City of Santa Cruz City Council Councilmember Justin Cummings

Justin Cummings said public service is in his blood, having watched his mother serve as a public health nutritionist and his father serve as a public defender in Chicago. When he was elected as mayor of Santa Cruz in December 2019, he became the first black man to serve as mayor in Santa Cruz history. He came to Santa Cruz to pursue a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from UC Santa Cruz. Having successfully obtained the degree, he transitioned to working for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, which sought to help college students from diverse backgrounds become future leaders in the conservation movement. He first ran for council in 2018 and promised to represent working-class voices. 

First elected: Nov. 6, 2018

Day job: Drone operator and environmental sensor technician at UC Santa Cruz

Alma maters: UC Santa Cruz (Ph.D., ecology and environment); Eastern Illinois University (bachelor’s degree, Spanish literature and language, biology)

Notable quote: “We deserve a City Council that works for the many, not the few.”

City Council Committees
Public Safety Committee
Council Ad Hoc Revenue Committee

External Assignments
Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments
Climate Action Task Force
Local Agency Formation Commission (Santa Cruz holds the city seat through May 2022)
Measure U Implementation Working Group
Santa Cruz County Integrated Waste Management Local Task Force
Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency