The motivations behind the two District 2 supervisor candidates
For many District 2 residents and those observing the campaigns to succeed outgoing Supervisor Zach Friend, two outcomes appeared obvious ahead of the March 5 primary. First, the election would require a November runoff. This was partially due to simple math; in a field of five, any candidate earning more than 50% of the vote and winning outright was highly unlikely. Second, though just as obvious to some, the runoff would feature Capitola Mayor Kristen Brown against Pajaro Valley Unified School District trustee Kim De Serpa.
Brown and De Serpa, the first- and second-place finishers in the March primary, now enter the final leg of more than yearlong campaigns to convince voters they should represent them on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. District 2, perhaps the most geographically diverse district, stretches from Capitola coastward to Pajaro Dunes, capturing the likes of Aptos and Rio Del Mar, as well as Corralitos, Amesti and Freedom. It’s coastal, rural, urban and agricultural, all in one. The runoff guarantees the county will elect the first woman to the board of supervisors in 16 years.
But how much do you really know about Brown and De Serpa? Over the past month, my colleague Wallace Baine and I spent time with the candidates, their histories and the people who know them while reporting a pair of deep-dive profiles that Lookout published on Sunday.
The rhetoric around this race, even since the primary, has been that District 2 is fortunate to have a choice between two capable, intelligent and well-prepared candidates. However, pair my profile on Brown with Baine’s report on De Serpa, and you will see two candidates with contrasting backgrounds, approaches and, as the runoff campaign has begun to show, policy positions on some of the hairier issues facing the county.
On Monday night, I sit down with Brown and De Serpa at Lookout’s District 2 candidate forum, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. inside Cabrillo College’s Horticulture Building. I’ll ask them about their visions for the county, parse through their platforms, and welcome questions from the audience.
The event is sold out, but if you are not joining us in person, the forum will be livestreamed on our Facebook page.
Read the Kristen Brown profile here, and the Kim De Serpa profile here.
OF NOTE
Food workers union opposes Measure Z’s sugary drink tax: The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 5 announced Monday that it opposes the city of Santa Cruz’s Measure Z, which proposes a 2-cent-per-fluid-ounce tax on distributors of certain sugar-sweetened beverages. In a media release sent out by the Campaign for an Affordable Santa Cruz — Measure Z’s opposition campaign — UFCW representative Efrain Aguilera criticized Measure Z for proposing a regressive tax that would disproportionately be paid by lower-income families. According to the Yes on Z website, while several health organizations and the Democratic Central Committee have endorsed the measure, it has not received any union support.
Measure K lawsuit headed toward settlement: Revenues from Measure K, the county sales tax increase approved by voters in March, have been held up in a lawsuit for months but now appear set for release. The county and plaintiff, Boulder Creek resident Bruce Holloway, are headed toward a settlement, according to court documents. The details of the settlement have not been published, but in a report to the county board of supervisors this week, chief executive Carlos Palacios said the lawsuit has been resolved. The supervisors will vote Tuesday on a new spending plan for the first $7.5 million in Measure K revenue, $5.5 million of which is proposed to finance the county’s contingency fund, with another $1 million each proposed for homelessness services and parks projects.
POINTS FOR PARTICIPATION
Supervisors tango with new Airbnb rules, master fire plan: Supervisors Justin Cummings and Manu Koenig are proposing to form an ad-hoc committee on revising the county’s rules on short-term rentals. The supervisors are proposing the changes in the shadow of the county’s worsening housing supply/affordability crisis. If approved, the committee would return next year with proposed changes.
The supervisors will also vote on a County Fire Master Plan, which outlines a flurry of challenges facing the county’s fire protection districts. Oddly, the master plan recommends the county draft a three-to-five-year strategic plan (plans beget plans?), as well as staff at least three stations 24/7, 365, and create a chief fire administrator position, among the many other recommendations.
Santa Cruz City Council to finalize laws on rent caps and relocation of homeless individuals: On Tuesday, the Santa Cruz City Council will take final votes on two new laws: augmenting rent control rules to include developments such as the St. George Residences, where an agreement that the building host affordable housing, dating back to the building’s construction, expires in November, and criminalizing government-sponsored relocation of houseless people into Santa Cruz without prior coordination.
Watsonville City Council looks at tiny village project in Pajaro: Monterey County’s Housing and Development team will present an update on the pending tiny village project at Tuesday’s Watsonville City Council meeting. The 34-bed shelter is intended to serve the occupants of the Pajaro River levee until June 2026 and would be built on the Westview Presbyterian Church property.
A STORY YOU MIGHT’VE MISSED
Albania plans for Vatican-styled Muslim enclave, by Andrew Higgins for The New York Times
Albania, the Balkan country that sits across the Adriatic Sea from Italy’s heel, is considering carving out five blocks in its capital, Tirana, to form a new, sovereign country. The 27-acre country would operate as a Muslim version of Rome’s Vatican, and would allow alcohol, allow women to dress freely, and “impose no lifestyle rules,” according to a new report from The New York Times.
For some, that last part might contrast to the cultural austerity of other Islamic states. That’s the point, according to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who said the idea is to promote a more tolerant version of Islam.
“An avowedly moderate Islamic microstate, the prime minister said, would send a message: ‘Do not let the stigma of Muslims define who Muslims are.’”
To finalize its countryhood, the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order would need international support, which is difficult to gauge at this early stage.