Voters on Election Day on Nov. 4 at the Depot Park polling location in Santa Cruz. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY >> Campaign finance disclosures ahead of the June 2 primary election reveal the people, organizations and political groups underwriting candidates for Santa Cruz Mayor, Santa Cruz City Council and Santa Cruz County Supervisor.

A Santa Cruz Local analysis of financial reports uncovered four key trends.

Nuñez is boosted by rail opponents.

District 4 Board of Supervisors candidate Tony Nuñez started fundraising months later than incumbent Felipe Hernandez, and has a narrower list of endorsements. Nuñez has quickly raised a comparable amount of cash — about $29,000 to Hernandez's $34,000.

More than half of that money is from contributors listed as supporters of Santa Cruz County Greenway, a nonprofit that supports a trail only on the Santa Cruz rail corridor, or who have otherwise publicly opposed aspects of plans for passenger rail. Most of those contributors listed themselves as living outside the district, in mid-county or Santa Cruz.

Nuñez said despite the support from Greenway, he differs from the organization's long-term goals.

"I've been really clear since the beginning that I still believe in rail," he said. But following reports that indicate the local price tag for the train could require a 1.5% sales tax hike, he said he's concerned about the potential tax's disproportionate impact on low-income South County residents. He said he's open to wealth taxes and hospitality taxes as more equitable funding sources.

Any increase in sales tax may be more useful "to fund economic opportunity within South County," rather than "to move people from South County to North County faster, in a more efficient way," he said.

"If my residents want this, I'll continue to vote for it," Nuñez said of plans for rail. "I want to see it move forward, and I also have to be a good representative of my constituency."

About 15% of Hernandez's money comes from people with a history of vocal support for the rail, including members of Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail and Trail.

Nuñez also has support from a handful of nonprofit professionals, including Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance CEO Jasmine Najera and Community Bridges Chief Financial Officer Douglas Underhill.

Hernandez is buoyed by labor unions, plus agriculture and energy industries.

Nearly a third of Hernandez's money comes from political action committees for labor unions, including:

• SMART Transportation Division, representing Santa Cruz Metro bus drivers.
• The Monterey/Santa Cruz Building and Construction Trades Council, representing multiple building and construction labor groups.
• Dignity CA SEIU Local 2015, representing In-Home Supportive Services caregivers.

The County Employees Management Association directly contributed $1,000 to Hernandez. A committee funded by the association independently spent about an additional $7,000 towards door hangers and other campaign materials.

Hernandez's other contributors include:

• Agricultural businesses, including Miles Reiter of Driscoll's; Darren Story and Shy Ann Kenwood of Strong Agronomy, and Thomas Broz of Live Earth farms.
• Energy companies, including a sales executive for infrastructure contractor Energy Systems Group, a senior director of the Western States Petroleum Association, and a program manager for the low-carbon multinational utility Engie.
• Steven Dobler, who has partnered with New Leaf Energy Inc. on a proposal for a battery storage facility on 90 Minto Road. Dobler and his farming company donated a combined $1,100.
• Current and former elected officials, including Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo, former Watsonville Mayor Lowell Hurst and former State Senator Bill Monning.

Elias Gonzales, the third candidate vying for the District 4 seat, has raised less than a third as much as either of his opponents. His donors include the organization Santa Cruz For Bernie, Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Chris Krohn, Watsonville City Councilmember Vanessa Quiroz-Carter and anti-surveillance activist Lourdes Barrazza.

Ryan Coonerty has far outraised his opponents.

Santa Cruz Mayoral Candidate Ryan Coonerty has raised $67,286 in cash donations — more than twice as much as the four other candidates combined.

Additionally, the political action committee Santa Cruz Together reported about $13,000 in independent spending for mailers. Santa Cruz Together was formed in 2018 to oppose the rent control voter initiative Measure M, and has since donated to oppose a 2022 initiative for an empty home tax, and supported multiple candidates for Santa Cruz City Council.

The group's most recent fundraising push in 2024 included $5,000 donations from four companies: Redtree Partners, Santa Cruz Seaside Company, Swenson Builders and S.C. Beach Hotel Partners.

Coonerty’s other donors include:

• Current and former elected officials, including Golder, State Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, U.S. Rep Jimmy Panetta (D-Santa Cruz) , Santa Cruz County Supervisor Kim De Serpa, and Santa Cruz City Councilmembers Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson. 
• Real estate agents and property managers, totalling about $5,000. 
• Developers and associated businesses, including Timerie Gordon, principal of Nielsen, and land use consultant Owen Lawlor. 
• Downtown businesses, including heads of Beachview Inn, Rush Inn, Pacific Cookie Company, Pacific Wave and Zoccoli’s Deli. Coonerty’s sister and owner of Bookshop Santa Cruz Casey Protti donated, as did his mother-in-law and owner of Dell Williams, Casey Bernard.

Coonerty has professional connections to developers and family connections to Downtown businesses. Neither, he has said, will compromise his decision-making process as an elected official. 

The progressive mayoral candidates have overlapping support.

The other four mayoral candidates — Krohn, Ami Chen Mills, Gillian Greensite, and Joy Schendledecker — have received donations from some of the same supporters.

Ten donors gave to multiple of Coonerty’s challengers, including three that backed all four challengers. Santa Cruz for Bernie founder Jeffrey Smedberg, former city council candidate Ron Pomerantz and Krohn’s wife Rachel O’Malley are among the repeat donors. 

One mailer paid for by Krohn’s campaign urged voters to vote for Krohn — or Schendledecker, or Chen Mills. 

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