With the final vote count certified on Dec. 3, Lookout’s On the Campaign Trail delivered Election 2024 results, reaction and analysis from across Santa Cruz County and beyond.
County Supervisor District 1 2024
Coverage of the race for supervisor in Santa Cruz County’s District 1, which includes Live Oak, Pleasure Point, Soquel Village, Happy Valley, Soquel San Jose Road and a large portion of the Summit area. Parts of the cities of Capitola and Santa Cruz are included as well.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz County voters feel good about our government – that is the lesson I take from March 5 elections
Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin sees a clear message from Santa Cruz County voters: They are not looking for big change. The top vote-getters among county supervisor candidates all have government experience – or endorsements from those in power. One change Rotkin is celebrating, however, is electing at least one woman – and quite likely two – to the board of supervisors in November.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
District 1 county supervisor: Koenig holds off Faulkner’s challenge, earns second term
Incumbent Manu Koenig has defeated challenger Lani Faulkner to secure a second term on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
The underwhelm of two-person primaries and other takeaways from Santa Cruz County’s election season
Election season, when Santa Cruz County decides which direction it wishes to take, poses many questions and provides many answers. The March 5 primary was no different.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The votes are in: Santa Cruz wants growth. But why does it now take so long to count ballots?
Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin weighs in on what the early election results say about Santa Cruz County. For him, one message is clear: “Don’t do anything that stands in the way of constructing more housing in Santa Cruz.” He also looks at why it’s taking so long to get full results.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Electoral limbo is exactly where Santa Cruz County officials and candidates expected to be
Until Friday, when the county clerk expects to add another 10,000 to 15,000 votes to the countywide tally, no race in Santa Cruz County is safe enough to call.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Labor’s big blitz leads third-party spending in Santa Cruz County races
Service Employees International Union Local 521 has spent big in Santa Cruz County supervisor and Santa Cruz City Council races this cycle. Santa Cruz Together and the owner of a local pedicab also jumped into independently advertising local candidates ahead of Tuesday’s primary election.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Where is the money coming from in Santa Cruz County supervisor races?
Across three races for seats on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, money has been flowing from all over the county and even beyond its borders.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Lani Faulkner is a needed voice of change
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident outlines why he would like to see Lani Faulkner replace Manu Koenig on the county board of supervisors.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letters to the editor: Manu Koenig has always responded to me
After reading and hearing some of the rhetoric surrounding Manu Koenig at the Feb. 5 Lookout election forum, I felt the need to share my experiences as not only a District 1 resident, but as a community member who has reached out to the district supervisor’s office a number of times. Prior to knowing too […]