A rundown of what we know so far about how races across the county are shaping up. Tens of thousands of ballots remain to be counted, but drama has begun for incumbent city councilmembers in Watsonville and Capitola, while Santa Cruz’s soda tax holds narrow support and the race for District 2 county supervisor remains a toss-up.
Nov. 5 2024 ballot measures
Coverage of local and state measures on the ballot for Santa Cruz County voters in the 2024 general election.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County replaces ballots that left off fire district bond
Santa Cruz County has sent out new ballots to 284 registered voters in the Central Fire District after inadvertently leaving off Measure R, which would authorize $221 million in bonds for modernizing and replacing fire stations.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Video: When Halloween and Election 2024 collide
As Santa Cruz County and America approach an anxious weekend before Tuesday’s election, Lookout’s Kevin Painchaud polled Halloween celebrators on Pacific Avenue about their thoughts on the week ahead.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Yes on U: San Lorenzo Valley needs lower fixed charges and higher charges for actual water use
Measure U gives San Lorenzo Valley Water District customers a chance to roll back high, fixed water charges by hundreds of dollars per family, writes Boulder Creek resident Bruce Holloway, and would push families to be more careful about water usage. He says the current system is unfair and is a regressive tax that hurts low water users.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Can a $10 billion climate bond address California’s water contamination problem?
Proposition 4 would allocate $610 million for clean, safe and reliable drinking water and require at least 40% be spent on projects that benefit vulnerable populations or disadvantaged communities.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In state’s Prop 5, advocates see a path to better funding for affordable housing, roads and more
State Proposition 5 on the Nov. 5 ballot would lower the voter approval threshold for affordable housing and public infrastructure bonds. While its chances of passing statewide are unclear, the measure has strong support from public officials in Santa Cruz County who are trying to confront the area’s housing crisis and significant infrastructure needs driven by climate change-driven disasters. If it does pass, local housing advocates say it would make funding the creation of more affordable housing “a lot more doable.”
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
More than a little too sweet: Vote yes on Measure Z
Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin is voting yes on Measure Z, the sugary drink tax. He says community health and long-term benefit are the deciding factors.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz County’s local tax and bond measures all deserve support
Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin endorses all 13 of the local taxes and bonds on the ballot on Nov. 5. No one loves paying, he writes, but the combination of 1978’s Proposition 13 and the current tax structure that gives breaks to corporations at the expense of homeowners is to blame. Local cities need more money to provide services, he writes.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Big Soda’s ads on Santa Cruz’s Measure Z fail to tell the full story
Dr. John Maa, chair of the California Advocacy Committee of the American Heart Association, and Sabrina Adler of nonpartisan nonprofit ChangeLab Solutions write that voters deserve to know the facts about what the beverage industry is doing to thwart the democratic process in relation to local taxes on sugary drink distributors – as Santa Cruz’s Measure Z seeks to implement.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Why progressives should vote no on Measure Z
Measure Z is a regressive tax that targets working people, writes Jeffrey Smedberg, a Bernie Sanders supporter who helped found Santa Cruz for Bernie. He thinks the city council was hypocritical for putting the measure on the ballot and that the real goal is revenue for the general fund.