Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.
At Lookout, we offer our endorsements as a way of fulfilling our overall mission: help make Santa Cruz County a better place for all who live here. That community betterment ethos drives our reporting, our company and our culture.
With our endorsements, we believe that a strong, trustworthy, independent and nonpartisan local news medium owes its community a stand-back, whole view of the candidates and measures before us. We now offer this increasing list for the Nov. 8 ballot.
Who writes endorsements? For this election cycle and time period, they are written by Jody K. Biehl, our Community Voices editor, and me, the founder of Lookout. Between us, we’ve got more than 70 years of journalism experience between us. In addition to assessing the candidates and issues through all the local reporting we read and the forums we host and attend, we interview the candidates and advocates in person, probing deeply on your behalf.
These endorsements now accompany our editorials, A Lookout View. Our philosophy on that is explained here.
In these endorsements, broadly, we look at these four criteria in making our recommendations:
- Record: particularly voting records and other decision-making history that tells how someone is likely to face upcoming issues.
- Experience: certainly elective office or political experience, but well beyond, as we look to those who bring knowledge of how effective management and change happens.
- Judgment, political skills: the softer skills that indicate how well someone might navigate getting their agenda done.
- How the candidacy (or measure) meets the moment: Politics, as is life, is much about timing. How well does a candidate or measure match with what we need now?
Agree or disagree, please participate in our democracy. Community Voices is open for your letters.
For the upcoming election, here is our list of endorsements:
➤ A Lookout View: Vote Fred Keeley for Santa Cruz mayor
➤ A Lookout View: Vote no on Measure N
➤ A Lookout View: Vote no on Measure O
➤ A Lookout View: Vote Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson for District 3 Santa Cruz County Supervisor
➤ A Lookout View: Vote yes on Measures K and L
➤ A Lookout View: Vote Gail Pellerin for Assembly District 28
➤ A Lookout View: Vote Renée Golder for Santa Cruz City Council
➤ A Lookout View: Vote Dawn Addis for Assembly District 30
