City of Santa Cruz City Council Councilmember Sandy Brown

Sandy Brown was first elected to the Santa Cruz City Council in 2016, saying at the time that the most important issue facing the city was sustainable economic development. Brown said that her engagement with economic sustainability during her time as a college professor allowed her to apply such experience to decisions at the city council level. During her research for her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, Brown traveled from strawberry fields outside of Watsonville all the way down to plantations in Latin America. She has pledged to stand up for local community values over corporate and developer interests in Santa Cruz.

First elected: Nov. 8, 2016

Day job: College professor at San Jose State University

Alma maters: UC Berkeley (doctorate, geography); UC Santa Cruz (bachelor’s degree, political science)

Notable quote: “For the past four years I’ve focused on policies to increase the number of affordable housing units in new developments; renter protections; living wage jobs; and critical supportive services for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.” 

City Council Standing Committees
Community Programs Committee

External Assignments
Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council
Community Action Board
Measure U Implementation Working Group
Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission