Santa Cruz County Elections Heating Up
Key Questions
When is the primary election for Santa Cruz mayor and county supervisors?
The June 2 primary includes races for Santa Cruz mayor and Board of Supervisors districts 4 and 6. Forums and videos leading up to the election focus on housing, development, and homelessness issues. Final campaign disclosures for the District 4 race are now available.
Who is leading in fundraising for the Santa Cruz mayoral race?
Ryan Coonerty leads with $67,000 raised and has ties to developers, according to a Good Times profile. The other candidates, including Greensite, Krohn, and Chen Mills, have raised significantly less. An endorsement letter highlights Coonerty's role with the Warriors organization.
What are the main issues dividing candidates in the Santa Cruz elections?
Housing development, homelessness policies, and enforcement approaches are key divides highlighted in forums and candidate profiles. Candidates differ on forced treatment, shelter expansion, and enforcement amid declining funding and cuts to Housing Matters. Mayoral candidates' specific stances on housing are detailed in recent coverage.
What criticism has been raised about the mayoral race strategy?
An op-ed by Mark Stephens alleges that four challengers are coordinating to force a runoff against the leading candidate. Two letters to the editor defend the five-candidate field as beneficial for democracy and offering voter choice rather than obstruction.
Who are the candidates in the District 4 Board of Supervisors race?
The District 4 race features Hernandez running against Nuñez, Schendledecker, and Gonzales. Final campaign disclosures for these candidates were recently filed before the June 2 primary.
What happened at the student-led mayoral forum?
The 3DE Club hosted the first-ever Next Wave Mayoral Forum on a Saturday morning, marking a landmark in Santa Cruz civic history. It showcased strong youth engagement and community partnership among participants.
Where can voters use VoteMobile pop-up sites in Santa Cruz County?
VoteMobile pop-up voting sites will be available May 30–31 for last-minute ballot drop-off and same-day registration. These sites support residents needing convenient access before the June 2 primary.
What topics were covered in recent articles about Santa Cruz mayoral candidates?
Coverage includes candidates' positions on housing development and homelessness approaches ranging from treatment to enforcement. Additional pieces address criteria for evaluating candidates and letters debating the large candidate pool's impact on the race.
June 2 BOS/city primaries forums and videos highlight housing/dev/homeless divides. Good Times profile shows Coonerty leads fundraising ($67k) with developer ties; Greensite, Krohn, Chen Mills raise far less. Op-ed by Mark Stephens critiques mayoral race dynamics, alleging coordinated strategy by four challengers to force runoff. Two recent letters defend the large candidate pool as healthy democracy; another letter endorses Coonerty citing Warriors role. D4 BOS race: Hernandez vs Nuñez/Schendledecker/Gonzales; D6 Golder vs Noack. Final campaign disclosures for D4 now available. Mayoral candidates' housing stances detailed. A new article details candidates' homelessness stances across forced treatment, shelter, and enforcement spectrum, with context of declining funding and Housing Matters cuts. A student-led mayoral forum showcased youth engagement and community partnership. Catalyst anti-dev; FPPC enforcement; surveys; BOS Jun2 Tue 5:30pm. VoteMobile pop-up voting sites May 30-31 for last-minute ballot drop-off and same-day registration.