Santa Cruz, California is a vibrant city located on the Central Coast of the state. It is home to an eclectic mix of people and cultures from around the world, making it one of the most diverse cities in California. Santa Cruz has a strong political presence, with local government that works to ensure the interests of its citizens are represented at all levels of decision-making. The city council consists of seven members elected by voters who live in Santa Cruz. In addition to this body, there are various commissions and committees that serve as advisory boards for different projects or initiatives within the city. These committees represent a variety of interests including citizens’ rights, sustainability, public safety, housing and economic development. Santa Cruz also has a thriving political scene with many local organizations and campaigns working to bring attention to important issues in the community such as affordable housing and economic justice. Residents have many opportunities to get involved in their local politics either through volunteering or joining an organization that aligns with their values. With so much diversity being showcased through its politics, Santa Cruz truly is an exciting place for anyone wanting to get involved in their local government.
The political climate in Santa Cruz, CA is strongly liberal.
Santa Cruz County, CA is very liberal. In Santa Cruz County, CA 78.4% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 18.5% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 3.1% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Santa Cruz county remained overwhelmingly Democratic, 78.4% to 18.5%.
Santa Cruz county voted Democratic in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Santa Cruz, CA is strongly liberal.
Santa Cruz County, California is very liberal.
Santa Cruz-Watsonville Metro Area is very liberal.
California is strongly liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Santa Cruz, California: D D D D D D
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D if the Democratic Party candidate won and I if the Independent Party candidate won. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Santa Cruz, CA
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 60,933 contributions totaling $7,803,621 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $128 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 2,177 contributions totaling $486,749 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $224 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)