Kim De Serpa and Monica Martinez widened their fundraising advantage over Kristen Brown and Christopher Bradford, respectively, in their campaigns for the District 2 and District 5 seats on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, according to campaign finance reports that were due Thursday. In the District 2 race, De Serpa has cash on hand, while Brown reported spending slightly more money than she has brought in. In the District 5 race, Martinez has a nearly 3-to-1 fundraising advantage over Bradford.
Capitola & Soquel
Posted inCapitola & Soquel
Sarah Ryan will be Capitola’s new police chief, first woman in job
The City of Capitola announced Friday that Capt. Sarah Ryan has been appointed as the city’s new chief of police, the first woman to hold the position. She’ll take over for Andrew Dally, who is retiring, on Nov. 24.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: Gerry Jensen and Melinda Orbach for Capitola City Council
The Lookout Editorial Board endorses Gerry Jensen and Melinda Orbach for Capitola City Council. Jensen’s proven commitment to the community and Orbach’s emphasis on resiliency and city services stand out among the four candidates for two open seats.
Posted inFood & Drink
Lily Belli on Food: Focaccia fixation, Live Oak’s school farm and Chocolate’s quarter-century
Lily Belli cooks up news and notes from around Santa Cruz’s food & drink scene, including a farmers market focaccia fave, developments with Live Oak School District’s groundbreaking farm project, a Pacific Avenue celebration and an impromptu home project.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
City council, county supervisor candidates discuss roads and homelessness at Watsonville forum
Candidates for Watsonville City Council and District 2 Santa Cruz County supervisor shared their views on roads, homelessness and short-term rentals in resources for South County at a Monday night Santa Cruz Voice forum.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: Kristen Brown for District 2 county supervisor
In the race for District 2 Santa Cruz County supervisor, the Lookout Editorial Board believes that both Kristen Brown and Kim De Serpa would serve well on the county board. However, like our voters, we are forced to make a choice. In this race, we favor Kristen Brown. We believe her experience with different levels of government, her discipline and ability to command facts and a room and her deep connections to the other supervisors and local politicians make her the slightly better choice.
Posted inEducation
How will Santa Cruz County school districts be affected, if at all, if Proposition 2 passes?
If approved by California voters, Proposition 2 would allow the state to borrow $10 billion to help schools and colleges to fund repairs and construction. Santa Cruz County superintendents talked to Lookout about what they can expect for their districts.
Posted inHousing & Development
Fate of Silver Spur discussed at community meeting
Lori Greymont, owner of the property where the Silver Spur restaurant sits, met with community members on Thursday to outline her plan to build a 90-unit assisted living/memory care facility on the site. The meeting was mostly civil, but many in the crowd were skeptical of the plan and its effect on traffic, parking and infrastructure in the neighborhood.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County fire district measures seek to secure much-needed funding
Three Santa Cruz County fire protection districts — Central Fire, Scotts Valley and Zayante — are each putting either tax or bond measures out to voters this November aimed at funding aspects of fire response, ranging from vehicle fleet updates to modernizing existing fire stations and even constructing new facilities altogether.
Posted inLatest News
Guilty plea made in fatal hit-and-run that killed Debby Towne
Nearly a year after Debra “Debby” Towne was killed in a fatal hit-and-run incident in Capitola, Soquel resident Aurora Lopez pleaded guilty. Towne’s daughter, Adrienne West, told Lookout this past year has been very challenging and that the maximum sentence of four years for Lopez doesn’t feel like enough to her.
