Returning to electoral politics six years after he was recalled in March 2020, former city councilmember and mayor Chris Krohn is stepping back into the ring with the goal of stopping the “selling off” of Santa Cruz to outside developers and shifting the focus on affordable housing providers.
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 inOpinion from Community Voices
Five candidates, five questions, one big decision: Meet the voices vying to lead Santa Cruz – and get ready for the June 2 primary
Who will be the next mayor of Santa Cruz? Here, the five candidates – Ami Chen Mills, Ryan Coonerty, Gillian Greensite, Chris Krohn and Joy Schendledecker – describe what they would do in short videos.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A look at local candidates’ first pre-election campaign finance disclosures of 2026
Thursday was the deadline for candidates in the Santa Cruz mayoral and city council races as well as the District 4 county supervisor and superior court judge seats to file their first pre-election campaign finance disclosures of the election cycle. Here’s what they show.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Ami Chen Mills envisions a mayorship with more community conversations, leading to more people engaged in politics
Ami Chen Mills, an educator, writer and activist, aims to bring more community involvement to city government should she become Santa Cruz’s next mayor. She aspires to be an educator in office, too, with the hope of getting more people excited about and engaged in politics.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Joy Schendledecker, embarking on second mayoral campaign, wants voters to have robust choices at the ballot
Joy Schendledecker, having run for Santa Cruz mayor and city council in 2022 and 2024, respectively, says that the issues keep bringing her back to electoral politics. She wants voters to have a choice of candidates with diverse opinions when they cast their ballots.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
El Club de Mujeres Demócratas respalda a Coonerty, Golder y Newsome para las contiendas municipales de SC; sin respaldo para la contienda de supervisor del condado del Distrito 4
El Club de Mujeres Demócratas del Condado de Santa Cruz respaldó a Ryan Coonerty para alcalde de Santa Cruz y a Scott Newsome y Renee Golder para el concejo municipal de los Distritos 4 y 6, respectivamente, durante el fin de semana tras un foro de candidatos en Capitola.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz candidates mostly unfazed at lack of Democratic Central Committee endorsements
The Democratic Central Committee could not come to a consensus on which Santa Cruz City Council and mayoral candidates to endorse, so it will not endorse anyone ahead of the June 2 primary. However, many on the campaign trail say it doesn’t make a difference to them — and might even be a good thing.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Democratic Central Committee endorses Cummings, Hernandez for supervisor, but fails to reach consensus on SC city races
Following a candidate forum on Tuesday evening, Santa Cruz County’s Democratic Central Committee endorsed incumbents Justin Cummings and Felipe Hernandez for District 3 and 4 county supervisor, respectively. Members couldn’t agree on races for Santa Cruz mayor and city council Districts 4 and 6, meaning the committee will not endorse anyone in those contests.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Most local races set for June primary election; Santa Cruz mayoral filing period ends Wednesday
The candidate field for the June primary is nearly set, now that all filing deadlines for offices up for election have passed (except for the Santa Cruz mayor’s race, which closes on Wednesday). Here’s how it shakes out.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz mayoral field begins to fill out as three familiar names enter race
Three new candidates have entered the race for Santa Cruz mayor — Ami Chen Mills, Joy Schendledecker and Chris Krohn — all of whom have either previously held or run for office or have been politically active outside of elected office. They join Ryan Coonerty and Gillian Greensite in vying to replace Fred Keeley.
