Our candidate choices for Nov. 5 election

AS WE SEE IT

With early voting already well underway, we are periodically publishing lists of our recommendations for the Nov. 5 election. Today’s will feature candidates, including those for state Legislature and Congress, who were omitted from previous lists.

Candidates

• State Senate 17th District: John Laird (D-Santa Cruz). In what appears to be a final legislative campaign, Laird, who will be term limited out in 2028, is opposed by Republican Tony Virrueta of Salinas. Few state leaders can match the breadth of Laird’s experience and his record, including his major role in restoring Watsonville Community Hospital.

• State Assembly 28th District: Incumbent Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz). Pellerin again faces off against Republican Liz Lawler, a former mayor of Monte Sereno. With her first term nearly completed, Pellerin should continue to be a strong advocate for mental healthcare and voting rights.

• State Assembly 29th District: Incumbent Robert Rivas (D-Salinas). Rivas is speaker of the Assembly and faces token opposition by JW Paine, a Hollister resident who lists his occupation as truck driver.

• State Assembly 30th District: Incumbent Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) should be reelected. Her opponent is East Garrison (Monterey County) Republican Dalia Epperson Our previous concerns Addis would overlook Santa Cruz County were unfounded. She also is the Assembly appointee to the Ocean Protection Council and the chairs the Select Committee on Offshore Wind Energy.

• U.S. Representative in Congress 18th District: Incumbent: Zoe Lofgren (D- San Jose). Lofgren, now in her 15th term in Congress, is opposed by Republican Peter Hernandez of Hollister. The district includes parts of South County, and Lofgren has been an advocate who helped push forward work on the Pajaro River Levee project

• U.S. Representative in Congress 19th District: Incumbent: Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley). Panetta has been a consistent supporter of delivering funding that benefit our county. He is opposed by Republican Jason Michael Anderson of Atascadero.

• Scotts Valley City Council: Donna Lind, Dustin Lopez, Steve Clark. Lind will soon have completed four terms on council; Lopez, 24, would bring a new face and he worked modernizing the city’s website and writing the updated business license tax measure; Clark is a former deputy police chief in Santa Cruz with an extensive record of volunteering within the city and working as a government-policy consultant.

• Watsonville City Council: Trina Coffman-Gomez (District 6). Coffman-Gomez has been working to improve homeless services and pledges to make future affordable housing projects financially conceivable for developers.

• Capitola City Council: Margaux Morgan, Gerry Jensen. Incumbent Morgan brings small-business perspective and experience to council; Jensen’s extensive public service record, and widespread support, in the city has prepared him for a next phase of serving residents.

• County Supervisorial District 2: Kristen Brown. Capitola City Councilmember Brown is chair of the county Regional Transportation Commission and former president of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG), where she worked on the Regional Housing Needs Assessment process. Brown’s expertise in public policy makes her the choice here.

• County Supervisorial District 5: Monica Martinez. Martinez, CEO of Encompass Community Services, the largest health and human services nonprofit in the county, has an established track record working with county departments and budgets.

• Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees: We recommend Georgia Acosta and Oscar Soto, both of whom do not support the divisive “liberated ethnic studies” program. The other candidates for the board either want to give further hearing to restore the curriculum, or have voiced support for it.

Editorials providing details recommendations found here can be read at https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/endorsements.