Quick Take
Get all the information you need as a Santa Cruz County voter on candidates and important dates as the June 2 primary election draws closer.
Election season has returned and Lookout is here to help you keep up with all the most important information leading up to Election Day.
In this guide, we’ll give you the rundown on everything you need to know about the upcoming elections, including candidates, important dates, logistics and more.
We will continuously update this guide to include the most recent news and information. Have a question about the election process? Let us know at elections@lookoutlocal.com.
When is the election?
The primary election is Tuesday, June 2.
What’s on the ballot?
Local races
Click here to find the candidates’ statements, contact information, and link to their websites on the county elections department. Candidate statements are linked to their names, if they have filed one.
Federal races
U.S. Representative in Congress, 18th District
Zoe Lofgren, Democratic Party, incumbent and chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation
Chris Demers, no party preference, sustainable technology director
Luis Arreguín, Democratic Party, former agricultural lab technician and current community college mathematics professor
Shane Lewis, Republican Party, engineer and former U.S. Marine
U.S. Representative in Congress, 19th District
Jimmy Panetta, Democratic Party, incumbent
Sean Dougherty, Democratic Party, software engineer
Thomas D Coxe, no party preference, contractor
Peter Coe Verbica, Republican Party, business owner and former chairman of the Santa Cruz County Republicans
Tuka Gafari, Republican Party, small business owner
Lars Mapstead, Libertarian Party, late-stage investor and tech entrepreneur
Ana Luz Acevedo-Cabrera, no party preference, nonprofit board member and Hartnell College professor
State races
Incumbent Gavin Newsom is terming out.
The governor’s race is extremely crowded, with more than 50 candidates appearing on the ballot, although some of the candidates have dropped out of the race. Click here for more from our content partners at CalMatters about the leading candidates and the others appearing on the ballot.
State Assembly, 28th District
Gail Pellerin, Democratic Party, incumbent, chair of the Select Committee on California’s Mental Health Crisis and former Santa Cruz County clerk
Carol Pefley, Republican Party, owner of real estate business Realty World Dominion
State Assembly, 29th District
Robert Rivas, Democratic Party, incumbent, speaker of the California State Assembly
JW Paine, Republican Party, teamster truck driver
Dennis P. Sanchez, Republican Party, small business owner
State Assembly, 30th District
Dawn Addis, Democratic Party, incumbent, chair of the Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health, chair of the Select Committee on Serving Students with Disabilities, and member of the Budget, Health, Business and Professions, and Insurance Standing Committees
Susannah Brown, Democratic Party, data scientist
Shannon Kessler, Republican Party, former Arroyo Grande Parks and Recreation commissioner and PTA president
Santa Cruz County races
County supervisor, 3rd District
Justin Cummings, incumbent and former Santa Cruz City councilmember and mayor. He is running unopposed.
County supervisor, 4th District
Felipe Hernandez is the incumbent and a former Watsonville city councilmember, mayor and Cabrillo College trustee.
Elias Gonzales is a longtime community advocate and the associate director of movement building for Hollister-based nonprofit Youth Alliance and a member of Santa Cruz County’s juvenile justice delinquency prevention commission.
Tony Nuñez is a former journalist and editor of The Pajaronian, board chair of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District and the communications director for nonprofit Community Bridges.
Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge
Bryan Hackett is a criminal defense attorney based in Santa Cruz County.
Alisa Thomas is an immigration attorney based in Santa Cruz County
Other county races
There are a number of unopposed races for county offices. Faris Sabbah is running unopposed for county superintendent of schools, Sheri Thomas is running unopposed for assessor-recorder, Laura Bowers is running unopposed for auditor-controller-treasurer-tax collector, and Tricia Webber is running unopposed for county clerk.
Santa Cruz city races
Incumbent Fred Keeley is not seeking reelection after serving one four-year term.
Ryan Coonerty is a longtime politico and a former Santa Cruz city councilmember, mayor and county supervisor.
Ami Chen Mills is a lecturer, educator and activist who has most recently been one of the leaders of the grassroots coalition Get The Flock Out, which opposes the use of automated-license plate readers.
Gillian Greensite is a retired UC Santa Cruz educator and an environmental activist.
Chris Krohn is a former Santa Cruz city councilmember and mayor. He was the subject of a recall in 2020, when he most recently served, and did not finish his term.
Joy Schendledecker is a shelter operations manager and former Santa Cruz City Council and mayoral candidate.
District 4 Santa Cruz city councilmember
Scott Newsome is the incumbent and a UC Santa Cruz educator.
Hector Marin is an English language development and special education aide at Harbor High School. He also ran against Newsome in 2022 and against District 2 City Councilmember Sonja Brunner in 2024.
District 6 Santa Cruz city councilmember
Renée Golder is the incumbent and the principal of Bay View Elementary School.
Gabriella Noack is a graduating UC Santa Cruz senior and member of a team developing tech education for previously incarcerated adults at Barrios Unidos.
Campaign finance
Local candidates and ballot measure committees are required to file campaign statements by certain deadlines, disclosing contributions they have received and expenditures they have made. Those reports, filed as Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Form 460s, apply to all candidates and committees that have raised or spent at least $2,000 in a calendar year.
The first filing date was Feb. 2 and covered the period beginning when the candidate or committee first began raising or spending funds through Dec. 31, 2025. The first pre-election filing date followed on April 23, and covered the period from Jan. 1 through April 18. The second pre-election filing date is on May 21, and covers the period from April 19 through May 16. There is one post-election filing date, on July 31, that covers the period from May 17 through June 30.
You may find campaign finance filings for county candidates and committees here. Click the respective links for campaign finance filings for candidates and committees in the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola, Scotts Valley and Watsonville.
When/how do I register?
You can register up to the day of the primary, June 2.
Monday, May 18, is the last day to register to vote by mail.
After May 18, you will need to complete the same-day voter registration form and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location. You will need to be prepared to vote in person. If you would like to request a vote-by-mail ballot after seven days before the election, you will need to apply in person at the county elections office.
Online
Those eligible to vote and those under the age of 18 who want to register for future elections can do so online at the California Online Voter Registration website.
To register online, you will need:
- Your California driver’s license or ID card.
- The last four digits of your Social Security number.
- Your date of birth.
Unsure if you’re already registered? You can check your registration status as well as where you’re registered and your registered party preference on California’s My Voter Status website.
By phone
You can request that a voter registration card be mailed to you by calling the Santa Cruz County Clerk/Elections office at 831-454-2060 or 866-282-5900.
In person
You can complete a voter registration card at the Santa Cruz County Elections Office located at 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, Room 310. Voter registration cards are also available at many public locations in Santa Cruz County including post offices, libraries and Department of Motor Vehicles offices, as well as many government offices.
Vote by mail
Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day, June 2, and received no later than seven days after. To ensure your ballot is postmarked by Election Day, make sure to mail it at least five days before June 2 to be counted.
Polling places
Click here to find all Santa Cruz County vote centers and drop box locations.
Accessible voting
All voting locations will be compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. Poll workers will be available to assist voters with disabilities to cast their vote using either a paper ballot or an ADA-compliant tablet.
To read about all the options that are available to make voting accessible, you can visit Santa Cruz County’s Voters With Disabilities page and learn about options for accessible voting from home.
You can also find information about voting while homeless.
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.
