Candidate for
Council Member; City of Watsonville; Council District 5

The primary challenge in Watsonville is Economic Development. Within this issue there are three topics that need to be addressed: Eco-tourism, increased jobs in technology, and an educated workforce.

Watsonville has a terrific eco-system. We have agriculture (strawberries, berries, mushrooms, flowers), we have wetlands, birding, and trails, but the city does not market them to bring in tourists who can bring in revenue to the city. The annual Strawberry Festival is a start, but there is so much more that needs to be done to truly focus on Eco-tourism. Secondly, we live in a world of technology. As I go door-to-door I find residents that say they have to commute daily to San Jose or Fremont for a job in technology. I talk to parents who say their daughter or son no longer lives with them because they have had to move away because lack of jobs particularly in technology. Why can't we have those jobs here? In the Fall a new non-profit will be established to train our youth in technology. Eventually they will need jobs and we want them to return to Watsonville for those jobs. Cruzio in Santa Cruz is a great model for tech start-ups and to support small tech businesses. We have many vacant building in Watsonville that could be used for this purpose. Finally, I have heard over and over that some local businesses are saying they have vacancies, but can't find skilled workers. What is the city doing to address the need for an educated workforce? The city needs to work more closely with the Pajaro Valley Unified School district and with Cabrillo College to produce the educated workforce that is needed in Watsonville.

Safety is another area that needs to be addressed. Statistics show that compared to Capitola and Santa Cruz, Watsonville has the lowest crime rate in property and violence. With recent passage of Measure G which increases our tax to 9% the police chief will now be able to hire 7 additional police officers and upgrade equipment and technology which will definitely help with safety. However, safety needs to begin at the community level. I live in a neighborhood where we have a strong Neighborhood Watch. I feel safe that my neighbors will be watching out for me in crime prevention. Every year the neighborhood comes together for National Night Out to show we are organized to fight crime. We need more Neighborhood Watches throughout the District and the City. We need to work closer with the Watsonville Police Department and Neighborhood Services to create new Neighborhood Watches and support the ones that have already been established. Furthermore we need more programs for crime prevention, particularly gang prevention. There is an excellent program at Marinovich Parch that not only provides after school tutoring and leadership for elementary students, but also works closely with their parents with case management. We need to expand this program to all areas of our city.

I received the endorsement of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau because they know I want to protect prime agriculture land. Last year there was a special election to annex 95 acres of prime agriculture land to rezone into commercial for jobs. It cost the City $62,000 to have this special election where Measure T lost 25% to 75%. The land was in strawberries. The strawberry industry is more than picking strawberries, irrigating strawberries, and trucking strawberries. There are so many job opportunities such as agriculture engineers, accounting, horticulture, pest control advisors, human resources, marketing, artist/designers, technology, welders... Many of our residents with proper training and education can secure these jobs. We must protect our agriculture land and strawberry industry to provide jobs for our residents.

To close I would like to add that in our June Primary, Measures H, I, and J overwhelmingly passed which took away privileges from the Watsonville city council. These privileges were with the selection of the Mayor, the appointment of city council vacancies, and the naming of city parks and building. Through these measures the voters were saying to the city council we don't trust you, we don't believe in you, and you are not listening to our voices. I can help to reestablish that trust, regain that respect, and help re-unite the community. I am a retired Sr. Citizen that still has the energy and commitment to serve on the city council and work with everyone to make Watsonville a thriving and prosperous community.