs have tended to be predominantly white, male and politically conservative. But in California, those trends may be moving in the other direction, as recent elections and legislation appear to show.

Gauging the fallout from Measure F’s defeat

WATSONVILLE—When Watsonville voters head to the polls in November they will choose between two critical ballot measures concerning the future of the city. Should they extend outward growth restrictions determined 20 years ago through 2040, or determine a new, 30-year …

Would the measure generate enough money for the county to make it worthwhile?

Council questions costs of proposed tax on vacant homes

WATSONVILLE—Near the tail end of a largely uneventful first read-through of the proposed budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year on June 14, Watsonville City Council members gave themselves a nominal pay increase that sparked a discussion about how their compensation …

Hundreds of people gathered on the steps of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse on Friday evening to protest the decision made hours earlier by the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the nationwide right to abortion. “It’s appalling that people …

The links between homelessness and crime are complex, and the idea that unhoused individuals present a danger to their community seems to be exaggerated.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—As votes continue to be added to the county’s election results, the outcomes of local races and measures has remained unchanged: four Supervisor candidates are headed to a November runoff, three measures passed with a wide margin while …

Do California's election results in Los Angeles and San Francisco mean this blue state is flirting with turning red? That's what the national media is trying to say. But there's a lot more to the story.

A rainbow flag was waving above Scotts Valley City Hall by 10:15am on June 2—it marked the culmination of a year of work on a ceremonial flag policy. Still, a surprise political tactic the previous night at the council meeting …

Half of the ballots have been counted—the runoff race has begun

California mailed out more than 22 million ballots to registered voters ahead of Tuesday's primary election. But as of Friday, just 4.5 million had been counted.

Early results suggest staggering defeat for controversial ‘Greenway Initiative’

A three-way race in the 28th State Assembly district had candidates swapping places throughout election night, with Gail Pellerin rising as more precincts reported in. While Los Gatos Rob Rennie had been in second place in early results, with Republican …

Voters choose a future with trail—and rail

June is Pride Month, a time dedicated to honoring and achieving equal justice and opportunity for LGBTQ+ Americans. It is an observance of the Stonewall riots in 1969, but also a celebration, with cities across the country hosting marches, parades …