APTOS — With Election Day fading quickly in the rearview mirror, the view of the 2nd District Santa Cruz County supervisor race remains clear: Kim De Serpa is the assumed victor, beating out opponent Kristen Brown.
Another batch of results were added to election totals last Friday and it was enough for De Serpa to declare victory in a letter to supporters shortly thereafter.
“To everyone who supported this campaign — volunteering, encouraging, and sharing our message — thank you from the bottom of my heart,” De Serpa wrote in the letter. “This campaign succeeded because of you. I hope many of you will continue to advise and guide me in the years ahead. Your support and inspiration will remain key as we move forward together.”
As of Friday, De Serpa had collected 12,672 votes, just shy of 51% of the electorate, while Brown had 11,941 votes or 48%.
In an interview with the Sentinel Thursday, De Serpa said she had begun the process of transitioning into her new county role. De Serpa, along with unofficial 5th District winner Monica Martinez, have spent this week in Los Angeles attending the California State Association of Counties Annual Meeting to get training for their new roles and mingle with other soon-to-be county leaders across the state. She also said she has been meeting with her predecessor, Supervisor Zach Friend, to learn more about the ins and outs of holding countywide office.
“He’s been very generous in transitioning his office to me and … in general with his experiences with both Monica and I,” said De Serpa. “That’s been very nice.”
Despite the chronic financial woes the county will continue to grapple with after De Serpa takes office next year, she said she’ll begin her coming four-year term closely focused on improving local roads, parks, recreational opportunities and health care access.
“My expertise is in health care, social services, behavioral health and education,” De Serpa said. “Because I have real-life knowledge of how those services work or don’t for the average person, I want to try to improve those things for people that need help.”
But all of this work will require De Serpa’s full attention. She confirmed that she will soon step down from her role as a manager of social services with the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System and will resign from the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees sometime in December, as she still has two years left in her current term, due to an incompatibility of public offices.
Among the work she’s proudest to have shepherded in her almost five years with Salinas Valley Memorial is a free Narcan distribution program to prevent accidental overdose deaths through the Prescribe Safe coalition as well as other substance use disorder treatment plans.
De Serpa will also soon wrap up a 14-year tenure on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board, which serves about 20,000 students from Aptos to North Monterey County. She said the district’s teachers have among the highest salaries and benefits in the region.
“I do feel very proud of that fact,” said De Serpa.
While De Serpa’s declaration of victory in the 2nd District is relatively fresh, vote totals had been trending in her favor ever since election night. Brown acknowledged to the Sentinel last week that a defeat was likely and followed that up only a few days later with a concession in a newsletter message to her supporters.
“Running for County Supervisor has been one of the most challenging and motivating experiences of my life — and an absolute honor. While the results weren’t what we hoped for, we can be proud of the clean, honest and fact-based campaign we ran together,” wrote Brown. “As a lifelong policy expert, I know our work is far from over. Challenging times lie ahead, and I look forward to the next chapter of supporting our community.”
A woman has not held a seat on the five-member Board of Supervisors since 2012, a streak that will be broken in duplicate fashion when both De Serpa and Martinez begin their four-year terms in office on Jan. 6, 2025.
The 2nd District, home to about 54,700 residents, includes coastal areas from Capitola to Pajaro Dunes, inland regions around Day Valley, Corralitos and Amesti, as well as a slice of the city of Watsonville.