COMMUNITY FIRST
DISTRICT 4
Hector Marin — Santa Cruz City Council District 4
I am running for Santa Cruz City Council District 4 to ensure Santa Cruzans are fairly represented and that working families have a stronger voice in local government.
As a bilingual public school educator at Harbor High School and County Commissioner, I work with our youth every day and see firsthand the challenges facing working families. Being present in our classrooms reminds me how important it is to build a future where Santa Cruzans—and future generations—can afford to live and thrive in our city.
Santa Cruz needs proactive leadership—rebuilding the Wharf before it collapses, improving street and community safety, supporting local small businesses downtown, and providing truly affordable housing for Santa Cruz working families.
I helped lead the Save the Catalyst effort, bringing together more than 11,000 community supporters to protect an important part of Santa Cruz’s cultural identity.
I serve as a commissioner on the Circle on Anti-Racism, Economic and Social Justice and have passed countywide equity frameworks to expand county services. As a former AFSCME 3299 union organizer, I advocated for dignity, fair wages, and respect for working people.
Our vision is about putting Community First: An Affordable Santa Cruz, Protecting What We Love, and having a Clean & Safe Downtown. We pledge to host community town halls to represent you. Together, we can bring strong community representation to the Santa Cruz City Council. I would be honored to earn your support.
ABout héctor
Héctor Marín is the son of a migrant family with roots in Michoacán and Zacatecas, Mexico. Raised with a strong sense of community and responsibility, he demonstrated leadership early in life as his high school’s student body president and as a member of the Emerging Leaders Council, where he served as a youth representative to the city council. He is also an avid soccer player.
Héctor attended community college before transferring to the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he graduated as a first-generation college student. While at UCSC, he worked as a service worker and became active in AFSCME 3299, advocating for service workers across the University of California system. During the Black Lives Matter movement, he co-founded the NAACP chapter at UC Santa Cruz, helping organize civic engagement events that brought together community members and local leaders.
After graduating, Héctor pursued a career in public education and currently teaches at Harbor High School, where he is in his third year. His work in education reflects his ongoing commitment to young people and community development.
Héctor was later appointed as a county commissioner by former Supervisor John Leopold. In this role, he has contributed to countywide equity efforts by working with community organizations and nonprofit partners to expand access to essential services, engaging thousands of residents in the process.
He also co-founded Grito de la Génte, a community organization that hosts annual Mexican and Latin Independence Day celebrations in the Beach Flats neighborhood of District 4.
Today, Héctor continues to serve as a commissioner, contributing to the county’s strategic planning efforts while remaining dedicated to his students and community.