Santa Cruz County shouldn’t rely on early polls or political hype when choosing its next governor, writes Casey Beyer, former CEO for the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce. With a crowded field, volatile race dynamics and many undecided voters, front-runners might not reflect local priorities. Instead, Beyer believes our focus should be on candidates who address housing, jobs, homelessness and climate resilience. He sees Betty Yee and Matt Mahan as contenders who will be most aligned with the county’s needs, despite trailing in statewide polls.
Casey Beyer
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Who should be California’s next governor – and why Santa Cruz County should care
California’s 2026 gubernatorial election represents a potential inflection point, writes former Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce CEO Casey Beyer. Not necessarily a partisan realignment, but a structural one: a fractured Democratic field, competitive Republicans and a volatile political environment shaped by economic pressure and federal conflict.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Prop 50’s ‘Election Rigging Response Act’ asks us to fight fire with fire — but at what cost?
Proposition 50 would redraw California’s congressional map to counter Texas’ gerrymandering — aiming to flip the House of Representatives blue and block President Trump’s agenda. But, author Casey Beyer argues, it’s a symbolic gesture with little real power to change outcomes in Washington.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz cannot remain the sleepy beach town of the 1970s – the city must grow to meet the times
Casey Beyer, who in November stepped down as chief executive officer for the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, takes issue with a February opinion piece questioning the city’s downtown development plan. “Change is coming at a faster rate than ever before,” Beyer writes, because the city hasn’t grown enough and created a housing shortfall.