California's 17th senatorial district

California's 17th State Senate district
California's 17th State Senate district
Current senator
	John Laird; D–Santa Cruz
Population (2010); • Voting age; • Citizen voting age	931,341; 724,678; 615,065
Demographics	56.49% White; 2.33% Black; 30.95% Latino; 8.06% Asian; 0.95% Native American; 0.39% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; 0.30% other; 0.53% remainder of multiracial;
Registered voters	567,749
Registration	46.61% Democratic; 23.90% Republican; 23.72% No party preference

California's 17th senatorial district is one of 40 California State Senate districts. It is currently represented by Democrat John Laird of Santa Cruz.

District profile

The district encompasses the Big Sur section of the Central Coast, including Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey Counties, along with northern San Luis Obispo County.

Election results from statewide races

Year	Office	Results
2021	Recall	No 65.1 – 34.9%
2020	President	Biden 66.8 – 30.8%
2018	Governor	Newsom 63.8 – 36.2%
2018	Senator	Feinstein 54.0 – 46.0%
2016	President	Clinton 63.4 – 29.6%
2016	Senator	Harris 67.0 – 33.0%
2014	Governor	Brown 66.0 – 34.0%
2012	President	Obama 62.8 – 33.9%
2012	Senator	Feinstein 65.1 – 34.9%

List of senators

Due to redistricting, the 17th district has been moved around different parts of the state. The current iteration resulted from the 2021 redistricting by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Senators	Party	Years served	Counties represented	Notes
Charles Dent Reynolds	Democratic	January 8, 1883 – January 5, 1885	Calaveras, Tuolumne
Andrew B. Beauvais	Republican	January 5, 1885 – January 3, 1887	Calaveras, Tuolumne
Henry Vrooman		January 3, 1887 – January 7, 1889	Alameda
William E. Dargie		January 7, 1889 – January 2, 1893	Alameda
William J. Dunn	Democratic	January 2, 1893 – January 4, 1897	San Francisco
Samuel Braunhart	Democratic	January 4, 1897 – June 28, 1900		Resigned to become a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Vacant		June 28, 1900 – January 1, 1901
Joseph M. Plunkett	Democratic	January 1, 1901 – January 2, 1905
Frank A. Markey	Republican	January 2, 1905 – January 4, 1909
Thomas F. Finn	Republican	January 4, 1909 – January 6, 1913
Archibald E. Campbell	Democratic	January 6, 1913 – January 8, 1917	Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo
Elmer S. Rigdon	Democratic	January 8, 1917 – December 13, 1922	Monterey, San Luis Obispo	Died in office.^[3]
Vacant		December 13, 1922 – March 5, 1923
Ralph Leon Hughes	Republican	March 5, 1923 – January 5, 1925		Sworn in after winning special election.^[4]
C. C. Baker		January 5, 1925 – January 2, 1933
William Richard Sharkey		January 2, 1933 – January 4, 1937	Contra Costa
Truman H. DeLap		January 4, 1937 – January 3, 1949
George Miller Jr.	Democratic	January 3, 1949 – January 2, 1967
Donald L. Grunsky	Republican	January 2, 1967 – November 30, 1976	Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz
Bob Nimmo	Republican	December 6, 1976 – November 30, 1980	Monterey, San Benito, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz
Henry J. Mello	Democratic	December 1, 1980 – November 30, 1992	Monterey, San Benito, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz
Henry J. Mello	Democratic	December 1, 1980 – November 30, 1992	Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz
Don Rogers	Republican	December 15, 1992 – November 30, 1996	Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino	Took his seat in the 17th district after resigning from the 16th district.
William J. Knight	Republican	December 2, 1996 – May 7, 2004		Died in office.
Vacant		May 7, 2004 – December 6, 2004
George Runner	Republican	December 6, 2004 – December 21, 2010	Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura	Resigned from the Senate.
Vacant		December 21, 2010 – February 18, 2011
Sharon Runner	Republican	February 18, 2011 – December 3, 2012		Sworn in after winning special election.
Bill Monning	Democratic	December 3, 2012 – November 30, 2020	Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz
John Laird	Democratic	December 7, 2020 – present	Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz

Election results

2024

2024 California State Senate 17th district election^[5]^[6]
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Laird (incumbent)	143,912	64.5
	Republican	Tony Virrueta	48,829	21.9
	Republican	Eric Tao	25,845	11.6
	Libertarian	Michael Oxford	4,591	2.1
Total votes			223,177	100.0
General election
	Democratic	John Laird (incumbent)	269,862	65.0
	Republican	Tony Virrueta	144,992	35.0
Total votes			414,854	100.0
	Democratic hold

2020

2020 California State Senate 17th district election^[7]^[8]
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Laird	138,986	44.4
	Republican	Vicki Nohrden	98,649	31.5
	Democratic	Maria Cadenas	65,525	20.9
	Democratic	John M. Nevill	10,040	3.2
Total votes			313,200	100.00
General election
	Democratic	John Laird	320,090	64.7
	Republican	Vicki Nohrden	174,587	35.3
Total votes			494,677	100.00
	Democratic hold

2016

2016 California State Senate 17th district election^[9]^[10]
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill Monning (incumbent)	185,586	68.8
	Republican	Palmer Kain	84,142	31.2
Total votes			269,728	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Bill Monning (incumbent)	268,806	65.5
	Republican	Palmer Kain	141,339	34.5
Total votes			410,145	100.00
	Democratic hold

2012

2012 California State Senate 17th district election^[11]^[12]
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill Monning	110,890	59.4
	Republican	Larry Beaman	75,713	40.6
Total votes			186,603	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Bill Monning	236,213	63.3
	Republican	Larry Beaman	136,836	36.7
Total votes			373,049	100.00
	Democratic gain from Republican

2011 (special)

2011 California State Senate 17th district special election
Vacancy resulting from the resignation of George Runner^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sharon Runner	44,238	65.3
	Democratic	Darren W. Parker	23,534	34.7
Total votes			67,772	100.0
	Republican hold

2008

2008 California State Senate 17th district election^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Runner (incumbent)	182,295	54.8
	Democratic	Bruce McFarland	150,060	45.2
Total votes			332,355	100.0
	Republican hold

2004

2004 California State Senate 17th district election^[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Runner	179,992	59.7
	Democratic	Jonathan Daniel Kraut	109,037	36.2
	Libertarian	John S. Ballard	12,479	4.1
Total votes			301,508	100.0
	Republican hold

2000

2000 California State Senate 17th district election^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William J. Knight (incumbent)	172,723	64.4
	Democratic	Richard Lott	84,427	31.5
	Libertarian	John R. Gibson	7,667	2.9
	Natural Law	Douglas R. Wallack	3,543	1.3
Total votes			268,360	100.0
	Republican hold

1996

1996 California State Senate 17th district election^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William J. Knight	163,531	66.6
	Democratic	Steven A. Figueroa	61,962	33.4
Total votes			225,493	100.0
	Republican hold

1992

1992 California State Senate 17th district election^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Don Rogers (incumbent)	136,298	52.2
	Democratic	William M. Olenick	101,715	38.9
	Libertarian	Fred Heiser	23,340	8.9
Total votes			261,353	100.0
	Republican gain from Democratic

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Citizens Redistricting Commission Final Report, 2011" (PDF).
^ "Report of Registration as of February 18, 2020" (PDF).
^ "Senator Rigdon Dies, Following Collapse at Hotel". Santa Cruz Evening News. San Francisco. AP. December 13, 1922. p. 1. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Ralph Hughes Sworn in". babel.hathitrust.org.
^ "March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "November 5, 2024, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "November 3, 2020, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "November 8, 2016, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "June 5, 2012, Presidential Primary Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "November 6, 2012, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "Official Canvass - State Senator - 17th Senate District* - Special Primary Election, February 15, 2011" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "November 4, 2008, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "November 2, 2004, Presidential General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "November 7, 2000, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "November 5, 1996, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
^ "November 3, 1992, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

External links

District map from the California Citizens Redistricting Commission

[population-1] "Citizens Redistricting Commission Final Report, 2011" (PDF).

[2] "Report of Registration as of February 18, 2020" (PDF).

[3] "Senator Rigdon Dies, Following Collapse at Hotel". Santa Cruz Evening News. San Francisco. AP. December 13, 1922. p. 1. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Ralph Hughes Sworn in". babel.hathitrust.org.

[5] "March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[6] "November 5, 2024, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[7] "March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[8] "November 3, 2020, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[9] "June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[10] "November 8, 2016, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[11] "June 5, 2012, Presidential Primary Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[12] "November 6, 2012, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[13] "Official Canvass - State Senator - 17th Senate District* - Special Primary Election, February 15, 2011" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[14] "November 4, 2008, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[15] "November 2, 2004, Presidential General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[16] "November 7, 2000, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[17] "November 5, 1996, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[18] "November 3, 1992, General Election - State Senator" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

v t e California State Legislature districts
Senate	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Assembly	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

v t e State of California
Sacramento (capital)
Topics	Culture food music languages California sound sports California Dream Crime Demographics Earthquakes Economy agriculture Education Education, history of Environment Geography climate ecology flora fauna Government Capitol districts governor legislature Supreme Court Healthcare Abortion History Law LGBT rights National Historic Landmarks National Natural Landmarks NRHP listings Politics congressional delegations elections People Protected areas state parks state historic landmarks Symbols Transportation Water Index of articles
Regions	Antelope Valley Big Sur California Coast Ranges Cascade Range Central California Central Coast Central Valley Channel Islands Coachella Valley Coastal California Conejo Valley Cucamonga Valley Death Valley East Bay (SF Bay Area) East County (SD) Eastern California Emerald Triangle Gold Country Great Basin Greater San Bernardino Inland Empire Klamath Basin Lake Tahoe Greater Los Angeles Los Angeles Basin Lost Coast Mojave Desert Mountain Empire North Bay (SF) North Coast North County (SD) Northern California Orange Coast Owens Valley Oxnard Plain Peninsular Ranges Pomona Valley Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta Sacramento Valley Saddleback Valley Salinas Valley San Fernando Valley San Francisco Bay Area San Francisco Peninsula San Gabriel Valley San Joaquin Valley Santa Clara Valley Santa Clara River Valley Santa Clarita Valley Santa Ynez Valley Shasta Cascade Sierra Nevada Silicon Valley South Bay (LA) South Bay (SD) South Bay (SF) South Coast Southern Border Region Southern California Transverse Ranges Tri-Valley Victor Valley Wine Country
Metro regions	Fresno–Madera Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Sacramento–Roseville Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario San Diego–Tijuana San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland
Counties	Alameda Alpine Amador Butte Calaveras Colusa Contra Costa Del Norte El Dorado Fresno Glenn Humboldt Imperial Inyo Kern Kings Lake Lassen Los Angeles Madera Marin Mariposa Mendocino Merced Modoc Mono Monterey Napa Nevada Orange Placer Plumas Riverside Sacramento San Benito San Bernardino San Diego San Francisco San Joaquin San Luis Obispo San Mateo Santa Barbara Santa Clara Santa Cruz Shasta Sierra Siskiyou Solano Sonoma Stanislaus Sutter Tehama Trinity Tulare Tuolumne Ventura Yolo Yuba
Most populous cities	Los Angeles San Diego San Jose San Francisco Fresno Sacramento Long Beach Oakland Bakersfield Anaheim
California portal