Sunday Reads: Santa Cruz’s deepening blue and Coonerty on compromise

Quick Take:

Honoring and remembering members of Santa Cruz County who have passed away.

How blue is Santa Cruz? Republicans in Santa Cruz County certainly look like a permanent minority

Signs touting Democratic candidates abounded ahead of Election Day in blue Santa Cruz.

For local Republicans, blue is the color of ice, and they’re trapped in a deep freeze. But, Wallace Baine wonders, is the gradual but inexorable phenomenon of Americans clustering geographically to reflect their political orientations really good for Santa Cruz County? Good for America? Read his Sunday column here.

Housing Matters PROMOTED CONTENT ROADBLOCK (Strength in numbers: How data is helping solve homelessness)

Hey Santa Cruz, let’s take a break from writing political measures and jump into each others’ bathtubs

A collage of yard signs for Measures N, O and D

Recent ballot measures have pitted neighbor against Santa Cruz neighbor with totally unnecessary political vitriol and expense, former mayor and outgoing county supervisor Ryan Coonerty writes. It’s no fun to take a metaphorical bath with people you disagree with, but it’s an absolutely necessary, perspective-broadening step that leads to greater understanding on all sides. Here is his Community Voices op-ed.

➤ ELECTION 2022: Vote tallies for all 40 Santa Cruz County races, broken down (Lookout)

Unsung Santa Cruz: Nominate a community member who is doing great things

IRVINE, CA -- WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2020: Jose Secundino, center in blue sweatshirt, joins fellow recently hired Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County temporary employees, who have been laid off from restaurant jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, as they pack boxes of food for the needy. Volunteers then picked up the food and delivered it to local senior centers in Orange County. Photo taken at Second Harvest Food Bank at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, CA, on April 1, 2020. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) — Jose Secundino, blue sweatshirt, and other Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County temporary employees prepare boxes for the needy. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

For the second year, Lookout is working to highlight regular folks who are working hard behind the scenes to make Santa Cruz County a great place to live. Is there a friend or neighbor you believe are doing good work in the community? Click here to nominate them.

➤ UNSUNG SANTA CRUZ 2021: Lookout highlights regular folks doing great things