Santa Cruz County Elections & Politics Digest

Should California hold a special election to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy, instead of having Gov. Gavin Newsom appoint someone to fill the seat? Some states that choice to voters and a California congressman is pushing to have all states proceed that way.

Santa Cruz County's newest judge was ceremonially sworn in to office as family, friends and professional peers filling three courtrooms shared her celebration.

California's Senate Judiciary Committee has voted in favor of legislation to outlaw caste discrimination statewide. If this law passes, California will become the first state in the nation to add caste to its anti-discrimination laws.

California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis became the first candidate to enter the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom as the state’s leader.

Nearly 800 ballots soon will begin showing up in the mailboxes of Happy Valley property owners in early June.

While a three-way battle to succeed U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein plays out, her recent absence from the Senate has renewed calls for her to resign and let Gov. Gavin Newsom name a successor.

Accelerated by the COVID pandemic, a shift by state officials toward emails and written statements is making it more difficult for journalists to be watchdogs for Californians.

Gov. Gavin Newsom transferred $10 million of his state campaign funds to a new PAC that he said will boost Democrats and push back on Republican leaders who “ban books,” “kidnap migrants” and “stoke racism” before the 2024 election.

Santa Cruz County supervisors voted to appoint Andy Schiffrin temporarily to the county planning commission after previously blocking his nomination by Justin Cummings.

State Sen. John Laird will seek reelection in 2024, which would be his finale before he terms out as a state legislator. Laird agreed to hop on the phone for a Q&A a day after announcing his plan to run.

After a unanimous selection by the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees during a meeting that lasted nearly four hours, Martha Victoria Vega was sworn to the Area 5 seat.

Southern California could reassert itself as the political epicenter after Senator Dianne Feinstein retires. The congressional candidates vying to succeed her in 2024, and the vacancies their campaigns have created, provide opportunities for officeholders who are younger and more liberal.

November 2024 is still a ways out, but a list of names of potential candidates among the three supervisor seats up for election in Santa Cruz County has already begun to emerge.

Says Laird, who was first elected to the state Senate in 2020, “It has been an amazingly successful couple of years so far.”

Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Chair Zach Friend and Supervisors Manu Koenig and Bruce McPherson denied Justin Cummings’ appointee.

The race to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein is shaping up to be a close contest between two congressional colleagues who have built national profiles but appeal to different generations of Democratic voters.

Martha Vega, Rebecca Garcia and Manuel Bersamin are in the running to represent Watsonville on Cabrillo College’s governing board, a seat vacated when Felipe Hernandez was elected District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee filed federal paperwork to enter the race for the held by long-serving Sen. Dianne Feinstein, joining a field that already includes two other House members.

All three candidates will be interviewed Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. in the Cabrillo College Watsonville Center. The meeting is open to the public.

The state will attempt to enshrine marriage equality in the state constitution.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced Feb. 14 that she will not run for her Senate seat in 2024, a major moment given that the fight to succeed her is already under way. She says she intends to accomplish “as much for California as I can” until her term ends.

Branciforte Fire Protection District leaders are expected to vote Feb. 16 on giving a final green light to a special tax benefit district ballot election.

Susan Bushnell was in a hurry when a man approached her outside a Walmart one afternoon last September.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed Democratic Rep. Adam B. Schiff's bid for the U.S. Senate, as long as incumbent Dianne Feinstein doesn't seek reelection.

Marilyn Liddicoat, former Santa Cruz County supervisor and staunch conservative who was among the first women lawyers in county history, died at her home in Corralitos late last month.

Just weeks after historic wage gains in new labor contracts, the question of how to pay for them is roiling UC campuses as they consider cutbacks in grad student admissions.

The Santa Cruz City Council changed the way that it appoints citizen commissioners before then nominating and appointing members to seven advisory bodies.

The replacement will be selected by the Board of Trustees at its Feb. 27 special meeting and the provisional appointee will serve until 2024.

Following a unanimous vote, the 2nd District supervisor became the new board chair. Supervisor Justin Cummings will serve as vice chair.

Measure Q would have helped fund solutions to early childcare, but it failed. Supporters regroup, while opponents reiterate that the bill was too vague.

With the passage of Measure E, the city of Santa Cruz was divided into six council districts with a mayor directly elected every four years. This story is part of the Sentinel's Newsmaker 2022 Year In Review series.

After a years-long, grassroots effort, Measure O was defeated in the polls. This story is part of the Sentinel's Newsmaker 2022 Year In Review series.