With longtime politico Ryan Coonerty bowing out from his duties overseeing most of Santa Cruz and areas north such as Bonny Doon and Davenport, three new, diverse faces are vying for the chance to replace them. Lookout asked them to respond to a wide-ranging set of questions so you can compare them as we go to the polls on June 7. In Part 2, they take on homelessness, affordability and climate change.
Local elections
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Measure F: Santa Cruz City Sales and Use Tax explained
Proponents view Measure F on the June 7 ballot as a means of addressing some of Santa Cruz’s most pressing matters. Others, however, do not trust the city council to allocate the additional funds appropriately.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Opinion: Vote no on Measure D
Measure D will hurt our community by permanently ending the rail + trail plan connecting Santa Cruz and Watsonville. Measure D undermines decades of public planning and hurts commuters, the environment and our future economy. That’s why numerous elected officials and more than 30 local organizations oppose Measure D. It deserves a no vote.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Opinion: Vote yes on Measure D
A trail-only option is the best, most realistic option for our Santa Cruz community. It will preserve our natural landscape, can be built now and doesn’t depend on imagined future funding. Measure D makes sense and is the logical way forward.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A four-year mayor? Santa Cruz’s past mayors weigh in
Is having a four-year mayor a good idea? The June 7 primary ballot will give voters the choice of whether to create an at-large elected mayor position who serves a four-year term, or to keep the role as it stands currently. Five of Santa Cruz’s previous mayors share their thoughts on the potential change.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
It’s election season: Let’s respect our public figures and their privacy at home
Donna Meyers spent a year as mayor of Santa Cruz and had angry protestors surround her house and scream profanities at her family. She wants the public to be more respectful of the public-private divide and remember that our behavior reflects our values as a community.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Justin Cummings for 3rd District Supervisor: Santa Cruz needs diverse and experienced leadership
Justin Cummings wants to be the first Black person on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. A former Santa Cruz mayor and a member of the Santa Cruz City Council since 2018, he believes he has the experience, dynamism and personality to get the job done. He says he will bring needed diversity and scientific expertise to the role.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Ami Chen Mills for 3rd District Supervisor: We need new ways of thinking and climate expertise
Ami Chen Mills wants to “bring climate and resiliency leadership” to Santa Cruz County. She is a climate advocate, mental health educator, social justice and pro-democracy radio show and podcast host, author of three books, journalist and mother of two. She says she can bring new forms of dialogue to our political processes.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson for 3rd District Supervisor: The times call for an immigrant’s tenacity
Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson says the compassion, courage and resilience her Iranian family instilled in her, combined with her tenacity and experience, make her an ideal candidate for 3rd District Supervisor. It’s time, she says, for a woman to serve.