The Live Oak School District Board of Trustees will not have an election this November. Its three open board seats will be appointed due to a lack of candidates. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local file) 

SANTA CRUZ >> Just one-fourth of open school board seats in Santa Cruz County will be on voters’ ballots in the Nov. 5 election. Twenty of 32 seats will be awarded to the sole candidate, and four more will be appointed or go vacant. That’s lower electoral participation than the last school board elections in November 2022, when about 30% of seats had multiple candidates and were decided by voters.

Four trustee seats for Cabrillo College and four for the Santa Cruz County Board of Education are also unopposed and will not appear on the ballot. The county board of education is not as well-known as local boards, which limits potential candidates, said Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah. 

“Unfortunately, we have also seen trustees — and educators at all levels of the school community — face increased vitriol and personal attacks in recent years,” he wrote in a statement. “While these kinds of incidents are far from the norm here in Santa Cruz County, they are not — to put it mildly — helpful to make the case to the caring and committed individuals who our school system relies on to serve in these roles.” 

More details about the Nov. 5 election:

• Six school districts placed bond measures on the ballot: Aromas-San Juan, Bonny Doon, Pajaro Valley Unified, Live Oak, Scotts Valley and Soquel Elementary.
• Scotts Valley City Council incumbents Randy Johnson and Jack Dilles will not seek reelection. Incumbent Donna Lind is set to compete with six other candidates for three council seats. The candidates are: Steve Clark, Krista Jett, John Lewis, Dustin Lopez, Mercedes Molloy and Corky Roberson.
• Jimmy Dutra is the sole Watsonville City Council member to face an electoral challenge: former Councilmember Trina Coffman-Gomez. Mayor Vanessa Quiroz-Carter and Councilmember Eduardo Montesino are unopposed.
• Capitola City Council will have four candidates for two seats: Enrique Dolmo Jr., Gerry Jensen, incumbent Margaux Morgan (formerly Keiser) and Melinda Orbach. Mayor Kristen Brown is termed out.
• Zayante Fire Protection District has proposed a vacancy tax of $50 for parcels smaller than five acres, $100 for parcels five acres or more, and $290 for parcels of any size with buildings. The vacancy tax would replace an existing $68 parcel tax. Central and Scotts Valley fire districts have placed bond measures on the ballot.

See the full county list of candidates and ballot measures, and watch for the Santa Cruz Local Election Guide coming soon.

Check your registration and register to vote online. 

Read more

• How (and why) to run for school board in Santa Cruz County — July 25, 2024
• Soda tax heads to Santa Cruz city ballot — Aug. 1, 2024

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