About three years after he wrapped up his second term as District 3 county supervisor, longtime Santa Cruz politico Ryan Coonerty returns to electoral politics with a run for Santa Cruz mayor in 2026. He previously held the mayor position in 2008 and 2011, when it was a ministerial, rotating term among city councilmembers.
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Posted inBusiness & Technology
Watsonville hires ‘matchmaker’ to spur economic development
Watsonville is working with an Alabama-based retail consultant to bring national retailers and restaurants to spur economic development in the city and provide local shopping options for residents.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Watsonville airport braces for crowds flying in for Super Bowl weekend
Watsonville Municipal Airport is welcoming tourists from all over the country as they arrive in the region to watch Super Bowl LX this weekend. Watsonville is one of 16 regional airports selected by the FAA to help support the increase in air travel for the big game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Posted inLatest News
‘Stand in solidarity’: Moms in Aptos, nurses at Dominican join ranks of county demonstrators
Dozens of mothers with young children marched in Aptos on Friday, while about 80 nurses and supporters rallied outside Dominican Hospital in Live Oak as part of anti-ICE protests across Santa Cruz County. Organizers and participants said they took to the streets to stand in solidarity with immigrants and denounce what they described as cruelty and fear caused by federal immigration enforcement.
Posted inLatest News
More than 1,000 students throng downtown Santa Cruz in anti-ICE protest
More than 1,000 students from local schools staged a walkout and marched through downtown Santa Cruz on Friday to protest against ICE and Trump administration policies before settling in outside the county courthouse.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Panetta, local officials and nonprofit leaders working together to protect county residents from immigration enforcement impacts
Local government officials, nonprofit leaders and U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta say they are working together to protect Santa Cruz County’s most vulnerable residents from the impacts of immigration enforcement amid federal agents’ intensifying enforcement in Minnesota.
Posted inLatest News
Watsonville Community Hospital nurses hold vigil to honor life of nurse killed by federal agents in Minneapolis
Nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital gathered Wednesday evening to remember the life of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse who was killed by federal immigration agents Saturday in Minneapolis.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County supervisors prepare for possible immigration enforcement actions with subcommittee
Santa Cruz County elected officials are creating a subcommittee, led by Supervisors Monica Martinez and Felipe Hernandez, to prepare for the possible impacts of immigration enforcement on county residents.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Longtime community advocate Elias Gonzales announces bid for District 4 supervisor seat
Elias Gonzales, a Watsonville native and nonprofit leader, is running for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors’ 4th District seat. He will face incumbent Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, who is finishing out his first term on the board.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Federal land in Santa Cruz County safe from drilling under new BLM proposal, but environmentalists remain wary of oil and gas development
With a federal plan updating oil and gas drilling rules on Central Coast public lands now open for public comment, attention in Santa Cruz County has turned to whether any local federal lands could be vulnerable to drilling.