In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident touts the credentials of mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty on issues of public safety.
Election 2026: Santa Cruz mayor
Lookout news and Community Voices opinion coverage of the 2026 race to succeed Fred Keeley as mayor of Santa Cruz.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County elections 2026: Which city candidates are raising the most campaign cash?
Thursday was the deadline for candidates running for local office to file their first campaign finance disclosures ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Here’s what the numbers say.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz mayoral candidates Ami Chen Mills, Ryan Coonerty clash over AI, Flock cameras and campaign conduct
Lookout’s Santa Cruz mayoral candidate forum saw Ami Chen Mills and Ryan Coonerty discuss a variety of city issues, including budgets and homelessness. However, between talking about the issues, the candidates also talked about the divisiveness of the campaign — and the issues they’ve had with each other.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz mayoral candidates Ryan Coonerty, Ami Chen Mills face off Wednesday in Lookout forum
Santa Cruz mayoral candidates Ryan Coonerty and Ami Chen Mills are set to discuss a host of city issues during Lookout’s candidate forum Wednesday at 6 p.m. The sold-out event will be livestreamed.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
No endorsement in Santa Cruz mayor race as Democratic Central Committee splits on candidates
Just like in the primary election, the Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee failed to reach a consensus on its endorsement for Santa Cruz mayor, meaning it will not officially back either Ami Chen Mills or Ryan Coonerty in November.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Suddenly Seabright? Where has Ryan Coonerty been on development all this time?
Ami Chen Mills, running for mayor of Santa Cruz, pushes back against the assertion by her opponent, Ryan Coonerty, that she has taken a stance “too late” on the project proposed at Seabright and Soquel avenues. She presents the politics behind the Seabright project, criticizes Coonerty’s record on development and local control and explains her own evolving approach to the housing crisis. She argues for truly affordable housing, tenant protections, neighborhood-scale development and stronger local oversight.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz mayoral candidates need a ‘Mamdani moment’ on housing policies
Santa Cruz calls itself the “leftmost city,” but the mayoral race is exposing a sharp contradiction: progressive politics and resistance to new housing. Economist Richard McGahey argues that candidates Ryan Coonerty and Ami Chen Mills need a “Mamdani moment” on housing – and points to their opposition to a proposed Seabright project as a troubling example. With Santa Cruz-Watsonville again ranked the nation’s least affordable rental market, McGahey says the city needs more housing supply, not more barriers to it. The part-time Santa Cruz resident and author of “Unequal Cities” asks whether the city’s progressive values extend to actually building enough homes.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Time’s up: Constant development pressure on Santa Cruz’s neighborhoods must be addressed
Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty says he will fight against the six-story housing project proposed at Seabright and Soquel. Housing projects outside of downtown should be limited to granny units and modest buildings that are designed at scale with the neighborhood and include reasonable parking and setbacks, writes Coonerty.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz mayoral candidates oppose 6-story housing project at Seabright and Soquel; wish to regain some local control over building
Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty wasn’t shy with expressing his disapproval of a proposed housing development at the intersection of Seabright Avenue and Soquel Avenue. His mayoral opponent, Ami Chen Mills, said she also disapproves of this development despite wanting to continue to build affordable housing.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County 2026 primary election results in charts: Final tallies for all county races
With the Santa Cruz County Clerk certifying the results of the June primary election on Friday, see how all the local races shook out in chart form.
