Incumbent Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson ran against challenger Joy Schendledecker for the District 3 Santa Cruz City Council seat. (Contributed)
Official results as of 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, April 2
District 1 Santa Cruz City Council
- Gabriela Trigueiro 1,846 (52.21%)
- David Tannaci 1,663 (47.03%)
District 2 Santa Cruz City Council
- Sonja Brunner 1,872 (57.87%)
- Hector Marin 1,318 (40.74%)
District 3 Santa Cruz City Council
- Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson 2,270 (69.00%)
- Joy Schendledecker 995 (30.24%)
District 5 Santa Cruz City Council
- Susie O’Hara 859 (57.81%)
- Joe Thompson 616 (41.45%)
SANTA CRUZ >> Sonja Brunner, Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Susie O’Hara and Gabriela Trigueiro won their races for Santa Cruz City Council in official election results posted Tuesday, April 2.
Brunner and Kalantari-Johnson are expected to keep their seats and O’Hara and Trigueiro to replace outgoing Councilmembers Sandy Brown and Martine Watkins.
District 1 Santa Cruz City Council results
Gabriela Trigueiro, right, ran against David Tannaci in the race for District 1 Santa Cruz City Council. (Contributed)
Candidate Gabriela Trigueiro defeated David Tannaci to represent Santa Cruz City Council District 1, which includes the Prospect Heights and Upper Ocean neighborhoods, areas near DeLaveaga Park, Grant Street Park and midtown north of Water Street.
Trigueiro is the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters Santa Cruz County and serves on Santa Cruz’s Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women
“I am truly excited for our city and the great work ahead,” Trigueiro said on Election Night.
Trigueiro said on the campaign trail that she aimed to:
- Build more multi-family medium-density housing.
- Create more mental health for housing-insecure youth.
- Support workforce development programs.
Read more about Trigueiro in Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide.
District 2 Santa Cruz City Council results
Incumbent Sonja Brunner ran against Hector Marin for the District 2 Santa Cruz City Council seat. (Contributed)
Incumbent District 2 Santa Cruz City Councilmember Sonja Brunner defeated Hector Marin. District 2 includes the Lower Ocean and Seabright neighborhoods, the Santa Cruz harbor, Arana Gulch and midtown south of Water Street and to the eastern city limits.
“I hope to continue the great work that has already been made, slowly but surely,” Brunner said on Election Night. “A lot of that is around housing.”
During her first term, Brunner voted in favor of:
- The city’s eight-year plan to allow for more housing.
- The city’s three-year Homelessness Response Action Program.
- A ban on overnight parking of RVs and other large vehicles without permits.
- The closure of an unmanaged homeless camp at the San Lorenzo Benchlands.
In a January interview, Brunner said she wanted to:
- Carry out the city’s plan to allow more housing over the next eight years.
- Support a planned navigation center on Coral Street for homelessness services.
- Construct improved bike paths on major roads like Soquel and Broadway.
Read more about Brunner in Santa Cruz Local’s election guide.
Marin said on Election Night that he gave Brunner “a good run for her money.”
“Sometimes it’s not about winning an election, it’s about sending a message. And in District 2, that message was delivered,” he said.
District 3 Santa Cruz City Council results
Joy Schendledecker, right, ran against incumbent Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson for the District 3 Santa Cruz City Council seat. (Contributed)
Incumbent council member Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson defeated former mayoral candidate Joy Schendledecker.
“I’m feeling grateful for the community showing up and all the support I’ve gotten,” Kalantari-Johnson said March 6. “Even for those who didn’t vote for me. I think this community is so engaged. I think this community cares so much. And sometimes that gets to be really intense when you’re a candidate or when you’re an elected official. But mostly it comes from a place of really deep, deep care for our community.”
During her first term, Kalantari-Johnson voted in favor of:
- A ban on overnight parking of RVs and other large vehicles without permits.
- The closure of an unmanaged homeless camp at the San Lorenzo Benchlands.
- The downtown library, parking garage and affordable housing project.
In a December interview, Kalantari-Johnson said she wanted to:
- Streamline development for all types of housing.
- Support a planned navigation center on Coral Street for homelessness services.
- Promote bus ridership for the Santa Cruz Metro.
In 2022, Schendledecker lost a mayoral race to Fred Keeley with 29% of the vote. Tuesday night, she said she would continue organizing to fight gentrification and sweeps of homeless camps. “We’re a relatively small town, and there’s so much to work on,” she said.
Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, with brown bag, sips a beverage next to Santa Cruz City Councilmember Martine Watkins at Pleasure Pizza on Pacific Avenue on election night Tuesday. (Natalya Dreszer — Santa Cruz Local)
Read more about Kalantari-Johnson in Santa Cruz Local’s election guide. District 3 includes parts of the Lower and Upper Westside.
District 5 Santa Cruz City Council results
Susie O’Hara, left, ran against Joe Thompson for the District 5 Santa Cruz City Council seat. (Contributed)
Susie O’Hara beat Joe Thompson for the District 5 seat. O’Hara is a civil engineer and former employee of the Santa Cruz’s city manager office.
O’Hara said on Election Night that she wanted to “continue to make strides in homelessness response, ensure that folks that are on our streets can access a path to housing, and continue to make progress on our housing development to ensure that local families, seniors, students all can live and prosper here.”
“I’m just very appreciative of all the work that went into the campaign,” O’Hara said. “It was a total sprint.”
In a December interview, O’Hara said she aimed to:
- Support high-density housing downtown, medium-density on major streets and smaller developments in neighborhoods.
- Use community engagement to create housing projects supported by neighbors.
- Expand programs like the Downtown Streets Team that connect housed and unhoused residents.
Read more about O’Hara in Santa Cruz Local’s election guide. District 5 includes most of UC Santa Cruz, the Harvey West Park area and parts of the Upper Westside.
Read Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide to learn about:
- Santa Cruz City Council members’ roles and responsibilities.
- District boundaries and format for city council elections.
- Candidates’ profiles and voting records.
Read more:
Questions or comments? Email [email protected]. Santa Cruz Local is supported by members, major donors, sponsors and grants for the general support of our newsroom. Our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Learn more about Santa Cruz Local and how we are funded.
Jesse Kathan is a staff reporter for Santa Cruz Local through the California Local News Fellowship. Kathan holds a master's degree in science communications from UC Santa Cruz.
