Hi there, folks. It is Tuesday, April 21, and Santa Cruz County will continue to be dodging raindrops through the day and into the evening, with thunderstorms possible as temperatures linger in the upper 50s and low 60s.
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We’ve got plenty of local Election 2026 coverage – all free – this Tuesday, and Tania Ortiz starts it off with a look at Elias Gonzales’ campaign for the District 4 seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. After various roles in the nonprofit sector, Gonzales, 48, said he was approached by several community members with the idea of running to represent most of the Pajaro Valley, Watsonville and Interlaken.
Max Chun has the first in our series on the candidates vying to replace Fred Keeley as mayor of Santa Cruz, hearing from Joy Schendledecker about why she’s back in electoral politics. “I think it’s important to me for the community to have choices and public conversations about the issues, and for me to be able to raise things that people may or may not be thinking about,” she said. “And there shouldn’t be any coronations.”
Hillary Ojeda profiles the pair of attorneys on the ballot for an open seat on the Santa Cruz County Superior Court. Immigration attorney Alisa Thomas and criminal defense attorney Bryan Hackett share a commitment to impartiality but differ in professional experience and their views on diversion.
Pajaro Valley farmland is awash in plastics, former farmworker, teacher and local activist Woody Rehanek writes in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section. He traces how modern agriculture fuels a growing tide of local pollution and then points to a different future, one rooted in soil health, organic practices and change underway at a few forward-looking companies.
To the headlines …
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‘It’s not about us versus them’: Supervisor candidate Elias Gonzales wants to build long-lasting relationships to create change in South County
District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor candidate Elias Gonzales spoke with Lookout about his campaign and how he’ll approach issues including affordability, immigration and battery storage. Read more here from Tania Ortiz.
➤ Para leer el artículo en español, haga clic aquí.
Joy Schendledecker, embarking on second mayoral campaign, wants voters to have robust choices at the ballot
Joy Schendledecker, having run for Santa Cruz mayor and city council in 2022 and 2024, respectively, says that the issues keep bringing her back to electoral politics. She wants voters to have a choice of candidates with diverse opinions when they cast their ballots. Read more here from Max Chun.
DAILY DIGEST
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Be safe on those wet roads, and thanks as ever for reading.
Will McCahill