2020 Primary Election: Watsonville, Santa Cruz County Voter Guide

WATSONVILLE, CA — With some 160,000 Santa Cruz County voters registered ahead of the 2020 Presidential Primary Election Day on Tuesday, March 3, Watsonville voters are poised to decide whether to renew a public safety sales tax and vote for candidates running in county, state and federal races.

Much of the county will have already received their vote by mail ballots. Nearly seven in ten Santa Cruz County voters were signed up to vote by mail last week, county records showed.

Still need to drop off your absentee ballot? A list of ballot drop-off locations in Santa Cruz County can be found here.

Voting the old-fashioned way, in person at a polling place? A list of Watsonville precincts can be found here.

Still have questions about Election Day protocol? Call county elections staff at 831-454-2060 and get more information about candidates, precincts, ballots and more at its website.

Here's a look at what Watsonville voters can expect to see on their ballots, from most to least local:

Measure Y

Measure Y seeks to renew the half-percent retail sales tax for a public safety fund used. Police serves, fire and 911 emergency response, and parks and recreation would benefit from the tax.

Read more here.

Measure R

Measure R seeks to authorize $274.1 million in bonds for upgrades and modernization at Cabrillo Community College. Money would go toward techology and job training too.

It would result in a $19 tax per $100,000 of assessed value for property owners.

Read more here from San Benito County, which is also part of the Cabrillo Community College District.

Santa Cruz County Supervisor, District 2

Incumbent Zach Friend will face off against Becky Steinbruner to represent the district encompassing the northwest corner of Watsonville (near the Watsonville Municipal Airport), part of Capitola and unincorporated communities of Aptos, La Selva Beach, Seacliff, Rio Del Mar, Corralitos, Freedom and the Pajaro River Basin.

Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge

Annrae Angel, Nancy De La Peña and Jack Gordon are vying for a seat on the Santa Cruz County Superior Court bench.

California State Assembly, District 30

Incumbent and Democrat Robert Rivas and Republican challenger Gregory Swett are both vying to represent the district that includes Watsonville, part of Santa Clara County and much of Monterey County.

California State Senate, District 17

Four candidates are vying for the district that includes all of Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo counties, plus parts of Monterey and Santa Clara counties.

Incumbent Sen. Bill Monning did not file for re-election, but Democrats John Laird, Maria Cadenas and John M. Nevill will compete in the primary. Republican Vicki Nohrden is also running to represent the seat.

Proposition 13

This $15 billion state bond issue seeks to raise money for infrastructural projects at schools, community colleges and universities, and limit districts' abilities to impose developer fees.

Bond costs are estimated at a total of $740 million per year for the next 35 years, for a total of $25.6 billion.

Read the text of Prop 13 here. Read a summary from the Legislative Analyst's Office here.

U.S. Representative, District 20

Three candidates are running to represent the district that covers part of Santa Cruz County, part of Santa Clara County, and all of Monterey and San Benito Counties. District 20 includes most of urban Santa Cruz County and excludes much of the Santa Cruz Mountains and communities such as Davenport, part of Scotts Valley, Boulder Creek and Ben Lomond.

Incumbent and Democrat Jimmy Panetta is facing off against fellow Democrat Adam Bolaños Scow. Republican Jeff Gorman is also vying for the seat.

Stay tuned to Patch as Election Day votes are counted in Santa Cruz County and throughout California.