COMMUNITY NEWS
Candidate Filing for Nov. Election Closes Aug. 7 C andidates interested in running for any of the school or special districts or city offices up for election on Nov. 3 may file candidate papers with either the Santa Cruz County Elections Department for districts, or the appropriate City Clerk’s Office for city offices now through 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7. New procedures are in place due to the contagious coronavirus COVID-19 to protect the health of candidates and county elections officials. Candidates must first complete a Preliminary Candidate Information worksheet on the Santa Cruz County Elections website at www.votescount.us, email it to the office, and then make an appointment to come in to file the required documents. All documents to be filed are posted online at www.votescount.us. Candidates should complete the documents, print them at home and bring them to their appointment. The Declaration of Candidacy will be prepared at the office since it must be signed in front of an elections official or notary. If a candidate is unable to personally appear at the office, contact County Clerk Gail Pellerin at 831454-2419 or info@votescount.us and other arrangements will be made. Filing for local offices will end Aug. 7 unless the incumbent (who is not termed out) does not file. In that case, filing will be extended until 5 p.m. Aug. 10. A complete list of offices on the ballot are available at www.votescount.us . To see
which districts you live in, go to https:// electiondatalookup.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/ Offices up for election in November include boards of education, community college boards, unified and high school district boards, elementary school district boards, fire protection district boards, water district boards, port district commission, recreation district boards, other miscellaneous boards, as well as city council members in the four cities. A person is eligible to be elected or appointed to the school and special district boards if that person is:
• 18 years old and a citizen of the state at the time of his/her election or appointment. • A registered voter of the district or division and otherwise qualified to vote for that office at the time nomination papers are issued or at the time of the appointment. • For the resource conservation district, appointees must be a registered voter of the state who resides in the district and either owns real property or have served two years or more as an associate director providing advisory
assistance to the board, or be a designated agent of a resident landowner within the district. • Candidates who file for city office must be a registered voter of the city. • All candidates for city office must file a nomination petition with 20 valid signatures to have their name placed on the November ballot. In addition, Declarations of Candidacy must be filed with the appropriate City Clerk’s Office. • Watsonville City Clerk’s Office – 275 Main St., 4th Floor, Watsonville, CA 95076, 831-768-3040 Declarations of Candidacy and Nomination Petitions for city office must be filed between July 13 and Aug. 7 with the City Clerk’s Office. Appointment to each elective office will be made if there are no nominees or an insufficient number of nominees for the office. At the time the candidate files a Declaration of Candidacy, candidates have the option of submitting a 200-word statement of qualifications to be published in the County Voter Information Guide and posted online at the candidate’s expense. n ••• Because strict rules and laws govern candidate filing, interested persons are encouraged to download the Candidate’s Handbook at www. votescount.us or call the Elections Department at 831-454-2060. Candidates for City Council should contact the City Clerk in their city.
Noisy Fourth of July: 110 Pounds Fireworks Seized
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uring 4th of July weekend, Santa Cruz County deputies confiscated 110 pounds of fireworks and issued 11 citations for fireworks but residents of Rio Del Mar and Seacliff sharing their frustrations on NextDoor say it was like a war zone – again. “We felt like we were under siege,” wrote Kim O’Meara, describing the Rio Del Mar Flats. “So many huge fire works, so much smoke we were gagging on it.” Leslie-Anne Morgan-Erickson agreed, “The smoke was so thick I had to close all the windows.” After she messaged the Sheriff’s Office, a fire engine drove through the area, but once it left, the fireworks started again. Firefighters drove to the area again, turning on their spotlights and getting
out of the truck but once they left, the fireworks went on for 90 minutes, according to Morgan-Erickson. “Of the 4 yrs I’ve been here for the 4th of July, this year was the worst,” she wrote. “Smoke everywhere,” wrote Betsy Hare. “My 11yr old Havanese is terrified, shivering and crying for hours.” Seacliff residents reported much the same. “M80s cherry bomb blowing off everywhere,” wrote Deb Iannarelli.
8 / July 15th 2020 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
“Poor dog is shaking and trying to keep her calm,” wrote Loren Morse. “Last night was the worst I ever had getting to sleep with all the illegal pop … fireworks going on till about 2 a.m.,” wrote Pat Hanson. Besides the fireworks citation and confiscations, there were 80 parking citations and seven open container citations, according to Ashley Keehn, spokeswoman for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff Office. On Saturday night, deputies
responded to a report of a bullet entering a home on Miller Avenue in Freedom within inches of a 10-year-old girl arrested Douglas Paz for negligent discharge of a firearm and resisting arrest. Deputies say Paz was shooting into the ground to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. During a search, three guns were seized, including the revolver used, according to deputies. The holiday was calmer for the Santa Cruz Police Department, which reported that during the 24 hour July 4 holiday period, there were no reported major acts of violence or crime. Officers responded to 300 calls for service, made 10 arrests, for disorderly conduct, and issued six citations. Police estimated beach crowds at their peak were around 5,000, far less than in year’s past. n
