With the final vote count certified on Dec. 3, Lookout’s On the Campaign Trail delivered Election 2024 results, reaction and analysis from across Santa Cruz County and beyond.
Watsonville City Council 2024
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Jimmy Dutra secures another term in Watsonville City Council, defeating Coffman-Gomez
Incumbent Jimmy Dutra was ahead by more than 10% and 200-plus votes after a Tuesday update from the Santa Cruz County Elections Department and looks set to keep his District 6 seat on the Watsonville City Council, beating out real estate broker and former councilmember Trina Coffman-Gomez.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: Trina Coffman-Gomez for Watsonville City Council – she brings experience and housing knowledge
The Lookout Editorial Board endorses Trina Coffman-Gomez for Watsonville City Council. She has already served two terms from 2012 to 2020 and understands the city and its needs. Her opponent, incumbent and former mayor Jimmy Dutra, is too mired in controversy over a recent civil trial to effectively serve. Dutra did not respond to Lookout’s requests for an editorial board meeting.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
City council, county supervisor candidates discuss roads and homelessness at Watsonville forum
Candidates for Watsonville City Council and District 2 Santa Cruz County supervisor shared their views on roads, homelessness and short-term rentals in resources for South County at a Monday night Santa Cruz Voice forum.
Posted inLatest News
Fresh off court case, Dutra faces ex-member Coffman-Gomez for Watsonville City Council seat
Incumbent Jimmy Dutra and former city councilmember Trina Coffman-Gomez are competing for the District 6 seat on the Watsonville City Council on the Nov. 5 ballot, only weeks after a jury found Dutra liable for sexual abuse of a minor in a civil lawsuit. It’s the only one of three council seats up for election this cycle that’s being contested.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Coke, Pepsi and Red Bull spend big to defeat Santa Cruz’s soda tax
A key pre-election campaign finance reporting deadline on Thursday revealed that the biggest players in America’s soft drink industry, including the parent companies of Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper and Red Bull, have donated nearly $1 million to defeat a city of Santa Cruz ballot measure this fall that would enact a special tax on sugary drinks.
Posted inLatest News
For Jimmy Dutra, reelection bid and a civil sex-abuse trial coincide
A civil case alleging sexual abuse by Watsonville City Councilmember Jimmy Dutra, who is running for reelection this fall, is finally moving forward nearly two years after the complaint was first filed. Jury selection will continue through Wednesday and trial proceedings are expected to begin next week.