Candidate for
Council Member; City of Santa Cruz

Ryan Coonerty was born and raised in Santa Cruz. He currently serves as Vice President of his family's business, Bookshop Santa Cruz, as well as a lecturer in the Legal Studies Department at UCSC.

After attending Westlake Elementary, Mission Hill Middle School and Santa Cruz High School, he graduated from the Honor's College at the University of Oregon. While at the University of Oregon, Ryan led an effort to register over 8,000 students to vote, setting a national record. He also received a Master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. Following law school, he served as legislative counsel for the Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age in Washington, DC, a commission that sought to balance national security and civil liberties. Previously, he served as the professional staff for the National Commission on Federal Election Reform, which was chaired by former Presidents Carter and Ford.

Prior to attending law school, Ryan managed a successful school bond campaign for Santa Cruz City Schools that raised $86 million to repair and remodel school facilities. He also served as an outreach coordinator for Assemblymember Fred Keeley.

Ryan is involved in numerous community activities including appointments to the City of Santa Cruz's Economic Advisory Task Force and the Santa Cruz County Juvenile Justice Commission. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union, the Santa Cruz Education Foundation, Dientes Community Dental Care and the Locally Owned Business Alliance. Additionally, Ryan served as Treasurer of the successful Save Our City campaign last spring and as a member of the Santa Cruz Steering Committee of the United Farm Workers, the Keep the Greenbelt Green Committee and the Sentinel Board of Contributors. Ryan is an active member of Temple Beth El's Social Action Committee, Leadership Santa Cruz and Sunrise Rotary.

Ryan lives on the East Side of Santa Cruz.