Boulder Creek, California Public Records

While tourism is a significant driver of the local economy, Boulder Creek also supports a diverse workforce, with residents employed in a variety of sectors, including education, healthcare, and light manufacturing.

Law enforcement in Boulder Creek is primarily the responsibility of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office provides patrol, investigative, and emergency response services to the community, working to maintain public safety and address any criminal activity. Residents of Boulder Creek can contact the Sheriff's Office to report incidents, request assistance, or access information related to local law enforcement matters.

Boulder Creek voters are served by the Santa Cruz County Elections Department, located at 701 Ocean Street, Room 210, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, phone (831) 454-2060, website www.votescount.us. The Elections Department administers all federal, state, county, and local district elections for Boulder Creek residents, maintains voter registration records, processes vote-by-mail ballots, operates Vote Centers, and certifies election results. Boulder Creek residents can register to vote online at registertovote.ca.gov (California Secretary of State's online voter registration portal), which requires a California driver's license or ID card number; the deadline to register for an election is 15 days before Election Day, though California offers conditional voter registration allowing eligible citizens to register and vote provisionally up through Election Day at designated locations. Voters can also register by completing a paper registration form available at libraries, post offices, and the Elections Department office. As an unincorporated community, Boulder Creek has no municipal elections for mayor or city council; instead, residents vote in Santa Cruz County Supervisor elections for District 5, which encompasses the San Lorenzo Valley area including Boulder Creek. County Supervisor elections are held in even-numbered years with the next District 5 election scheduled for June 2026. Boulder Creek voters also participate in San Lorenzo Valley Water District elections for Board of Directors positions. Polling place lookup for Boulder Creek voters is available at www.votescount.us or by calling (831) 454-2060; California now uses a Vote Center model where registered voters can vote at any Vote Center in Santa Cruz County during the days leading up to and including Election Day, rather than being assigned to a specific precinct polling place. Vote Centers are typically open for multiple days before Election Day with expanded hours. In the November 2024 presidential election, Santa Cruz County reported approximately 68% voter turnout with strong participation from the San Lorenzo Valley communities. For the November 3, 2026 general election, Boulder Creek and Santa Cruz County voters will decide several key races: California Governor (incumbent Gavin Newsom term-limited, open race), all statewide constitutional offices including Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, and Insurance Commissioner; California State Senate District 15; California State Assembly District 28; Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors District 5; Santa Cruz County Sheriff; Santa Cruz County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk; Superior Court judges; San Lorenzo Valley Water District directors; and various special district positions. No U.S. Senate seat from California is scheduled for election in 2026 (Senator Padilla elected 2024, Senator Schiff elected 2024). California voters will also decide state ballot propositions and local county measures. California election records that are public include voter registration lists (available for purchase by qualified requestors under Elections Code Section 2184 for political purposes), campaign finance disclosure reports searchable at cal-access.sos.ca.gov for state races and ethics.ca.gov/campaign-disclosure for local races, candidate statements and filings, and precinct-level election results published at www.votescount.us after certification. Santa Cruz County provides detailed election results by precinct and Vote Center location. California is a universal vote-by-mail state where all registered voters automatically receive a mail ballot for each election; ballots are mailed approximately 29 days before Election Day and can be returned by mail (postmarked by Election Day), dropped in official ballot drop boxes located throughout the county (by 8 PM on Election Day), or brought to any Vote Center. Voters can track their mail ballot status at california.ballottrax.net/voter/. Boulder Creek has ballot drop box locations typically at the Boulder Creek Library and other community locations published before each election.