Santa Cruz City Council: Scott Newsome well ahead in District 4 race

Scott Newsome (left) took an early lead on his competition for the District 4 seat on the Santa Cruz City Council.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Scott Newsome was leading the Santa Cruz City Council District 4 race with 51% of the total votes counted. Hector Marin is in second place with 31% of the total votes counted, followed by Greg Hyver, with 9%.

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A new face will join the Santa Cruz City Council dais come 2023, and he will represent the newly formed District 4.

As of Wednesday, it looked as though that face will belong to Scott Newsome, who led with 51% of the vote, or 575 votes. Hector Marin is in second place with 31% of the vote, followed by Greg Hyver with 9%.

A fourth name, Bodie Shargel, received 8% of the vote. However, he withdrew from the race in September.

The district — with a population of about 10,000 and 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 — will see drastic change in the next few years, including potentially 17-story housing developments and thousands of new residents.

Santa Cruz City Council’s new District 4 will greet a novice officeholder after November’s election. Greg Hyver, Hector...

None of the three candidates has ever held elected office before. Newsome views himself as a pragmatist who will bring his experience as a UC Santa Cruz politics lecturer and economics researcher to the council.

Marin, the only Latino in the race, said he wished to engage more directly with Santa Cruzans by expanding public comment, host more community engagement meetings, and ensure multilingual services — all for a more equitable city. By midnight, he had received 297 votes.

Santa Cruz City Council District 4 candidate Hector Marin speaks at SEIU local headquarters.
Santa Cruz City Council District 4 candidate Hector Marin speaks Tuesday night at SEIU local headquarters.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Hyver is all about individualism and seeks to promote a direct-democracy style of government in District 4, introducing a “software-based, policymaking platform” that captures the direct voices of his constituents. By midnight, he had received 78 votes.

From election night through the ongoing vote counts, Election Central directs you to our latest coverage.



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