Santa Cruz County’s primary turnout ‘very concerning’
From the driver’s seat of her car earlier this primary election cycle, Assemblymember Gail Pellerin flipped on the radio and heard what, to a former election clerk, sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard. For Pellerin, it was a noise that had, of late, become familiar.
“They were talking about how there was nothing exciting on the ballot this primary,” Pellerin said with an air of annoyance. “That was frustrating. Voting is not supposed to be a trip to Disney World. Don’t expect it to be fun and exciting, but it is your civic duty, up there with paying taxes and driving the speed limit.”
November general elections boast a much larger and more diverse turnout, but the chance to select a political party’s presidential nominee can bring out a more energized electorate during the presidential primary. However, by the time Super Tuesday approached, many analysts predicted that the inevitability of a 2020 presidential rematch would toss a wet blanket over turnout. In California, a once-in-a-generation U.S. Senate race and a confusing but hyped-up Proposition 1 couldn’t silence projections of a record-low turnout.
As of Saturday, the state had narrowly avoided setting any records, but at 33.9%, turnout remained meager. Santa Cruz County had posted a 46% turnout, outperforming all its neighboring counties and marking the fourth-highest voting rate among counties with more than 150,000 registered voters.
Over the past 12 years, Santa Cruz County has consistently set the mark for turnout among neighboring counties. Yet, Pellerin said the trend of sub-50% primary turnout was still “very concerning.”
The underwhelm of two-person primaries and other election cycle takeaways
Fewer than one ballot was cast for every two registered voters in Santa Cruz County during this latest primary cycle, which means a minority had the power to choose for the majority. So, what did that minority say, and what kind of impacts will their decisions have across the county?
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Of Note
County taps nonprofits for opioid money help: Santa Cruz County is set to receive $26 million over the next 18 years as its share of settlement funds from a national lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors. The county has so far received $3.2 million, and on Tuesday set up a two-year spending plan for the money, which must be used to help fight the local opioid epidemic. The board of supervisors approved an agreement in which the county will rely on the nonprofit Community Foundation Santa Cruz County to help find substance abuse-related projects that could use the money.
Latest appeal to Santa Cruz’s oversized vehicle ordinance denied: In February, Santa Cruz’s planning commission approved a five-year extension of the city’s long-debated oversized vehicle overnight parking ban, which was met with an appeal from nonprofit Santa Cruz Cares, the American Civil Liberties Union and Disability Rights Advocates, which say the ordinance harms the houseless population. On Tuesday, the Santa Cruz City Council denied that appeal 6-1, with Councilmember Sandy Brown dissenting. Now, the table is set for a likely appeal to the California Coastal Commission. Last year, the Coastal Commission approved a one-year pilot of the ordinance, which will expire on May 11.
The forced renewal of the Capitola Wharf continues: Last week, Capitola began dismantling the Wharf House Restaurant and Capitola Boat and Bait at the pier’s edge, iconic local businesses wiped out by the same 2023 winter storms that snapped the Capitola Wharf in two. The demolition is part of the city’s nearly $10 million effort to restore the wharf following catastrophic damage last winter.
Looking Ahead
Watsonville to decide on the future of its airport: Is the Watsonville Municipal Airport’s crosswind runway to be or not to be? That is the question before the Watsonville City Council on Tuesday, as it votes on whether to shorten one of its airport runways or begin the process of shutting it down. The latter option would eliminate existing airport safety zone restrictions on the surrounding areas and open up the ability to build hundreds of housing units and commercial developments, an attractive perk to a city that will need to build thousands more state-mandated housing units over the next eight years.
Board of supervisors, Santa Cruz and Capitola city councils off this week: The board of supervisors and the Santa Cruz City Council will return on March 26, and the Capitola City Council will next meet on March 28.
Weekly News Diet
Local: Live Oak School District Superintendent Daisy Morales has resigned amid a growing budget crisis that led to the district issuing dozens of layoff notices to teachers, school workers and administrators. My colleague Hillary Ojeda has the latest on that drama.
Golden State: The final 457 death row inmates at San Quentin prison will be moved to other state prisons by summer, an acceleration of the plan to transform the death row holding place into a Scandinavian-styled facility focused on rehabilitation, job training and education. The relocation doesn’t change the inmates’ convictions or sentences, but will rehouse them with the general populations at two dozen state prisons across California. Hannah Wiley with the Los Angeles Times has that update to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s prison plan.
National: Artificial intelligence, data centers and factories, oh my. Our digital age is powered by electricity, and as we have moved further into digitization, electricity demand has jumped. This has disrupted the country’s and the globe’s path toward reaching their climate goals. Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich with The New York Times have that story.
One Great Read
Follow the monarch butterfly on its dangerous 3,000-journey across the continent, by Michelle Nijhuis for National Geographic
The winter migration of the North American monarch butterfly is considered one of the more dangerous and trying migrations of any animal. Some populations travel up to 3,000 miles to avoid winter freezes and reproduce in warmer climates. As spring comes around, new generations of monarchs make the trip back up to their northern breeding grounds. (The eucalyptus grove at Natural Bridges State Beach offers its own wintering habitat for the species’ northwestern population.)
The monarchs have become a vulnerable species in recent years, and protecting them from extinction has required a combination of hard science and citizen science, and the coordination of thousands of monarch-loving volunteers across the continent to preserve their habitats and migratory path. In what is both a beautiful narrative and interactive story, a team at National Geographic followed the monarchs through their 3,000-mile journey and the diverse collection of people dedicated to saving them.