Quick Take:
The Santa Cruz County Clerk’s office finished its vote count on Tuesday and certified the results of the Nov. 8 election. In total, county voters cast 106,044 ballots in this election out of 166,837 registered voters, a turnout rate of around 63.56%.
The Santa Cruz County Clerk’s office finished its vote count on Tuesday and certified the results of the Nov. 8 election.
In total, county voters cast 106,044 ballots in this election out of 166,837 registered voters, a turnout rate of around 63.56%.
Who won and who lost:
Santa Cruz County
- Justin Cummings has been elected 3rd District county supervisor, with 51% of the votes to 48% for Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson. Cummings had a 576-vote lead as of Tuesday.
- Felipe Hernandez has been elected 4th District county supervisor, with 57% of the vote to Jimmy Dutra’s 42%.
City of Santa Cruz
- Fred Keeley will become the first four-year mayor for the city of Santa Cruz, up by more than 40 percentage points over Joy Schendledecker. Keeley received around 70% of the vote.
- Scott Newsome will represent Santa Cruz City Council District 4. Newsome had garnered more than 50% of the votes in the district as of Tuesday, well ahead of runner-up Hector Marin, with 35%.
- Renée Golder, with 58% of the vote, will represent Santa Cruz City Council District 6. Challenger Sean Maxwell earned 42% of the vote.
- Measures K and L, bonds for school improvements, have both passed. K — for high schools — earned 67% of the vote. L — for elementary schools — gained 71% of the vote. Each needed 55% to pass.
- Measure N, the initiative that would have taxed “empty homes,” failed by 8 points, gaining 46% of the vote.
- The subject of so much contention — Measure O — has failed. Fewer than 41% of voters supported the measure.
- Measure P, an increase in the City of Santa Cruz transient occupancy tax, passed with 81% yes votes.
City of Watsonville
- Incumbent Ari Parker won Watsonville’s lone contested city council seat, District 7, with 54% of the vote to 45% for former council member Nancy Bilicich.
- On the Watsonville boundary measures, Measure Q — to maintain the city’s boundaries as they are — won over Measure S by double digits. (If both had passed, the one with the greater number of votes would have gone forward.) Q garnered 68% support, while S earned roughly 50% of the vote.
Soquel Creek Water District
- The slate of three incumbent Soquel Water Creek District board members — Bruce Jaffe, Rachel Lather and Carla Christensen — will continue in their jobs, having won out over challengers Kris Kirby and Corrie Kates by a wide margin.
Scotts Valley City Council
- In Scotts Valley, the slate of Derek Timm, an incumbent, and Alan Timms won two seats on council. Incumbent Jim Reed trailed Timms by nearly 6 points.
Pajaro Valley Health Care District
- Joe Gallagher (41%) and Marcus Pimentel (31%) have both won seats on the new Pajaro Valley Health Care District. Jasmine Notanee Najera came in third, with 27% of the vote.
State Assembly
- Former Santa Cruz County Clerk Pellerin, a Democrat, has been elected in District 28 over Republican opponent Liz Lawler. Pellerin earned 68% of the vote districtwide to Lawler’s 32%. Pellerin captured 79% support within Santa Cruz County.
- District 29 incumbent Democrat Rivas, who is set to become Assembly Speaker next year, earned a nearly 28-point lead over Republican Stephanie Castro. Rivas captured 64% of the districtwide vote to Castro’s 36%. That margin was even wider in Santa Cruz County, where Rivas earned 72.5%.
- Democrat Addis beat Republican Vicki Nohrden by a 24-point margin in District 30. Addis captured 62% of the overall votes counted districtwide. That margin was even wider in Santa Cruz County, where Addis earned 75% of the vote to Nohrden’s 25%.
Capitola City Council
- In the county’s closest race, incumbent Yvette Brooks secured one of three Capitola City Council seats up for grabs, with 26% of the vote. Four other candidates were vying for the two remaining seats. Alexander Pedersen garnered 18.8% of the vote, while Joe Clarke received 18.59%. Two challengers, Gerry Jensen and Enrique Dolmo Jr., finished the race not far behind. Jensen earned 18.35% and Dolmo 18.03%. Just 75 votes separate the four challengers.