Quick Take
The Democratic Central Committee could not come to a consensus on which Santa Cruz City Council and mayoral candidates to endorse, so it will not endorse anyone ahead of the June 2 primary. However, many on the campaign trail say it doesn’t make a difference to them — and might even be a good thing.
The Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee (DCC) failed to reach a consensus on which candidate to endorse in the Santa Cruz mayoral and city council races, which means that it will not endorse any candidate in the June 2 primary.
However, most candidates in the city races say they aren’t concerned about the lack of endorsement after a Tuesday forum.
Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ami Chen Mills told Lookout that she was surprised that Ryan Coonerty did not get the DCC’s endorsement, but believes that it shows that the group’s voting members could be moving further to the left.
“As far as I’m concerned, we’re trying to reflect community values, so I think it’s a good thing,” she said.
Coonerty said that while a DCC endorsement would have been nice to have, he’s most concerned with connecting with the general public.
“I’m out walking and talking to voters, and at the end of the day, that’s the endorsement that matters,” he said.
On the other hand, Joy Schendledecker, who’s also running for Santa Cruz mayor, said she wasn’t surprised at the lack of a consensus, and said it reflects the internal divisions in the Democratic Party at the local and national level. She agreed that it could be indicative of a leftward shift in the DCC.
“I think it reflects that locally, the DCC has been moving leftwards in positive ways that reflect older communities and younger people’s commitment to having a fair, democratic and equal process,” she said.
Mayoral candidate Gillian Greensite wrote in an email that a DCC endorsement would have been “very welcome,” but said that she did not think that the forum’s format, which only allowed for two-minute answers from candidates, was “an effective way to distinguish among candidates.”
In the Santa Cruz City Council District 4 race, challenger Hector Marin said he was honored to be considered for an endorsement, but added that he’ll continue seeking to connect with the public. Incumbent Scott Newsome did not return Lookout’s request for comment by publication time.
“Our focus is on District 4 residents. We will make sure that we put in the work to gain the trust and vote of our district’s residents,” said Marin.
District 6 incumbent Renee Golder said she’s glad that the DCC didn’t endorse anyone, as all of the candidates are Democrats and should be focused on collaboration.
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“At the end of the day, we should be focusing our energy and attention on what is going on at the federal level,” she said. “It seems silly to be tearing us apart when we should be working together.”
Golder’s challenger, Gabriella Noack, said that although she respects the DCC’s decision to not endorse, she does feel somewhat disappointed, saying it would have made a difference in her grassroots campaign.
“I’m doing this because of a huge generational gap between ideals of the Democratic Party and Gen Z, and I was hoping this would be a good way of passing the torch,” she said. “But it’s not the end, and whether I have an endorsement or not, I’m looking forward to working with the DCC and the people I met.”
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