Bruce McPherson was reelected to a third term on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in November 2020. He represents the Fifth District, which includes the San Lorenzo Valley, most of Scotts Valley, and a small part of Santa Cruz.
Bruce has a long and distinguished record of serving Santa Cruz County. A fourth-generation Santa Cruz County native, Bruce's career began as a reporter at his family newspaper, the Sentinel, later rising to Editor.
He served two terms in the California State Assembly (1993-96) and two terms in the California State Senate (1996-2004). Following the resignation of California’s Secretary of State in early 2005, Bruce was confirmed unanimously in both the Assembly and Senate to be Secretary of State. He was recognized as Legislator of the Year by numerous organizations and foundations.
Supervisor McPherson’s office spearheaded a five-year effort to explore a regional Community Choice Energy agency, which led to the establishment of Monterey Bay Community Power, now known as Central Coast Community Energy. The joint-powers agency, which includes 34 jurisdictions, serves more than 400,000 customer accounts from Santa Cruz to Santa Barbara counties.
Throughout the years, Bruce has worked closely with Second Harvest Food Bank, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, the Cabrillo College 50th Anniversary Scholarship Committee, United Way, the Tannery Arts Center, Ecology Action, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Exploration Center, American Red Cross, and many other non-profit agencies. He also led the effort to establish the Museum of Art and History @ The McPherson Center.
He has been honored for his dedication and commitment to improving education, supporting public safety, fighting for environmental protection, and assisting small businesses.
Supervisor McPherson represents the Board of Supervisors on the following regional agencies and boards:
- Advisory Council – Area Agency on Aging
- California State Association of Counties Board of Directors
- Child Welfare Services System Improvement Plan Steering Committee (SIP)
- Visit Santa Cruz Council Board of Directors
- First 5 Commission
- Central Coast Community Energy Policy Board of Directors
- Santa Cruz County Consolidated Redevelopment Oversight Board (Alternate)
- Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission
- Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District Board of Directors
- Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency Board of Directors
Staff to Supervisor McPherson includes:
- J.M. Brown, County Supervisor's Analyst
- Virginia "Gine" Johnson, County Supervisor's Analyst
Supervisor McPherson can be contacted as follows:
To sign up for Supervisor McPherson’s newsletter, send an email to Fifth.District@santacruzcountyca.gov.
District Meetings
- District 5 Town Hall – January 18, 2022
- District 5 Town Hall – December 8, 2021
- District 5 Town Hall – November 9, 2021
To be consistent with Santa Cruz County Public Health recommendations, Supervisor McPherson will be temporarily suspending in-person constituent meetings. In the meantime, Supervisor McPherson encourages constituents to contact him via phone at 831-454-2200 or email at bruce.mcpherson@santacruzcountyca.gov.