Editorial | June 2 vote: Endorsements, reflections
Tuesday is Election Day, even though relatively few local citizens will head to polling booths then to cast votes.
Most will vote by mail, or drop off ballots in locations around the county. But mail-in voting is lagging (as of Tuesday only 8% of ballots statewide had been returned so far) with voters still making up their minds about the election. Part of the reason is the lackluster race to elect California's next governor. But without an exciting and relevant governor's race, and lacking any statewide ballot measures and without Donald Trump on the ballot, this year's turnout could be sparse.
Polls recently have Democrat Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general and Biden administration cabinet member, leading, with Republican Steve Hilton trailing in second place and Tom Steyer, who is spending a fortune on TV ads that mainly attack Becerra, in third. After the downfall of then leading candidate Eric Swalwell due to multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, Democrats seem to have sailed into a safer, if unexciting harbor, which is where Becerra dwells. Because of California's top two primary system only two of the 60-odd candidates on the ballot go on to the November election.
A runoff might shed light on the two winners' positions on critical issues, including Medi-Cal restrictions coming from the Trump administration, schools' funding, and a budget that seems to vacillate between "everything's great" to "oh no, what are we going to cut?"
Locally, only one race seems to have sparked voter interest: The campaign for Santa Cruz mayor, where longtime local politico Ryan Coonerty has encountered intense opposition from a coalition of old guard progressives, opponents to the state-mandated building boom in the city, and a kind of countercultural movement that is classic Santa Cruz.
Coonerty, a former mayor and county supervisor who has worked for gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan (whose low poll numbers make his chances Tuesday between bleak and impossible), has the support of most city leaders and the business community. But Santa Cruz historically doesn't support development, much less pragmatism, and what could be characterized as middle of the road policies and positions.
Our Editorial Board has endorsed Coonerty, citing his experience and knowledge of how government works and willingness to push back at the state level with neighborhood concerns over size and scale of buildings. We also liked his acknowledgment that the many empty storefronts in the city's downtown are partly the result of lengthy and difficult permitting policies and that Santa Cruz needs to be more flexible in allowing new businesses to have a home here.
At the same time, a November runoff for mayor would not necessarily be a portent of future retreat for the city. But, the four candidates opposing Coonerty - Ami Chen Mills, Gillian Greensite, Joy Schendledecker and Chris Krohn - could divide up the vote allowing Coonerty to garner the 50% plus one to win outright. Our best guess, and it's only that, is Mills seems to have coalesced progressive support for her candidacy, which should help her chances.
We recommend for the Santa Cruz City Council the reelection of incumbents Renee Golder in District 6 and Scott Newsome in District 4.
And in South County for Fourth District supervisor, our choice is Tony Nuñez, communications head at Community Bridges and a former journalist, over incumbent Felipe Hernandez. The Editorial Board was impressed by his efforts helping oversee Watsonville Community Hospital and his vow to be more accountable and visible than Hernandez.
We also support U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta for reelection in the 19th Congressional District. Panetta, a Democrat who has been in office since 2017, consistently delivers on federal programs for his district, despite Republican control of Congress. We also think Assemblymembers Dawn Addis (D - 30th District) and Gail Pellerin (D - 28th District) have demonstrated in office why they should be reelected.
Voting information
Voters can return their ballot to any of the in-person voting locations, or drop it off at one of the county Elections Department's 24/7 ballot drop boxes. Go to votescount.santacruzcountyca.gov/Home/Elections/June2022CaliforniaPrimaryElection/BallotDropBoxes.aspx to find a drop box near you.
And if you're mailing in your ballot, do it today, or no later than Saturday. California ballots must be postmarked by Election Day to count, and they must arrive at the county Elections office no later than seven days after (Tuesday, June 9).
Beyond ensuring a timely postmark, mailing early also gets a ballot into the first batch of results released after polls close on Election Night. Ballots that arrive later are counted in the days, sometimes weeks, that follow.
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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 5:05 PM.