Incumbent Manu Koenig is facing a challenge from pro-rail Lani Faulkner in District 1, while the retirement of Zach Friend in District 2 has so far seen three candidates — Kristen Brown, Kimberly De Serpa and Douglas Deitch — file paperwork. Monica Martinez and Christopher Bradford are running to replace Bruce McPherson in District 5, with Sheriff Jim Hart still seen as a possible candidate.
In the Public Interest
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Posted inPolitics & Policy
As speedy, hefty e-bikes become ubiquitous around Santa Cruz, can regulation be far behind?
After a teenager was killed in a Southern California e-bike accident in June, a bill that would put some guardrails on ridership is moving through the State Assembly. Santa Cruz is putting the focus on education for now, but while local officials say they’re well aware of the dangers e-bikes can present, enforcement of any new rules will be a serious challenge.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County supervisors gear up to tackle housing plans, mental health courts, Pajaro River levee and CZU recovery
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors returns from its extended summer break next week. Lookout Politics and Policy correspondent Christopher Neely reached out to all five county supervisors to understand what they foresee as the priority projects and policy discussions coming before the board for the remainder of 2023.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County is graying and the impending silver tsunami has service providers worried
Santa Cruz County’s 65-84 age bracket grew by 81% between 2010 and 2020, according to Census data, and whether it’s services like health care, an aging homeless population or lonely older adults, a surge in demand is coming.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office now under oversight, but some worry it doesn’t go far enough
The new Office of Inspector General opened July 1 and promises regular, independent reporting on the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, with the ability to probe, with subpoena power, officer-involved shootings, internal affairs investigations, citizen complaints and jail conditions. The local ACLU chapter, among others, welcomes the step but would have liked to see a supervisor-appointed citizens oversight board.
Posted inLatest News
Winter’s floodwaters have receded in the Pajaro Valley, leaving behind fertile ground for lawsuits
As in the wake of flooding that hit the Pajaro Valley in 1995, an ugly and protracted litigation phase appears to be ramping up following this winter’s disaster, with residents of Watsonville among hundreds pursuing claims against a variety of local and state entities.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County leaders gather in Sacramento as Rivas sworn in as Assembly speaker after bitter battle
Robert Rivas, whose district includes stretches into Watsonville, Freedom and Corralitos, drew a powerhouse lineup to his swearing in, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, along with a host of Santa Cruz County political leaders such as District 28’s Gail Pellerin, Supervisors Bruce McPherson and Zach Friend and Sen. John Laird.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
As Santa Cruz tries bike-share again, officials foresee a smoother ride this time around
With more than 400 bikes and 800 docks up and running around Santa Cruz and the UCSC campus, and plans to expand around the county by next year, the bike-share deal with Wisconsin-based BCycle is “leaps and bounds” better than the previous arrangement with Jump that petered out in 2020.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
As Big Pharma opioid settlement cash trickles into county coffers, officials turn to community for input
The first installment of the more than $26 million Santa Cruz County is due from a national settlement is in the county’s 2023-24 budget, and residents will be surveyed on how they’d like to see it spent.
Posted inHousing & Development
Civil grand jury dings Scotts Valley, Capitola over affordable housing — and exponential increases are still ahead
By 2031, under state mandates, Capitola will need to boost its affordable housing permitting by roughly 9,000% over what it permitted between 2015 and 2022; Scotts Valley will need to permit 803 new income-restricted units, a more than 4,000% increase. That comes after both jurisdictions struggled to meet state goals from 2015 through 2022, and both come in for criticism in a recent report by Santa Cruz County’s civil grand jury.