Living in Live Oak, CA: what to set up and who to call
Live Oak has no town government of its own, so Santa Cruz County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Santa Cruz City High School District (9-12). For recycling, Live Oak has Grey Bears Recycling Center at 2710 Chanticleer Avenue; OpenStreetMap lists it open Mon–Sun 7:30 am–3:30 pm.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Live Oak, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Live Oak.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Live Oak. Its homes paid an average of 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $174 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 66% of PG&E’s home customers do, and PG&E still delivers it.
Start or move service: pgecorp.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Santa Cruz Water Department
Santa Cruz Water Department supplies almost all of Live Oak. It draws surface water (EPA lists Soquel Creek Water District as seller) and serves 94,626 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.0 ppb. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. CA4410010.
7 home internet providers serve Live Oak
100% of 4,817 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 24% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 48% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 10% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Cruzio | Fixed wireless | 64% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Surfnet Communications | Fixed wireless | 22% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 16% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Grey Bears Recycling Center is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Where to take trash and recycling in Live Oak, and where the rules are.
Grey Bears Recycling Center
2710 Chanticleer Avenue, Santa Cruz, 95065
- Mon7:30 am–3:30 pm
- Tue7:30 am–3:30 pm
- Wed7:30 am–3:30 pm
- Thu7:30 am–3:30 pm
- Fri7:30 am–3:30 pm
- Sat7:30 am–3:30 pm
- Sun7:30 am–3:30 pm
Hours from OpenStreetMap, last updated Aug 2021. They can change with the season, so check greybears.org before you go.
Drop-off hours: OpenStreetMap. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Live Oak (50%) is in Santa Cruz City High School District (9-12); parts are in Live Oak Elementary School District (25%) and Soquel Elementary School District (24%).
B+School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Live Oak is unincorporated, so Santa Cruz County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Live Oak spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Live Oak residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Live Oak | ZIP’s residents in Live Oak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95062 | Santa Cruz, CA | 75% | 35% |
| 95065 | Santa Cruz, CA | 24% | 49% |
A few homes fall in 95073.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Live Oak
When is the Grey Bears Recycling Center open?
Mon–Sun 7:30 am–3:30 pm, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check greybears.org before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Live Oak’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Santa Cruz Water Department (EPA ID CA4410010). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Live Oak?
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Live Oak?
Xfinity, AT&T, Spectrum, Cruzio, Surfnet Communications, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Live Oak?
95062 (75%), 95065 (24%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Live Oak in?
Santa Cruz City High School District (9-12). Parts of the city are in Live Oak Elementary School District and Soquel Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in Live Oak?
In California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Santa Cruz County Clerk - Elections. Check your registration at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.