In the November general election, voters in Scotts Valley, Capitola and Watsonville are set to choose new city council members. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY >> More than 100 seats are up for grabs in the Nov. 3 general election in Santa Cruz County, but as few as 14 of them may appear on ballots. Most seats will go to unopposed candidates or, in some cases, have no candidates.

Meanwhile, battles are brewing for Capitola City Council, Watsonville City Council, and Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees. 

Filing ends today for most seats. In races where the incumbent has not filed, the deadline is extended to Aug. 12. 

Competitive races

The Capitola City Council has three seats up for election. This is the last at-large election before the city switches to district-based elections in 2028. Incumbent Councilmember Joe Clarke has filed for reelection. Incumbents Margeaux Morgan and Susan Westman have not filed. The other candidates are:

• Cami Corvin, who has been endorsed by Santa Cruz County Supervisors Kim De Serpa and Manu Koenig.
• Tory Del Favero, a former trustee of the Soquel Union Elementary School District.
• Peter Wilk, a former Capitola Planning Commissioner and city treasurer. 
• TJ Welch, a Capitola Planning Commissioner.

In Watsonville, Mayor and District 4 Councilmember Kristal Salcido and District 3 Councilmember Maria Orozco have filed for reelection unopposed.

• District 5 Councilmember Casey Clark is challenged by Watsonville Personnel Commissioner Angel Zuniga.
• As District 7 Councilmember Ari Parker terms out, former Watsonville Planning Commissioner Ed Acosta and former councilmember Nancy Bilicich are vying to take her place.

Two at-large seats of the Scotts Valley City Council are up for reelection. 

• Councilmember Greg Wimp has filed for reelection. Councilmember Derek Timm has not. 
• Michael Zeller and Danny Reber are also vying for the two open seats.

Four of seven seats on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees are up for election.

• Educator and Santa Cruz Community Health board member Andrew Goldenkranz and general contractor and alternate representative on the Santa Cruz County Republican Central Committee Robin Sukow have filed for candidacy to represent Trustee Area 1. The seat is currently held by Joy Flynn, who was appointed by the board last year after former trustee De Serpa was elected county supervisor. Flynn is not running for election in November.
• District Area 4 Trustee Daniel Dodge Jr. is challenged by Eriberto Estrada, a Pajaro Valley High School alum who is running for the seat just after finishing high school.
• Former trustee Jennifer Schacher is running against Curt Wilcox to represent District Area 5. As of 8 p.m. Friday, the County Clerk website did not indicate that Flores had filed for reelection.
• District parent and frequent meeting attendee Mads Realmuto is running to unseat District Area 7 Trustee Misty Navarro.

In the Felton Fire Protection District, appointed Director Craig Winter is running for a full term, meaning he would vacate the remaining three years of his appointed term. 

• Winter is running alongside Bill Finlayson, Board Chair Norman Crandell and Director Jim Anderson for two at-large seats. 
• Rich Alter is running to finish Winter’s appointed term.

In Cabrillo Community College District Trustee Area 6, incumbent J Dan Rothwell has not filed for reelection. Milissa Ales-Barnicoat, Benjamin Finke and Karen Cogswell are running to take his place.

Candidates for Santa Cruz mayor Ami Chen Mills and Ryan Coonerty will face a runoff after finishing as the top two contenders in the June primary election. 

Open seats

Twenty-eight seats do not yet have any candidates. They include:

• Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Zone 1, now held by Marcus Pimentel.
• Cabrillo Community College District Trustee Area 1, now held by Donna Ziel.
• School board seats in Bonny Doon Elementary School District , Lakeside Joint Unified School District, Mountain Elementary School District and more. 

Candidates can still file for empty seats until Wednesday, Aug. 12. Learn how to run for office.