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.
Election 2026: Santa Cruz mayor
News and Community Voices opinion coverage of the 2026 race to succeed Fred Keeley as mayor of Santa Cruz.
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.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County 2026 primary election results in charts: Final tally set for June 26
Find the results for all local races in Santa Cruz County’s 2026 primary election here. Lookout will continuously update this page as new results come in.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Ryan Coonerty, Ami Chen Mills aiming to reach more voters ahead of November mayoral run-off
Ryan Coonerty and Ami Chen Mills have secured their places as the top two vote-getters in the Santa Cruz mayoral race and will compete in a run-off election in November. The candidates plan to reach more voters to continue garnering support in the coming months — after some rest, of course.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Coonerty, Chen Mills head to November run-off for Santa Cruz mayor
Ryan Coonerty and Ami Chen Mills will meet in a November run-off for Santa Cruz mayor.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Criteria needed to be applied to candidates for Santa Cruz mayor
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident outlines reasons he feels Ryan Coonerty would be a bad choice as the city’s next mayor.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Ryan Coonerty helped bring the Warriors to Santa Cruz – he’s the best pick for mayor
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident lauds Ryan Coonerty for his role in bringing minor league basketball to the city and cites Coonerty’s leadership and experience in backing him in the race for mayor.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Ami Chen Mills: I reject flattened portrayal of Santa Cruz mayoral campaign
In a letter to the editor, Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ami Chen Mills takes issue with the characterization of the race laid out by the author of a previous Lookout opinion piece.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz voters deserve a real mayoral contest, not political choreography
Community activist and acclaimed yoga instructor Mark Stephens argues that the four candidates running against Ryan Coonerty in the Santa Cruz mayoral race appear less focused on offering a compelling vision than on forcing Coonerty, the front-runner, into a run-off. Stephens contends that the strategy weakens the opposition, confuses voters and risks appearing politically evasive rather than principled. Stephens argues that voters deserve a direct and transparent contest of ideas, not fragmented tactical maneuvering and political games.
