County of Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors Supervisor Zach Friend

Zach Friend first ran for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in 2012 and has served on the board ever since, running for reelection twice and winning. Friend cut his teeth working for the White House Council of Economic Advisors during the administration of Barack Obama. He also worked on various campaigns helping getting Democratic officials elected, including Sam Farr, the former assemblymember who represented parts of the Central Coast. Friend also worked as a public information officer and crime analyst for the Santa Cruz Police Department. He wrote a book about messaging which became a bestseller on Amazon. He lives in Aptos with his wife and son. 

First elected: Nov. 6, 2012

Alma mater: Georgetown University (master’s degree, public policy); UC Santa Cruz (bachelor’s degree, history)

Notable quote: “This is the beginning of what I hope to be a new culture of ‘yes’ within county government, where we look at the problems we’ve faced for quite some time—transportation, with one in five people living in poverty and many people wondering if their kids can afford to live here. How do we say yes to opportunities to ensure that those problems aren’t faced by future generations?”

Supervisor Friend has temporarily suspended in-person constituent meetings during the pandemic. He encourages constituents to contact him via phone at (831) 454-2200 or email at zach.friend@santacruzcounty.us.