It’s only the first day of spring, but make no mistake: Election season is just around the corner. Last Friday was the deadline for candidates to declare their intentions to run—unless no incumbent filed, in which case the deadline was extended to March 16. Now the roster of candidates and ballot measures is set for the June 7 primary, and county residents will have a say in more than two dozen federal, statewide and countywide races, as well as municipal contests, and elected positions in special districts.
How can one keep track of all that? A good place to start is the county elections department website: votescount.us But it’s just important to keep tabs on local news coverage. For instance, this week Santa Cruz Local asks residents about the biggest priorities in the upcoming Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors contests, in order to focus its primary election reporting on the issues that matter most.
Also on the ballot is another important issue: the Greenway Initiative. Santa Cruz County residents who vote on this ballot initiative on June 7 will effectively decide the future of rail service in the region. The Greenway Initiative removes all mention of rail planning with regard to the Santa Cruz Branch Line from the county’s general plan and calls for a wider trail to be built. California Local’s Santa Cruz Rail Trail tracker is an ever-growing repository for resource material, news articles and links to local news articles, so we encourage those interested in the issue to visit regularly to read the latest additions.
