Helene Schneider is an American politician from the Democratic Party. She was the mayor of Santa Barbara, California from 2010 to 2018, and a 2016 candidate for California's 24th congressional district. She was first elected mayor in 2009, succeeding Marty Blum. She won reelection to a second term in 2013. Prior to serving in government, Schneider worked at Planned Parenthood as the director of human resources for the affiliate serving Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties.