Santa Cruz Council Sets Aug. 11 Meeting on Housing, Water and Budget

The Santa Cruz City Council’s next listed meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at City Council Chambers, 809 Center Street. City agenda materials identify a set of citywide policy matters involving housing, coastal hazards, water planning and the city’s next fiscal-year budget.

The meeting is the next scheduled public decision point for issues that could shape local housing policy, long-term coastal planning, water management and city spending. The city’s official council page lists the date and location, while agenda materials dated June 9 document the policy items.

Housing policy is among the listed actions

The agenda materials include final adoption of Ordinance No. 2026-11, concerning the city’s local-preference policy. The packet identifies the item as a citywide action.

Because the source materials describe the ordinance as an item for final adoption rather than a measure already adopted, the council’s action remains pending. The materials establish that the legislation is on the city’s 2026 agenda materials; they do not establish the outcome of a future vote.

That distinction matters for residents and housing stakeholders. The council’s scheduled work could provide the next formal step on a policy affecting how the city approaches local preference, but the approved materials do not specify the final vote result or any implementation date.

Water and coastal planning are also on the agenda

The agenda materials include public hearings on the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and the Water Shortage Contingency Plan. The items are identified as affecting the city water-service area.

The packet also lists proposed modifications to the Local Coastal Program’s beaches-and-bluffs hazards adaptation chapter. The California Coastal Commission is identified among the entities connected to the policy agenda, but the approved sources do not establish the commission’s position, a final approval or a separate action date.

Together, these items put two long-range planning questions before the city: how Santa Cruz prepares for water-management conditions and how its coastal planning addresses hazards affecting beaches and bluffs. The source packet does not provide specific new rules, project locations or costs, so those details should not be inferred from the agenda listing alone.

FY2027 budget adoption is listed as a citywide action

FY2027 budget adoption is also listed as a citywide council action. The listing identifies budget adoption as part of the city’s 2026 agenda materials, but it does not establish that the budget has been approved.

For residents, the budget item is the clearest connection between the meeting and city finances. The approved materials do not include the proposed budget total, department allocations, tax changes or service-level details. Those figures and any changes to them are not available in the source packet.

Agenda could change before the meeting

The June 9 agenda packet documents the housing, water, coastal-planning and budget matters, but it does not establish that every item will be heard on Aug. 11. The city’s meeting information also leaves open the possibility that the agenda may be amended before publication.

For now, the confirmed local development is the scheduled council meeting itself and the citywide policy work identified in current agenda materials. Any adoption, approval or modification should be reported only after the council takes action and official records confirm the result.