Bernie Sanders’ Tuesday visit: What you need to know

Less than a week after Hillary Clinton visited the Central Coast, Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders is heading into town. Sanders is hoping voters will ‘Feel the Bern’ as he speaks not only in Monterey but Santa Cruz as well. On Monday, another stop was announced – Spreckels on Wednesday for a press conference on fracking. That event is closed to the public.

As for Tuesday, a packed house at Kaiser Permanente Arena is expected. The event starts at 12:30 p.m., but doors will open at 10 a.m.

The arena is expected to reach capacity, which is 4,000. Santa Cruz city leaders said overflow will have to stand outside on a section of Laurel Street, which will be closed to traffic.

Parking around the arena is already restricted, along with increased police presence. The City of Santa Cruz is working carefully with the Secret Service to make sure everything runs smoothly.

“A lot of plans put in place… parking, obviously police, road closures, and just notifications,” Santa Cruz Assistant City Manager Scott Collins said. “So a lot of work goes into it before they ultimately can pull the trigger and make sure that it’s going to be a safe event.”

Santa Cruz is already known for its Bernie supporters, but the Sanders campaign office said more delegates need to be reached. They’re also hoping to recruit new voters.

After Santa Cruz, Sanders will head to Monterey. The rally at Colton Hall begins at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. For more details on that stop, click here.