Riviera leans heavily Democratic by roughly 48 points: about 74% of voters vote Democratic and 26% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Riviera typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Riviera, ~51% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Riviera compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Riviera leans more Democratic than 2 of 7 neighbors.
Riviera runs about 29 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Riviera. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+64) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+41), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Riviera leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Riviera, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 65% of adults in Riviera hold a bachelor's degree, about 36 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Riviera, Santa Barbara, CA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Riviera looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Riviera is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Eastside Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA D+44
- Lower East, Santa Barbara, CA D+57
- Waterfront, Santa Barbara, CA D+55
- Westside-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA D+52
- Mesa, Santa Barbara, CA D+52
- Upper State, Santa Barbara, CA D+51
- Las Positas, Santa Barbara, CA D+45
- Sea View Estates, Oxnard, CA D+22
- South Bank, Oxnard, CA D+30
- Sierra Linda, Oxnard, CA D+31
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- U Street Corridor, Washington, DC D+80
- Hillsborough, Raleigh, NC D+55
- Hyde Park, Cincinnati, OH D+38
- Cypress Park, Los Angeles, CA D+51
- Far South, Columbus, OH R+8
- New Downtown, Los Angeles, CA D+54
- Point Place, Toledo, OH R+4
- Angel Park Lindell, Las Vegas, NV D+11
- Valley Station, Louisville, KY R+15
- South Englewood, Chicago, IL D+83
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from California Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.