Candidates for the City Council election this November may have to wait until summer before they can officially file to run, but that has not stopped them from announcing their intentions. Three of the council seats are at stake, and Councilmember Lynn Robertson is the only eligible incumbent. Among the issues that the prospective candidates are addressing are how to make do with less, given the recession, and what to do about growing crime and violence. Other major issues will be the expansion of UC Santa Cruz’s campus, water desalination proposals and increasing homelessness.
Candidates expected to run include David Terrazas of the Transportation Commission and real estate agent Hilary Bryant. The campaign should also get some color if the Pink Umbrella Man decides to run. Robert Steffen, a former engineer, is known for roaming the streets of Santa Cruz dressed in a pink outfit and carrying a pink parasol. He says that he is running to revoke city ordinances discouraging panhandling and preventing people from sleeping on the street. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
