With more votes released Friday afternoon, it seems clear that Kim De Serpa will be the next Santa Cruz County Supervisor for the 2nd District.

Although more votes still need to be counted, De Serpa has a lead of about 650 votes over Capitola Mayor Kristin Brown (51% to 48%) and Brown has essentially conceded.

While we endorsed Brown in the race, while also expressing De Serpa was a worthy challenger and would make a fine supervisor, the result is not a surprise. The 2nd District traditionally has gone for Aptos candidates over Capitola residents, and De Serpa’s support was broad throughout the district, especially in Aptos and the northern Pajaro Valley and included several former Capitola council members and community leaders.

Brown, whose election we recommended because of her experience as a sitting member of the Capitola City Council and work on the Regional Transportation Commission as well as on state mandated housing, was well funded and backed by many traditional political organizations and local unions, but had another obstacle to overcome: This was not a year to be viewed as the “establishment candidate.”

De Serpa’s time on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board and her professional experience as a clinical social worker and in health care will serve her and constituents well in the sprawling district. Her interpersonal skills should help her on the board in developing consensus on county priorities where 65% of the budget is related to health care expenditures.

We wish her success, as she will replace three-term Supervisor Zach Friend, who is stepping down in part because his wife is city manager of Coronado in San Diego County and he has been shuttling back and forth to spend time with her and their 10-year-old son.

Friend has been arguably the most consequential supervisor on the board during his term and his influence, leadership and command of policy will be sorely missed.

One issue facing De Serpa will be the seemingly never-ending dispute over plans and funding for the rail and trail along the county-owned coastal rail corridor. While De Serpa was supported by many rail opponents, she told the Editorial Board earlier this year she supports plans for a commuter rail line along the coast. With funding and infrastructure issues still partly unresolved, it will be no easy task to move forward on this, along with other fractious transportation issues.

It will also be interesting to watch how she deals with the county’s protracted battle over the now-closed Rio del Mar pedestrian beach walkway.

In the 5th District, which encompasses the San Lorenzo Valley and surrounding areas, Monica Martinez will succeed retiring Supervisor Bruce McPherson, who with Friend, also provided influence and leadership in serving both his constituents and the entire unincorporated county. Martinez, endorsed by this Editorial Board, has, at this writing, a more than 3,500 vote lead over her opponent Christopher Bradford.

Martinez is well prepared to hit the ground running on the board, serving as CEO of Encompass Community Services, the largest health and human services nonprofit in the county that oversees about 40 programs including behavioral health, family and social services, early childhood education and housing — all programs the county also helps fund and oversee.

We would not be surprised if she becomes a leading voice on the board on policy and priorities, including continuing outreach to CZU fire victims, the ongoing crisis in obtaining property insurance, unfunded state mandates, homelessness, public transit, road repair funding and water service issues.

The elections of De Serpa and Martinez also bring needed diversity to what has been an all-male county board. Congratulations to both incoming supervisors.

Although thousands of same-day registration ballots have still not been counted, according to county election officials, the count in three City Council races also seem decisive. We’ll take up the results from these elections and local ballot measures in our next Editorial.