Tony Nuñez, a longtime community leader and former journalist, has unseated incumbent Felipe Hernandez in the District 4 county supervisor race. This is the first time in recent memory that a challenger has defeated an incumbent in the primary for this race.
Election 2026: District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor
Lookout news and Community Voices opinion coverage of the contest to represent District 4, covering much of the city of Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley, on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County 2026 primary election results in charts: Final tallies for all county races
With the Santa Cruz County Clerk certifying the results of the June primary election on Friday, see how all the local races shook out in chart form.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County 2026 primary election results in charts: Final tally set for June 26
Find the results for all local races in Santa Cruz County’s 2026 primary election here. Lookout will continuously update this page as new results come in.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
District 4 county supervisor race: Nuñez maintains narrow majority; run-off still possible
Tony Nuñez continues to hold a narrow majority in the District 4 Board of Supervisors race, maintaining a lead over incumbent Felipe Hernandez, but there still is a possibility for a November run-off if Nuñez dips below 50%.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor: Tony Nuñez maintains early lead over incumbent Felipe Hernandez
Tony Nuñez takes the early lead in the District 4 Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors race over incumbent Felipe Hernandez and Elias Gonzales. The seat represents most of the Pajaro Valley, Watsonville and Interlaken.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Why did County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez take a campaign sign that wasn’t his own?
Felipe Hernandez, incumbent for the District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor seat, is facing allegations of removing one of his opponent’s campaign signs, just a week before the June 2 primary election.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
¿Por qué el supervisor del condado Felipe Hernández tomó un letrero de campaña que no era suyo?
Felipe Hernández, actual supervisor del Distrito 4 del Condado de Santa Cruz, enfrenta acusaciones de haber retirado un letrero de campaña de uno de sus oponentes, a solo una semana de las elecciones primarias del 2 de junio.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Some local candidates are running with a ‘no party preference’ designation. Why?
As the June 2 primary inches closer, voters might notice that some candidates on Santa Cruz County ballots have their affiliation listed as “no party preference.” For some, it’s because of their past professional experience, while for others, it’s to steer as clear as possible of party politics.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Candidates filed their final pre-election campaign finance disclosures before the June 2 primary. Here’s what they show.
Thursday was the deadline for candidates in the Santa Cruz mayoral and city council races, as well as the District 4 county supervisor and Superior Court judge seats, to file their final pre-election campaign finance disclosures before the June 2 primary.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: Our June 2 endorsements
The Lookout Editorial Board writes endorsements because we believe a strong, trustworthy, independent and nonpartisan local news organization owes its community a stand-back, whole view of the candidates before us, based on extensive one-on-one interviews. And, on your behalf, we look for four factors in making our recommendations: voting and other decision-making records, experience, judgment and political skills – and how the candidacy meets the moment.
