Gail Pellerin, Santa Cruz County Clerk, checks vote-by-mail ballots on June 6 at the County Clerk’s office following election day. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/Pajaronian
WATSONVILLE — County officials finalized the June election results Monday afternoon, which show Aurelio Gonzalez defeating Jenni Veitch-Olson for the Watsonville City Council District 2 seat.
In the Santa Cruz County Supervisor District 4 race, Greg Caput will be seeking reelection in November against Jimmy Dutra.
Only about a quarter of the 1,955 registered voters in District 2 participated in the election, with Gonzalez gathering 27 more votes than Veitch-Olson.
District 2 covers Watsonville High School, parts of downtown and streets surrounding Palm Avenue to the northeast.
Gonzalez will be sworn in to the council on Tuesday.
Caput and Dutra garnered 32.37 percent and 26.86 of the vote, respectively, with the incumbent leading the challenger by 362 votes in the five-person race.
District 4 ranges from Hazel Dell and Mount Madonna Roads to the north; the Pajaro River to the south; Green Valley Road and Airport Boulevard to the west; and the Santa Cruz County border line in Mount Madonna and Aromas to the east.
About a third of the district’s 18,813 voters turned out for the election.
According to County Clerk Gail Pellerin, the June election had the highest turnout compared to the past three primaries. Of the 152,387 registered voters in the county, 47.50 percent voted.
Pellerin thanked the poll workers, city clerks and others who provided support for the election, calling it a “monumental task.”
“Each of these individuals is passionate about our democratic process and committed to providing accessible, accurate and transparent elections,” she said. “Together they are an amazing elections team, and I am extremely grateful for their service.”
California Elections Code allows any voter to request a recount for a specific race five days after the final vote count, which is Saturday. For information, call Pellerin at 454-2419, email [email protected] or visit www.votescount.com.
