Tony Nuñez, a longtime community leader and former journalist, is running for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors 4th District seat. Nuñez is the current board chair of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, which operates Watsonville Community Hospital, and works for nonprofit Community Bridges.
Local elections
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Ryan Coonerty announces run for Santa Cruz mayor, reentering electoral politics
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.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Election 2025: Measure C widens victory with Friday results
Measure C has solidified its lead in Santa Cruz’s competing affordable housing ballot measures, earning 54% of the city’s vote compared to just 12% for Measure B. The measure, expected to raise $4.5 million annually through new property taxes, continues to gain ground as officials tally the remaining 8% of county ballots.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County special election 2025: Measure C declares victory
Read the latest updates from the 2025 special election and see the results for Measures B and C in the city of Santa Cruz and California Proposition 50.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz County seeks community input on voting and election services
Santa Cruz County is inviting residents to attend a series of upcoming community meetings to share feedback on local voting preferences and help improve election services.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Zach Friend won’t seek fourth term as supervisor, ushering in a new era for Santa Cruz County politics
District 2 Supervisor Zach Friend’s decision to not seek a fourth term means a new chapter for the five-member Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, after four multiterm supervisors have retired or announced plans to retire over the past year.
Posted inK-12 Education
Lookout Update: At swearing-in of retired-then-reelected Soquel school board trustee, parents speak out
Following a campaign that saw Soquel Union Elementary School District Area 4 trustee Phil Rodriguez retire, then be reelected, a group of parents and teachers weighed in Wednesday night over moves his detractors call “premeditated.”
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The election is over: Let’s put differences behind us and work together
Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson narrowly lost the race for District 3 Santa Cruz County Supervisor and is still reeling from the negativity and personal attacks that characterized the November contest. But, she insists, it’s time to put the hurt behind and do the work she cares about most: making our community better. Here, she outlines some of what’s needed from our public servants as she prepares for another year on the Santa Cruz City Council.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz, how did your neighborhood vote in these three 2022 races?
Precinct-level data reveals the disparities and similarities among the voting preferences of Santa Cruz neighborhoods on Measure N and Measure O and in the race for 3rd District county supervisor between Justin Cummings and Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A progressive won the District 3 supervisor race after trailing for nearly two weeks. How?
Justin Cummings trailed Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson by nearly 5 percentage points after Election Day. More than a week later, he pulled ahead, giving credence to the local axiom that Santa Cruz progressives just vote later.