The 2024 elections are more than a year away, but the race for District 1 Santa Cruz County supervisor is already heating up. Incumbent Manu Koenig and challenger Lani Faulkner both accuse the other of being single-issue candidates. That single issue? The long-envisioned coastal passenger rail line connecting Davenport and Watsonville, known as the Coastal Rail Trail project.
Politics
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Schiff and Porter increasingly dominate race for Senate, poll shows
The possibility of former Dodger Steve Garvey entering the Senate race hasn’t changed the top-two dynamic, a new UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll shows.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Housing crisis takes center stage as Senate race comes to Santa Cruz County
After visits by Reps. Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee, vying for the Democratic nomination to replace the retiring Dianne Feinstein in the U.S. Senate, Christopher Neely breaks down what he heard from each on one of Santa Cruz County’s most pressing concerns: housing.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Rep. Barbara Lee energizes Watsonville during U.S. Senate campaign stop
Touting “a different perspective and lived experiences” from the Democratic candidates who had preceded her in visiting Santa Cruz County, Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee talked about the state’s housing crisis and homelessness and her ability to work across the aisle at an event at Jalisco Restaurant.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In Santa Cruz, Adam Schiff tries to separate himself from rival Senate candidates
Santa Cruz County received its second visit of the week from a major U.S. Senate candidate Tuesday as Rep. Adam Schiff arrived in town for a Democratic fundraiser, only days after Rep. Katie Porter stopped to make her own appeal to local voters. Rep. Barbara Lee, the other major Democratic candidate in the race to replace Dianne Feinstein, is expected to make an appearance later this year.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Katie Porter in Santa Cruz: ‘I went to Washington to write the rules’
Santa Cruz is on the campaign trail with Dianne Feinstein’s U.S. Senate seat up for grabs in 2024. With the March 5 primary coming up fast, Orange County Rep. Katie Porter got a standing ovation from a crowd of 175 on Sunday in downtown Santa Cruz. With her whiteboard and change-making mantra, Porter brings a generational mojo to the contest. On Tuesday, Rep. Adam Schiff, her main opponent according to polls, meets and greets the local Democratic crowd. Christopher Neely interviewed Porter over coffee at Verve.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California’s U.S. Senate contest is on — and it’s coming to Santa Cruz next week
After more than 30 years, Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat is opening up. Over the next week, the spirited battle to win the Democratic primary comes to Santa Cruz, with appearances by House members Katie Porter and Adam Schiff; Rep. Barbara Lee is expected by year’s end. It’s an unusual stretch for Santa Cruz as Schiff and Porter converge for fundraisers — and the voter appraisal of who can best represent California going forward.
Posted inK-12 Education
Lacking political power in California, conservatives turn focus to local school boards
Republicans lacking power in California are focusing on local school boards’ policies, setting up a fight with Gov. Gavin Newsom over “parental rights.”
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 inPolitics & Policy
It’s on: DeSantis accepts Newsom’s request for debate
2024 presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed to a live televised debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, to be broadcast on Fox News this fall.