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The Scotts Valley City Council race has four candidates vying for three seats. The three candidates with the most votes win.
The following unofficial results are from the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s Office. New vote tallies are expected this week. The election must be certified by Dec. 1.
City of Scotts Valley Councilmember
| Candidate | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| RANDY JOHNSON | 4558 (28.37%) | |
| DONNA R. LIND | 4470 (27.83%) | |
| JACK DILLES | 4322 (26.9%) | |
| JOHN LEWIS | 2640 (16.43%) | |
Santa Cruz Local interviewed and surveyed dozens of Scotts Valley residents about what issues they want the candidates to address. Priorities included:
- Supporting local business
- Stabilizing the city budget
- City support of schools and students
- Some wanted more housing options, otherwise wanted to limit growth
Here is where the candidates stand on the issues, based on the candidates voting records, our candidate forums, interviews and questionnaires.
Randy Johnson
- Johnson, a member of the city council since 1996, said city leaders should advocate at higher levels of government for more local business support.
- On housing, Johnson said he’d like to see more proposals for studios and 1- and 2-bedroom apartments. He supported an expansion of affordable housing mandates for developers.
- On school support, Johnson said he supports a property tax increase to help pay for school expenses but he understands that’s not a city council decision.
Donna Lind
- On housing, Lind said she would support the expansion of Scotts Valley’s inclusionary law to areas outside the Mount Hermon Road and Scotts Valley Drive corridors. The law requires developers in larger projects to offer 15% of units to people with lower incomes.
- Lind has said her local business support has included frequent talks with business owners and years-long relationships.
Jack Dilles
- On housing, Dilles said he supported the expansion of affordable housing mandates for developers beyond the Scotts Valley Drive and Mount Hermon Road corridors.
- On local business support, Dilles favored keeping outdoor restaurant seating and outdoor business on Scotts Valley Drive.
- On school support, Dilles said the city council should except monitor potential COVID cases as schools reopen and be in contact with school district leaders.
John Lewis
- On housing, Lewis said he was open to an expansion of affordable housing mandates for developers beyond the Scotts Valley Drive and Mount Hermon Road corridors.
- On school funding, Lewis said he the city should support a school bond measure but was unaware of the current school bond measure on the ballot.
- Lewis said city leaders should play a more active role in attracting and retaining businesses.
Read Santa Cruz Local’s reporting on the Scotts Valley City Council race:
- Santa Cruz Local’s Elections Guide: Scroll down to the Scotts Valley City Council guide for campaign finance totals, written questionnaire answers, key policy differences and more.
- Vote Nov. 3 podcast episode and transcript on the Scotts Valley City Council race with candidate interviews
- Read about Santa Cruz Local’s People’s Agenda approach to elections reporting
Stephen Baxter is a co-founder and editor of Santa Cruz Local. He covers Santa Cruz County government.