One of the candidates for the hotly contested 4th District seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, Felipe Hernandez, has filed his financial statements late for three years, a violation of campaign law.
According to Santa Cruz County Clerk Tricia Webber, Hernandez submitted his most recent form on April 27, along with six filings covering the past three years.
He missed a Jan. 31, 2024, deadline for the July 1-Dec. 31, 2023, reporting period, submitting that form April 27 as well. His Form 460 covering July 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2025, was due Feb. 2.
“Voters deserve transparency, organization and accountability — not just in what campaigns say, but in how they operate,” said Tony Nuñez, one of his two opponents in the race for the southern-most district of 53,878 people, which includes Watsonville.
Incumbent Hernandez is seeking to retain his seat against Nuñez and Elias Gonzales, both of whom filed campaign reports on time. The district includes 43,185 people who identify as Hispanic. Hernandez won his seat in 2022 with 5442 votes over challenger Jimmy Dutra’s 3959 votes.
The job pays a $139,548 base salary with benefits, including medical insurance and 120 hours of vacation a year.
The primary election is June 2. Unless one of the candidates gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November 3 election.
The recent donor forms revealed how much the candidates have raised and who supports them.
Hernandez has received $22,310 this year, according to his Form 460, with contributions from 40 donors.
While most contributions came from individuals, Hernandez also received support from unions, including Dignity CA SEIU Local 2015 and Sacramento-based Laborers Local Union 270 PAC, which each contributed $1,000, and Teamsters Local 853, which donated $550.
Barry Scott, an outspoken advocate for the rail trail project, contributed $500.
Hernandez did not respond to requests for comment. But in a statement to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, he acknowledged that the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has opened an inquiry.
“We have submitted all our filings,” he wrote. “We are responding to the inquiry and will have further comments once we receive a response from the commission.”
Candidates and elected officials must file Form 460 if they control a campaign committee or if they raise, spend, or expect to raise or spend $2,000 or more in a calendar year related to seeking or holding office. The form is also required when $2,000 or more is raised or spent during the year at the request or direction of the candidate or officeholder.
Webber, the county clerk, said candidates who file late can face fines of $10 per day, but added that the county rarely seeks penalties, preferring to help candidates comply rather than punish them.
“The fines are discretionary at the local level, and our office has historically not fined because we want to work more with making sure that they get done rather than making it a punitive thing,” she said.
The state’s FPPC, however, can require candidates who repeatedly violate filing rules to attend a compliance course.
Candidates who fail to comply after that can be assessed fines up to $5,000 per violation in serious cases, or a maximum of the amount stated in the late report, whichever is greater.
Nuñez has raised $21,498.18 from 57 individual donors, all of whom contributed between $55 and $575. More than half of the donors are from South County and the Pajaro Valley, he said.
Nuñez said that more than two dozen contributions were under $100, putting his campaign ahead of the field in small-dollar donations, which he called “a clear sign that this campaign is being powered by regular residents, working families, small business owners, and community members who want Watsonville and South County to have a stronger voice.”
Nuñez also noted that he filed his Form 460 one day early.
According to the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s Office, Gonzales reported $7,878 in contributions from 17 donors between Jan. 1 and April 18, along with $4,567 in expenditures.
His donors include several individuals, as well as two separate $125 donations from an organization called Santa Cruz for Bernie.
“Our support to date has come from individuals I have personal relationships with, including family, friends, former colleagues, and community members,” he said in a prepared statement. “I am grateful for their support and proud to be running a community-driven campaign.”
Hernandez has served in local elected office for more than a decade. He served on the Watsonville City Council from 2012 through 2020, including a term as mayor in 2016. He later joined the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees, serving from 2021 to 2022 before stepping down after being elected 4th District supervisor.
Nunez works as communications and marketing director at Community Bridges and serves as board chair for the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, which oversees Watsonville Community Hospital. He was previously an editor at the Pajaronian and Good Times.
Gonzales has a long history in community organizing, working with the City of Watsonville, Community Action Board and, most recently, the MILPA Collective, a nonprofit focused on leadership development, social infrastructure and Indigenous fellowship.
