Kristen Brown, left, and Kim De Serpa are vying for District 2 Santa Cruz County supervisor. (Contributed)

SANTA CRUZ >> Kim De Serpa held a narrow lead over Kristen Brown in the race for District 2 Santa Cruz County supervisor as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12.

“I’m, of course, very pleased that I am ahead,” De Serpa said Friday. “But nonetheless, there’s still thousands of votes outstanding, and so I am not taking anything for granted.” As of Tuesday, De Serpa had 50.93% of the vote.

De Serpa said her top priorities were restoring funding to some senior services nonprofits that did not receive county dollars this year, and prioritizing road repair.

“We feel good about preliminary results,” Brown said on election night. “Being only 2% behind with many votes left to be counted, we’re optimistic and continuing to celebrate the hard work and positive campaign we’ve run over the past 16 months.”

Election results are expected to be updated this month, with final results expected to be certified in early December.

What does a county supervisor do?

This seat is one of five on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. Each seat serves a geographical district. This seat serves Aptos, Freedom, Corralitos and parts of Capitola and Watsonville.

The board create laws for unincorporated county areas, sets the county budget and oversees many state functions.

The supervisors oversee:

• County roads.
• County fire protection.
• Public health.
• County law enforcement: Sheriff’s Office, jails, probation.
• District Attorney’s Office, public defender.
• Handles most federal, state money to county.
• Building and environmental services.
• County parks.
• Assistance with food, shelter.

Roles include:

• Planning for new construction and land use in unincorporated county areas.
• Response to emergencies.
• Homeless services.

Who are De Serpa and Brown?

De Serpa is a longtime member of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board. 

De Serpa:

• Is a social worker for a hospital, and has helped people access healthcare and housing.
• Said she has concerns about plans for passenger rail. 
• Said she wants to prioritize road repair over other transportation needs.
• Received endorsements from former Capitola mayors Sam Storey and Gayle Ortiz, and former Supervisor John Leopold.

Brown is the mayor of Capitola, and has served on the Capitola City Council since 2016.

Brown:

• Has policy experience as a member of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission and other government boards.
• Strongly supports passenger rail on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line.
• Said she wants more protections for tenants, and would consider supporting a local rent control measure if allowed by state law.
• Received endorsements from Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley, Service Employees International Union Local 521, Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers Local 1936 and others.

For detailed information on both candidates, read Santa Cruz Local’s voter guide for the District 2 race.

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