Overview

The Santa Cruz Port District has transitioned from at-large elections to division-based elections for its commissioners commencing with the General Election in November 2024.

After a robust and deliberate public process, the Port Commission has selected a final map for how the Port District’s boundary will be split into five geographic divisions (districts) for future elections. Voters within said division will vote only for candidates residing within the same division. Voters will not be able to vote for candidates outside of their own division.

Santa Cruz Port District Schedule of Public Hearings

• Public Hearing #1 – Monday, March 6, 2023, 5:30 PM
  Public Hearing to review the districting process and to hear from the community about their ideas for potential “communities of interest” and the composition of divisions.
• Public Hearing #2 – Tuesday, March 28, 2023, 7:00 PM
  Public Hearing to review the districting process and to hear from the community about their ideas for potential “communities of interest” and the composition of districts and to receive Port Commission direction on the criteria to be considered for mapping of divisions.
• Public Hearing #3 – Tuesday, April 25, 2023, 7:00 PM
  Public Hearing to seek community input on the content of the draft division map(s) and sequence of elections.
• Public Hearing #4 – Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 7:00 PM
  Public Hearing to select a preferred division map and to adopt an ordinance to transition to a division-based electoral system.

Santa Cruz Port District Notice of Public Hearings

Final Map Adopted on May 23, 2023

Click here to review the INTERACTIVE MAP, which allows zooming in and out to see more specific details.

Divisions 1, 2, and 3 will hold elections in 2024, and divisions 4 and 5 will be up in 2026.

Draft Maps

The most detailed way to view each draft map is by using the interactive review map. The link takes you to a website where you can view all of the maps and zoom in and out to see the map details.

Staff Reports

Community Input

Contact Information

Please contact Holland MacLaurie, Port Director, at hmaclaurie@santacruzharbor.org or at (831) 475-6161 with any questions or comments regarding the division-based election transition process.