California's 17th senatorial district

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	align="right" Template:Na No 65.1 – 34.9%
2020	President	align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Biden 66.8 – 30.8%
2018	Governor	align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Newsom 63.8 – 36.2%
	Senator	align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Feinstein 54.0 – 46.0%
2016	President	align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Clinton 63.4 – 29.6%
	Senator	align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Harris 67.0 – 33.0%
2014	Governor	align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Brown 66.0 – 34.0%
2012	President	align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Obama 62.8 – 33.9%
	Senator	align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | 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 2011 redistricting by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Senators	Party	Years served	Counties represented	Notes
Charles Dent Reynolds	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic	January 8, 1883 - January 5, 1885	Calaveras, Tuolumne
Andrew B. Beauvais	rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Republican	January 5, 1885 - January 3, 1887
Henry Vrooman	January 3, 1887 - January 7, 1889	Alameda
William E. Dargie	January 7, 1889 - January 2, 1893
William J. Dunn	rowspan=3 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic	January 2, 1893 - January 4, 1897	San Francisco
Samuel Braunhart	January 4, 1897 - June 28, 1900	Resigned to become a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Joseph M. Plunkett	January 1, 1901 - January 2, 1905
Frank A. Markey	rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Republican	January 2, 1905 - January 4, 1909
Thomas F. Finn	January 4, 1909 - January 6, 1913
Archibald E. Campbell	rowspan=2 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic	January 6, 1913 - January 8, 1917	Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo
Elmer S. Rigdon	January 8, 1917 - December 13, 1922	Monterey, San Luis Obispo	Died in office.
Ralph Leon Hughes	rowspan=4 style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Republican		March 5, 1923 - January 5, 1925	Sworn in after winning special election.
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.	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic		January 3, 1949 - January 2, 1967
Donald L. Grunsky	rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Republican	January 2, 1967 - November 30, 1976	Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz
Bob Nimmo	December 6, 1976 - November 30, 1980	Monterey, San Benito, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz
Henry J. Mello	rowspan=2 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic		December 1, 1980 - November 30, 1992
	Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz
Don Rogers	rowspan=4 style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |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	December 2, 1996 – May 7, 2004	Died in office.
George Runner	December 6, 2004 – December 21, 2010	Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura	Resigned from the Senate.
Sharon Runner	February 18, 2011 – December 3, 2012		Sworn in after winning special election.
Bill Monning	rowspan=2 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic	December 3, 2012 – November 30, 2020	Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz
John Laird	December 7, 2020 – present

Election results (1992–present)

2020

Template:Election box open primary begin no change |- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| John Laird |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 44.4 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Vicki Nohrden |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 31.5 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Maria Cadenas |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 20.9 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| John M. Nevill |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 3.2 |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100.00 |- Template:Election box open primary general election no change |- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | John Laird | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 64.7 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Vicki Nohrden |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 35.3 |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100.00 |-

|-style="background-color:#F6F6F6" |style="color:inherit; background-color:"| !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" colspan="4"| hold |-

|}

2016

Template:Election box open primary begin no change |- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Bill Monning (incumbent) |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 68.8 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Palmer Kain |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 31.2 |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100.00 |- Template:Election box open primary general election no change |- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Bill Monning (incumbent) | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 65.5 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Palmer Kain |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 34.5 |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100.00 |-

|-style="background-color:#F6F6F6" |style="color:inherit; background-color:"| !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" colspan="4"| hold |-

|}

2012

Template:Election box open primary begin no change |- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Bill Monning |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 59.4 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Larry Beaman |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 40.6 |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100.00 |- Template:Election box open primary general election no change |- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Bill Monning | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 63.3 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Larry Beaman |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 36.7 |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100.00 |-

|- style="background-color: #F6F6F6;" | style="color:inherit; background-color:;" | | colspan="4" | gain from |-

|}

2011 (special)

2011 Special election 17th State Senate district special election
Vacancy resulting from the resignation of George Runner

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Sharon Runner		65.27%
		Darren W. Parker		34.73%
Total votes				100.00
	hold

2008

California State Senate election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		George Runner (incumbent)		54.85
		Bruce McFarland		45.15
Total votes				100.00
Turnout				70.90
	hold

2004

California State Senate election, 2004

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		George Runner		59.70
		Jonathan Daniel Kraut		36.16
		John S. Ballard		4.14
Total votes				100.00
	hold

2000

California State Senate election, 2000

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		William J. Knight (incumbent)		64.36
		Richard Lott		31.46
		John R. Gibson		2.86
		Douglas R. Wallack		1.32
Invalid or blank votes			10,416	3.74
Total votes				100.00
	hold

1996

California State Senate election, 1996

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		William J. Knight		66.61
		Steven A. Figueroa		33.39
Invalid or blank votes			17,880	6.79
Total votes				100.00
	hold

1992

California's 17th State Senate district election, 1992

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Don Rogers (incumbent)		52.15
		William M. Olenick		38.92
		Fred Heiser		8.93
Invalid or blank votes			27,834	9.62
Total votes				100.00
	gain from

See also

• California State Senate
• California State Senate districts
• Districts in California

External links

• District map from the California Citizens Redistricting Commission