Quick Take
Scott Newsome’s Santa Cruz City Council district, District 4, has seen much change over the past four years, with many new housing developments beginning and finishing construction. It’s also faced adversity, particularly the partial collapse of the wharf. But he says his successes in helping downtown residents preserve affordability and his role in passing Measure C show he’s fit for a second term.
Scott Newsome is approaching the end of his first term on the Santa Cruz City Council – his first term in any elected office.
In 2022, Newsome won the District 4 city council election over Greg Hyver and Hector Marin, the latter of whom is once again challenging Newsome. The oblong district of about 10,000 residents is bounded by High Street to the north, Front Street to the east, Beach Street and the municipal wharf to the south and a mix of Bay Street and King Street to the west.
Being an incoming elected official came with a host of challenges, Newsome said, including learning the nuances of policymaking and building relationships with fellow councilmembers, city staff and constituents. Housing policy in particular was tricky, he said, especially wrangling with the increasingly limited control local government has given state mandates.
Even so, Newsome pointed to the housing construction in his district over the past four years as a win for the community. He said that more than half of the units under construction or already finished are below market rate, including those at Pacific Station South, Cedar Street Apartments, the downtown library project and the Santa Cruz Metro redevelopment project. He also said that he played a role in facilitating an affordable housing measure that eventually became the parcel tax Measure C, which passed in November.
“I think it’s a very good first step in providing a dedicated funding stream to help build affordable housing and prevent homelessness,” he said.
Newsome said he’s also proud of the city’s empty storefront registration ordinance that he worked on with Vice Mayor Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson. It requires property owners with storefronts vacant for more than two years to register with the planning department. He also is pleased that some vacant storefronts, such as the former Logos Books & Records and Palace Art & Office Supply locations, are once again running events like holiday markets and other pop-ups.
The construction of housing, and especially local government’s reduced control over it, is often difficult to navigate, Newsome said. He said he’s tried to balance his constituents’ concerns with state law.
“I think we were able to do that as best as possible with the downtown density bonus, and bringing the heights of development from 12 stories down to eight stories,” he said. The downtown density bonus allows wider structures and eases affordable housing requirements. He said that proposed developments at the Ace Hardware site and at Neptune Apartments on Pacific Avenue have already used the density bonus in their planning.
Still, Newsome said he understands concerns about the accelerated growth around the city. He said that he tries to convey to locals that they will benefit from it, particularly regarding affordable units. The vast majority of people moving into affordable housing, Newsome said, either live or work in the city or county of Santa Cruz, according to the city’s housing department.
Newsome said the city has seen a 40% decrease in homelessness over the past four years. He said he recognizes the need to set up replacement services after Housing Matters’ day services shut down at the end of March. Newsome said that although he doesn’t have a specific solution to the problem, the city does need to take it seriously.
“We’re filling that gap with temporary services that are up, but I’m going to keep working with my colleagues and staff to try to find a way towards something permanent,” he said. “We do need those services.”
Newsome voted in favor of terminating the city’s contract with Flock Safety, discontinuing the use of its automated license plate readers in January. However, the motion the council passed allows for the exploration of other vendors of the same technology. The council could consider bringing the cameras back if it finds a vendor it believes suits the city. But Newsome isn’t eager to do so.
“Obviously that’s a community decision, so that will play a big role, but at the moment, I don’t see many positives in it,” he said.
Aside from the always pressing issues such as homelessness, development and growth, Newsome said that should he win another term, he wants to invest more in local infrastructure.
“Especially in our roads, to make them safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, repave them and make them better as well as we can. More investment in our coastal infrastructure as well,” he said, adding that he was proud to help secure $13 million to help rebuild the municipal wharf following its December 2024 partial collapse. An event celebrating the completion of repairs is scheduled for April 29.
Looking back on the past four years, Newsome said he’s perhaps most proud of helping preserve affordability at the St. George Apartments on Pacific Avenue. Dozens of residents faced large rent hikes in 2024, which threatened to put them on the streets. But the city passed an ordinance to restrict rent hikes at government-assisted housing developments. The city later settled a lawsuit with the owner, with the understanding that it would abide by the rent cap.
“That’s not to say there aren’t things that I could have done better, I’m sure there definitely are,” Newsome said.
Still, Newsome believes that District 4’s gains in the past four years show he’s worthy of a second term.
“I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish,” he said, “and I feel like I have the experience and skills to serve our community. Our record helps to show that.”
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