What a difference a week makes. The Weekly's cover story today focuses on two 2016 elections (Assembly District 30 and Monterey County supervisor District 1), but the landscape has changed.
Peter Leroe-Muñoz, one of three Democrats in the Assembly race, announced this afternoon that he's dropping out, leaving two Democratic contenders, Anna Caballero and Karina Cervantez Alejo in the fight.
There's also a new Republican contender in the mix. Georgia Acosta of Watsonville pulled papers Jan. 4 to collect supporters' signatures to get on the ballot for Assembly district race. She ran for (and narrowly lost) a seat on the board of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District in 2004, and has not sought elected office since then.
John Nevill, a Republican who lives just outside of King City, filed paperwork in November to run for the Assembly seat. This appears to be his first run for elected office.
(Since California switched over to open primaries, the top two candidates in June will face off in November at the general election, no matter what their party affiliation is.)
Read the cover story here.
Today's cover story also recaps another political phenomenon the Weekly has reported in recent weeks: Even with U.S. Rep. Sam Farr's retirement, the field of candidates vying to replace him is remarkably sparse.
The only Republican contender to date is Pacific Grove City Councilwoman Casey Lucius and the only Dem is Deputy District Attorney Jimmy Panetta. (Alejo is among the long list of elected officials who mulled a run for Congress and opted out.)
Matt Bruner, an independent who lives in Soquel, filed papers with the Federal Elections Commission indicating his intent to run Dec. 31, and launched a campaign website Jan. 2.
"Running for Congress is not something I decided to do overnight," Bruner writes on his website.
"Granted, Sam Farr’s retirement announcement came as somewhat of a surprise, but holding public office is always something I have aspired to."
It appears that Bruner has never before run for or held elected office; he was not immediately available for an interview Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.
On his website, Bruner describes his motivation to run for office, and also lays out a 10-point policy plan covering issues from parental leave to gun control. He also seems to knock his opponent Panetta, who is the son of Leon Panetta, a former congressman, secretary of defense and CIA director.
"Most people know that our political system favors those already in power, or those who have connections to powerful people," Bruner writes. "Most people know this, and accept it. I am running as an independent because I know this, and I don't accept it. I don't want to live in a country that labels itself a democracy, and doesn't act like one."
Update: This story has been updated to reflect that Peter Leroe-Muñoz confirmed he is dropping out of the race for Assembly.