Santa Cruz County Elections & Politics Digest

Kern County agrees to better protect free speech in a deal with the state Justice Department—inspired by the county’s’ 2020 squashing of COVID contracts to organizations that advocated defunding police.

The Monterey Bay region, which includes Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, is undergoing a major demographic shift with a younger generation that is more diverse, according to Chris Benner, director of the Institute for Social Transformation at UC Santa Cruz.

At age 73, Fred Keeley is wrapping up the first year of what will likely be the final chapter in his nearly 30-year public service career. As Santa Cruz’s first directly elected mayor, he has worked to set the tone for what it means to have a full-time leader.

A California icon dies, the A’s sign a deal to leave, and the drought is washed away.

California fast-food workers will earn a $20 minimum wage in April. Other employers might have to raise their pay floor to recruit and retain staff.

Things are heating up as candidates eye three seats on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. Farm owner and U.S. Air Force veteran David Schwartz hopes to represent the 2nd District, running from Aptos to the Pajaro River basin.

All but two California counties are delaying their implementation of a new law that makes it easier for a court to place someone in involuntary confinement if they can’t care for their own medical needs or personal safety.

Gov. Gavin Newsom defended his work and that of current or former California leaders like Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris during an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Newsom suggested conservatives focus unduly on California's failures.

For only the second time in Watsonville’s history, the City Council will be led by two women, and for the first time by two millennial Latina women: Vanessa Quiroz-Carter, 37, and Maria Orozco, 35.

A line of about 150 residents wrapped around Santa Cruz City Hall, as community members came out in force to urge the City Council to pass a resolution calling for a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

A group called Affordable Housing Advocates Santa Cruz has emerged to counter the ballot measure known as the Housing for People Citizen Initiative, which qualified at the end of November to be placed on the city of Santa Cruz March 2024 ballot.

A large gathering of protesters sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian people is expected outside a fundraiser Dec. 8 in Westwood for President Biden. Police have warned that any violence won’t be tolerated.

Hunter Biden, a Malibu resident, is facing nine tax-related charges between the years of 2016 and 2019. It is the second criminal indictment for the son of President Biden, aside from a pending firearms case.

With nine months’ experience in the Assembly, Liz Ortega will lead the Labor committee after a strike-filled summer and several wins for low-wage workers.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles changed its voter registration process in 2019 to put a party selection dropdown on the same page. Since then, the number of people registering as Republicans or Democrats has jumped close to 20 points.

Forty-eight of California’s 52 members of the House of Representatives voted in favor of expelling George Santos. Of the other four members, all Republicans, Kevin McCarthy didn’t vote while three opposed Santos’ expulsion.

The Nov. 30 debate between governors Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis could be a win-win for both. DeSantis’s flagging presidential campaign could get a boost, while Newsom could increase his standing in Democratic circles.

Political wonks in California, Florida and maybe a few states in between, will be glued to their screens Thursday night to watch Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Ron Desantis square off in a highly-anticipated Blue vs. Red State debate that’s been brewing since the summer.

Tesidents of the Pajaro Valley may face one more decision on their March primary ballots: whether or not to approve about $105 million for projects at Watsonville Community Hospital.

Rep. David Valadao, a Republican, had his district office in Hanford vandalized. Fliers were plastered on the doors of his office with pictures of children and the words “Murdered by Israel.”

With the help of polling professionals, Capitola leaders are ready to see how much of an appetite local residents have for a pair of potential revenue measures that could appear on next year’s ballot.

Rep. Anna Eshoo, who has served in Congress more than 30 years and represents Silicon Valley, announced that she will not seek reelection and is retiring. Eshoo, a Democrat who turns 81 on Dec. 13, said in a video that her heart is filled with gratitude.

The San Lorenzo Valley Water District has been reckoning with the departures of two longtime senior staffers. Director of Finance Kendra Reed and District Manager/General Manager Rick Rogers both moved on from their roles due, in part, to interactions with Bob Fultz, a board member since 2018.

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger met Nov. 17 with Sacramento press corps members. He ruled out a U.S. Senate bid, saying the only thing he was interested in running for was president, while acknowledging he can’t do this because he was born in Austria.

Two members of the Sunol Glen Unified School District board have been served with recall notices. This came after the board approved a resolution that banned schools in the Alameda County district from flying the LGBTQ+ pride flag.

During a trip to San Francisco, President Biden said that California’s governor “could have the job I’m looking for.” The remarks have fueled speculation about whether Newsom might step in to run instead of Biden in 2024.

Ana de Alba, a first-generation Mexican-American who is the daughter of farmworkers, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Alba was confirmed by a 48-43 vote.

Lacking power at the state level, conservatives are leaning into local governance to protest California’s progressive politics. The fight in Huntington Beach could be a harbinger of what’s to come.

No contenders have filed to run against four sitting judges whose terms expire in 2024. The incumbents are Syda Cogliati, Jordan Sheinbaum, Katherine Hansen, and Leila Sayar—three of whom were appointed to their current terms.

Longtime Rep. Barbara Lee trails fellow representative Katie Porter and former Rep. Adam Schiff in their race for U.S. Senate. Lee still expressed determination to not seek a 14th term in the House, saying she’s running for Senate.

With a razor-thin deficit, Scotts Valley Fire Protection District’s bond measure remained in limbo after preliminary election results were tallied.

Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by nearly 30 points in California in the 2020 U.S. presidential race. A recent poll shows Biden now has just a 15-point lead in the Golden State over Trump, which might hint at a close national race next year.