Fred Keeley (Contribución)

• Fred Keeley said Santa Cruz policy makers have “largely failed” at approving housing for people with “very low” and “low” incomes. Keeley supports the council’s plan to expand Downtown and develop the neighborhood south of Laurel Street. He believes the city has the political will to build more than 1,000 housing units there, with a “significant portion” of those units as affordable.
• To address homelessness, Keeley wants to create a city ballot initiative to create more homeless shelters, a navigation center, affordable housing and permanent supportive housing.
• Read more about Keeley in Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide.

Scott Newsome (Contribución)

• Scott Newsome said he supports building more market-rate and affordable housing in Santa Cruz. “In relation to building above shops in particular areas, I see some positives to those types of projects. However, the community will need to weigh in on those types of projects. And they will need to go through several steps in the housing process,” Newsome said.
• To address homelessness, Newsome said he doesn’t have any specific policies he would push for. He said he thinks the current council “has done a good job of working collaboratively” to address homelessness.
• Read more about Newsome in Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide. The District 4 council member is elected by voters in Beach Flats, Downtown, part of the Upper Westside east of Bay Street and south of High Street, and areas along Mission Street generally east of Laurent Street. View a district map.

Renee Golder (Contribución)

• Renee Golder said she supports building more housing at all income levels, including market-rate housing. She said many Santa Cruz residents make too much money to meet the state’s income limits for affordable housing.
• Golder said she supports the council’s current homelessness response to increase the capacity of managed shelters and adopt laws to limit overnight parking and camping. Golder also supports the CAHOOTS model for non-police response to mental health crises.
• Read more about Golder in Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide. The District 6 council member is elected by voters who live in areas south of Mission Street and west of Younglove Avenue and Columbia Street; areas along Western Drive; and a western part of the UC Santa Cruz main campus. View a district map.