Measure O has many complicated details—Good Times (thank you) explored some of them, combining proponents’ and opponents’ comments with reporters filling in details. If voters want to understand what they are actually voting for, they should read the proposed measure and read the independent analysis “Report to City Council” by Keyser Marsten Associates. You may find the measure far from what proponents are claiming. The facts will convince you to vote no on O.
Tim Willoughby
Santa Cruz
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If there is one thing that proponents of the competing ballot measures before Watsonville voters in the Nov. 8 election can agree on, it’s that we should have never gotten here.
Unsurprisingly, neither side has been willing to admit to its share of the blame, and the roughly 53,000 Watsonville residents caught in the middle of the skirmish over the preservation of the Pajaro Valley’s iconic farmland are now tasked with making a monumental decision about their community’s long-term future.
Measure Q, the result of the committee’s signature-gathering process, proposes an 18-year extension of a so-called Urban Limit Line (ULL) approved by voters via Measure U in 2002. That ULL protected the majority of the agricultural land surrounding Watsonville from urban development by establishing a modest 25-year outward growth plan for housing and economic drivers. But some of the protections laid out in Measure U are set to expire this year and the rest sunset in 2027.
Measure S, placed on the ballot by a divided Watsonville City Council in response to Measure Q, also proposes an 18-year extension of the ULL, but would allow the council to make adjustments to the boundary during its upcoming general plan update—a massive, multi-month undertaking in which the community will determine what Watsonville should strive to be by 2050.
Put plainly, Measure Q would preserve all of the Pajaro Valley’s farmland through 2040, regardless of the possible impact those restrictions have had—and might have in the future—on the people in Watsonville’s 6-square-mile footprint. On the other hand, Measure S would rekindle the conversation that produced Measure U two decades ago: Can Watsonville address its housing and economic woes without sacrificing even a sliver of the fertile soil that, in many respects, is the reason why the city exists in the first place?
S-Town
There is perhaps no other person more responsible for getting Measure S on the ballot than Watsonville City Councilman Eduardo Montesino. After all, it was Montesino who stopped his fellow council member Vanessa Quiroz-Carter from casting the deciding vote to approve the settlement between the city and the committee that would have altered the latter’s ballot measure to open up the historic 13.6-acre Redman-Hirahara property on the west side of Highway 1 for commercial development.
Now Montesino says that with Measure S, Watsonville residents have a chance to determine the direction of their city.
“It’s a rare opportunity for our residents,” he says.
As we sit across from one another at a picnic table in the Beer Mule patio on a sunny late-September evening, small private airplanes buzz in and out of the neighboring Watsonville Municipal Airport as around four dozen people scattered throughout the taproom’s outdoor seating try to get over hump day with a cold brew. The location, he says, serves as a perfect example of two things: his insistence that small wealthy groups quietly but firmly rule over the direction of the city, and that the notion outsiders might have about Watsonville—that it’s a poor, predominantly Latinx city where businesses can’t succeed because residents have no money to spend—is inaccurate.
He says he sees many parallels between the CFPGAFP and the Watsonville Pilots Association (WPA), whose members—many of them wealthy out-of-towners—have for years battled with the city in court to halt projects around the airport. But the key similarity, Montesino says, is that the committee puts the sustainability of the agricultural land around Watsonville’s perimeter over the people that live within the city’s boundaries, in the same way that the WPA puts the viability of the airport over the success of the people that live around the facility.
“Special interests have more of a say about the direction of our city, about how we can address our issues, than the people who live here,” he says. “That’s not right.”
But proponents of Measure Q question whether something so integral to a region as agriculture is to the Pajaro Valley can be considered a “special interest.”
According to the Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner’s 2021 crop report, the total gross production value of the county’s agricultural commodities last year was $657.3 million. That figure does not account for the industry’s total contribution to Pajaro Valley’s economy. For instance, during peak picking season some local hotels are fully rented out via master lease agreements with the area’s large growers, and restaurants also report increased foot traffic during the influx of seasonal workers. Other industries such as trucking, equipment rentals, packaging, cold storage and transportation are all buoyed by ag.
Field workers tend to a field of raised strawberry rows along Beach Road in Watsonville. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
And the industry’s influence on the city goes beyond its economic benefits. For many residents, agriculture is the reason why they came to this valley, and why they were able to give their families an opportunity to become successful. It’s that against-all-odds mentality of overcoming the brutal working conditions in the fields that Watsonville residents take pride in, and identify with.
“This is the character of Watsonville,” says CFPGAFP member Sam Earnshaw, who adds that while gathering signatures for Measure Q people were emphatic that they did not want to see the Pajaro Valley turn into San Jose. “I know that sounds trite, but it’s true. It’s happened all over California … To brand us as ‘special interests,’ that’s not fair and it’s not right. That’s not what we’re in it for. We know the value of this community. We know the value of our farmland. We’re fighting to save our farmland.”
But for all the good that the agriculture industry brings to Watsonville, there are many issues that it has saddled the city with, too. Chief among them is the increased demand on services and affordable housing options as a result of the low wages and seasonal structure of farm labor. And although the industry is a cash cow for the county, the cash-strapped municipality receives very little revenue from agriculture businesses.
Tax Hike R Us
This conundrum is one of the biggest reasons why Watsonville is asking its residents to approve a second sales tax hike in three years this November. Measure R would raise the sales tax in Watsonville to 9.75%, the highest rate in Santa Cruz County, to bring in an estimated $5.1 million to fund infrastructure projects and parks, library and recreation programs—initiatives that the city says it can’t afford to cover with annual general fund revenues in the $48 million range.
So it is odd, Montesino says, that the committee—and some of its largest donors, such as the Santa Cruz County Land Trust, which has given thousands to the committee’s leading measures Q and R—are fine with pushing a tax on Watsonville residents, but laced their argument against Measure S with statements about their financial status that Montesino finds problematic. Perhaps the most troublesome, he says, is the committee’s assertion that Watsonville doesn’t need single-family homes “that nobody in our community can afford.”
While Montesino admits that the median annual income in Watsonville is nearly $30,000 lower than the county figure of $89,986, he says that residents here do have money to spend. He points to the fact that when people were forced to make the bulk of their purchases on the web and shop locally during the pandemic shutdowns, the municipality’s sales tax revenues stayed strong.
“We’ve got to get off our mentality that we are a poor community, because we are not,” says Montesino.
New Beginnings
As we hop out of Earnshaw’s electric mini-SUV to start walking toward the back of the vacant Kmart building on Freedom Boulevard, Earnshaw tosses a quip my way: “You’re getting your exercise today, Tony.”
We’re at the sixth stop of a 20-site, two-hour tour of vacant lots and commercial buildings, and under-construction and completed infill housing projects scattered around Watsonville. Earnshaw walks ahead a few paces with Yesenia Jimenez, a restoration specialist and educator with Watsonville Wetlands Watch, as Bob Culbertson and I follow behind them.
“When I grew up, you would go downtown to shop,” says Culbertson, a board member of Watsonville Wetlands Watch. “And then, somebody came up with the idea of a mall.”
The Kmart building has sat vacant since August 2021. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
For around a decade, this shopping center was the closest thing that Watsonville had to a mall, and for a time it ruled over the area as a commercial juggernaut. But, now, this once-promising shopping hub looks desolate, outdated and forgotten, cast aside by shoppers who now crowd into the Target across town for their everyday goods.
As we reach the back of the building, Culbertson finishes up his short but precise soliloquy about the life, death and rebirth of failed shopping centers across the country. Sure, the pandemic might have served as the death blow for some big box stores, but the Kmarts and Sears of the world were already struggling before life was forced to stop as Covid-19 began to spread. Now, many cities, including Watsonville, that were merrily chugging down the road of suburbanization are staring at massive hollowed storefronts and parking lots, all while they struggle to find new land to meet their ever-increasing demand for housing.
If there were ever a perfect example of the committee’s claim that Watsonville can address its state-mandated housing goals within city limits, this vacant 94,000-square-foot building is it. Their vision for the property is simple: tear down the tattered building and build a multi-story, mixed-use complex with apartments and shops.
“There is still a lot of opportunity (for housing development) throughout Watsonville,” Culbertson says as we hop back into Earnshaw’s car to continue our cross-city tour.
Our other stops related to housing include a handful of vacant lots, four infill housing projects in various stages of development and a couple of completed collections of condos. These are just a dozen locations out of 201 that they point out are identified in Watsonville’s Housing Element, a state-mandated document used by cities to set housing goals, as vacant or underutilized and primed for development. At every stop, we talk over various aspects of the local housing market and why they so strongly believe Measure Q is the right route for Watsonville.
For both Earnshaw and Culbertson, who grew up in other communities and saw annexation rob those cities and towns of their natural land, Measure Q is a way for them to continue to fight the urbanization happening across the state that has had deleterious impacts on the environment. But for Jimenez, Measure Q goes beyond protecting farmland. The lifelong Watsonville resident knows first-hand just how brutal securing housing is becoming in Watsonville. Her family had rented a home for 27 years before the landlord hiked the rent, forcing them to look for another place. And trying to jump into a housing market in which the median home listing price is around $830,000 is a sobering experience.
She doesn’t see how opening up farmland for new single-family homes will make homeownership more attainable for Watsonville residents, and instead sees affordable housing complexes as the right route to address the city’s housing needs and halt gentrification.
“For me, [Measure Q] is about the people as much as it’s about the environment,” she says.
But Montesino says that Watsonville shouldn’t—and can’t afford to—pick one over the other. He points out that the city is already laying the groundwork to align with the state’s model of infill development by designing the Downtown Watsonville Specific Plan, a document which, in its current state, could open up the corridor to the addition of around 4,000 housing units over the next 25 years. And he also highlights the city council’s recent overwhelming support for three affordable housing developments that are set to be completed sometime next year and will bring 205 affordable units to Watsonville.
“They say we need to focus on infill. We’re already doing that … That helps get people housed, but it doesn’t give our residents a chance to buy a home and build generational wealth,” Montesino says, adding that it has been nearly two decades since the last for-sale housing project was completed in Watsonville. “That’s an issue. How can we provide a path for our residents to buy a home if they’re not being constructed?”
And, he says, Measure Q proponents are misrepresenting the figures included in the housing element. While there are 201 vacant or underutilized parcels listed in the document, city staff’s recent analysis of those lots found that only 40 would not face significant challenges—such as airport safety zones, existing entitlements and proximity to wetlands—that prohibit residential development. And only 10 are currently ready to be redeveloped into housing without a zoning change or additional analysis. Those 40 parcels, according to the city, would produce just 281 housing units, nowhere near enough to meet Watsonville’s mounting state-mandated housing goals—it has to accommodate 2,053 units by 2031 alone.
“It’s not as simple as saying, ‘There’s that vacant lot. Go build something on it,’” Montesino says.
As one of two millennials on the city council, Francisco “Paco” Estrada has had many of his peers leave the area because they cannot afford to buy a home—even he had to get help from his parents for the down payment on his house. And while Measure U’s restrictions are not the sole reason why Watsonville’s housing market is in the state it is, he says it’s important to remember that if the growth plan included in the measure was fully implemented, there would be 2,000 homes constructed in the Buena Vista area in the northern reaches of the city.
“Measure U has been successful in some aspects, but, in others, it’s been a failure,” says Estrada, who joined Montesino and me midway through our conversation at Beer Mule. “There are some broken promises that we have to discuss.”
Eden Housing President Linda Mandolini talks during a ground-breaking ceremony for a 53-unit apartment complex in Watsonville in May. Though several affordable-housing projects have broken ground across the county, many won’t be available to renters for some time. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
Broken Promises
As we stare out into a desolate dirt lot on the outskirts of Watsonville, Culbertson lets out a grunt-like sigh.
“These could’ve been better job creators,” Earnshaw says from his driver’s seat.
“That’s what they promised when we took the farmland out of production,” adds Culbertson, who is seated in back with me to my right. “They said we were going to bring in businesses and bring jobs.”
We’re pulled over near a roundabout on Ohlone Parkway that serves as the entrance of a FedEx distribution center at the Manabe-Ow business park. It was here that the community, while hammering out Measure U 20 years ago, agreed to part ways with 53 acres of valuable agricultural land to make way for some 2,100 light-industrial jobs.
To say that this aspect of the plan failed to meet expectations would be a massive understatement. But this result should not be surprising, Culbertson says. One of the big reasons why Watsonville wanted to annex around 800 acres of land back in the late 1990s—a push that sparked the creation of Measure U—was the mass exodus of light-industrial jobs in the food processing industry as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
And the departure of industrial jobs and the middle-class wages they provided has only worsened since then, both nationwide and locally—large employers such as Fox Racing Shox and West Marine, for example, both recently moved their operations out of South County. So Measure Q proponents aren’t buying claims that annexation, which will likely axe some agricultural jobs, will lead to the creation of much-needed, higher-paying jobs for South County residents.
It’s unclear what jobs Montesino or Estrada envision annexation, in a perfect world, would produce. But what is clear, Montesino says, is that the agriculture industry is slowly changing—he cites Driscoll’s fast-growing operations in Mexico, its recent investment into vertical farming and the continuous push to automation—and the city should be able to pivot along with it to provide higher-paying employment opportunities, especially for young professionals looking to move back into the community they grew up in.
Estrada says that Watsonville’s failure to bring higher-paying jobs and give younger generations a reason to stay in their community—or return after they receive their college degree—is holding the city back.
“It’s not a good thing for the young people of a community to leave,” Estrada says. “You lose creativity. You lose talent. You lose innovation. You’re losing the next generation. And that’ll mean that Watsonville will grow more rigid, more conservative, it’s just not going to evolve. If we can do everything we can to keep as much of our local talent here, the better the community will be.”
When 4th District Santa Cruz County Supervisor Greg Caput told GT earlier this year that he would not seek his fourth term, the gates were flung open for potential candidates to fill the leadership seat he has occupied for the past 12 years.
Now—after the June 7 primary whittled down the candidates from three to two—South County voters in the upcoming Nov. 8 general election will decide between Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra and Cabrillo College Governing Board Trustee Felipe Hernandez.
Dutra, 47, earned his second term on the city council in 2020. He served as mayor last year. His first term on the city council was 2014 to 2018. He stepped away from politics after running unsuccessfully for the 4th District Supervisor seat in 2018—he placed a distant second behind Caput.
Hernandez, 51, served as a councilman between 2012-2020. He also ran unsuccessfully for the 4th District Supervisor seat in 2018, taking third in the primary that year.
The race took a complicated turn on Oct. 5 when a man filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Dutra, claiming that the candidate molested him when he was 12. Dutra has denied the allegations, calling them “baseless.”
Here’s a look at the candidates’ official statements, their donors and supporters and their voting records from their last few years in city government.
In Their Words
Dutra
“There are many in the Pajaro Valley who feel forgotten. It’s important for us to have a strong and experienced voice. I promise to be that voice.
Throughout my tenure as Watsonville’s mayor, I was known for delivering major wins. We received millions of dollars from the government to repair our failing infrastructure, roads and parks. When disproportionately faced with Covid-19 infections and deaths, we quickly obtained the extremely limited vaccines and lobbied to prioritize our farm workers, seniors and essential workers. I put our health and safety first when I voted no to building a housing development on toxic land.
As a Pajaro Valley Unified School District teacher and current Watsonville City Council member, I’ve been honored to advocate every day for our community.
There remains much to do. There’s no band-aid solution to homelessness, we need to address it. We need to fix and replace our aging infrastructure and roads. Our housing crisis must be resolved, our agriculture and wetlands need to be protected, our hospital must be saved, public safety must be supported and mental health needs to be prioritized.
I care deeply for our home. I’d be honored to earn your support for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. I’m ready to get to work on day one.”
Hernandez
“Honor, service and experience is what it takes to be an effective leader. I’m the only candidate who’s served our nation as a soldier, and the Watsonville community as a former mayor and current educational policy leader as Cabrillo Community College Governing Boardmember. As Santa Cruz County Supervisor, I will use my unique experience to improve the quality of life in Watsonville, Salsipuedes, Corralitos, Interlake, Mesa Village and Aromas.
For over 20 years, I’ve used my leadership experience to serve the community and brought over $100,000,000 to protect us from Covid-19, improve educational opportunities, fix public roads, create housing and increase funding for Watsonville Police and Fire. As commander of the American Legion Post 121 and Trustee of the VFW Post 1716, I advocate for the rights of veterans and their families.
Together, we protected Rail and Trail. We saved Watsonville Community Hospital and secured millions in flood protection for seniors and downtown.
As Santa Cruz County Supervisor, I will make sure the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project is completed; keep our community character by protecting agricultural lands and jobs; create more housing; and get us our fair share of county dollars for public safety, roads, healthcare, infrastructure and parks.
It’s an honor to have the support of elected officials, veterans, teachers, farmers, business owners, public safety and educational leaders. I respectfully ask for your vote.”
Supporters
Hernandez
The number of current and former elected officials supporting Hernandez is substantial, but perhaps no other endorsement carries more weight heading into Nov. 8 than the nod he received from Caput. He also holds the endorsement of Sheriff Jim Hart, County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah, three current Watsonville city council members—Lowell Hurst, Vanessa Quiroz-Carter and Eduardo Montesino—five former Watsonville mayors, Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo, Santa Cruz City Councilman and 3rd District Supervisorial candidate Justin Cummings and Santa Cruz Mayoral candidate Fred Keeley, who has served as a county supervisor and state assemblyman.
He also holds the endorsement of the California Democratic Party, and nearly a dozen union and labor organizations, including the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, the California Nurses Association and the Cabrillo College Federation of Teachers.
In all, Hernandez has raised a little more than $70,000 in campaign contributions this year. Along with receiving several $500 donations from various individuals and business owners, he has also received a few $1,000 donations from labor unions. He also received $1,000 contributions from Gardena-based taxi company Administrative Services Co-op, Inc. and a political action committee representing an Iowa-based biodiesel company.
Dutra
While not as extensive as Hernandez’s list of endorsements from fellow elected leaders, Dutra does hold the support of three Watsonville city council members: Rebecca Garcia, Francisco “Paco” Estrada and Montesino. He also has the endorsement of the local chapters of the California School Employees Association and Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation union.
Dutra has raised roughly $50,000, with a majority of his contributions coming from retirees and local business owners. A notable $1,000 contribution was made to his campaign by the committee established to reelect State Senator Toni Atkins, the President pro tempore of the Senate since 2018. He has also received $2,000 in contributions from the California Real Estate Political Action Committee, and $1,500 from Equality California, nonprofit civil rights organization that advocates for the rights of LGBT people in California—Dutra became Watsonville’s first openly gay man to serve as mayor last year.
Voting Records
Although Hernandez has not been on the city council since his second term expired in 2020, his time as a Watsonville representative did overlap with Dutra’s first term on the council. They were colleagues from 2014-2018.
Housing
The two have often been at odds on housing.
In the first year of his second term, Dutra voted against the advancement of two 100% affordable housing developments that fall in his district—both have broken ground and will bring 133 deed-restricted units. He also voted against two controversial market-rate projects that either faced litigation or environmental challenges. He was on the losing end in all four votes and has stood firm on his dissenting votes. In his vote against the two affordable housing projects, Dutra cited issues with traffic, parking, decaying infrastructure and how the units would be distributed—he worried Watsonville residents would not be at the front of the line for the much-needed housing relief.
Dutra did vote for a market-rate apartment complex in downtown last year.
Generally, he has been more willing to vote for market-rate housing projects. During his first term on the council, he twice supported a market-rate, 24-condo project at 1482 Freedom Blvd., which is now the site of a 53-unit affordable housing complex that he strongly opposed. He also voted to approve a market-rate, 49-townhome project on Airport Boulevard. By contrast, he voted against the approval of a 46-unit affordable housing complex on Atkinson Road now known as Pippin Orchards.
Hernandez, meanwhile, voted to approve every housing project that came to the city council during his last term. In fact, one of the few times Hernandez did not approve a housing-related item was in 2019 when the historic Jefsen Building in downtown Watsonville changed hands. Hernandez had concerns that the new owner of the building at 500 Main St. would not keep the 29 apartments there as affordable units when the agreement that deed-restricted the units to low-income renters expires in 2028.
Business and Taxes
The candidates have also been at odds on business-related issues, including the city’s regulations on cannabis and alcohol establishments.
For instance, when Watsonville brought forth the approval of its brew pubs ordinance in 2018, Hernandez tried to increase the number of permits for such businesses from five to 10. That move failed in a split 4-3 vote, with Dutra voting against the motion.
Hernandez was also largely supportive of the cannabis industry, while Dutra voted against the approval of nearly all cannabis businesses that came before the city council in the early days of the so-called green rush—the first few years after California voters approved the recreational use of weed.
Yet, even after the city council in 2020 approved its cannabis ordinance—which dictated where and how those businesses could operate within city limits—Dutra continued to vote against the approval of city code changes aimed at helping the fledgling cannabis industry. In 2021, for example, he voted against lowering the taxes on cannabis businesses.
Hernandez and Dutra have also had different views on taxes and rate increases. The latter has largely supported them while the former has voted against them. In 2019, Hernandez voted in favor of placing the renewal of a half-cent sales tax, Measure Y, on the ballot. Dutra earlier this year voted against placing another half-cent sales tax, Measure R, on the Nov. 8 ballot. Dutra also voted against a utility rate increase last year that had for years been postponed by previous elected leaders. On both votes, Dutra cited the pandemic as the reason why he decided to not support the issues.
Community Issues
Both candidates have taken significant stances on community issues in their time on the council.
It was Hernandez who asked the city in 2019 to formally apologize for the Filipino Riots of 1930, a request the municipality followed through on later that year. Hernandez also twice supported an eviction moratorium in 2020, and approved the use of $100,000 to help tenants and landlords impacted by the pandemic.
He also voted against implementing a $200 fee for public art in 2019—he was on the losing end of that vote.
But Hernandez also voted in 2020 against implementing a ban on new drive-thrus, an issue that Watsonville’s elected officials have long debated.
Dutra also approved the use of more than $100,000 in rental assistance for pandemic-impacted renters and tenants, and commissioned the creation of the Covid-19 memorial, a public art display off north Main Street that recently had its ribbon cutting.
But Dutra’s support for the art community came into question earlier this year when he flipped his vote on a proposed developer fee that would fund the creation of public art. He voted against the fee because of concerns brought forth by developers about its structure. The fee was approved, with Dutra being one of the two dissenting votes.
Dutra also elected to move the bust of George Washington from the City Plaza to the Watsonville Public Library, a vote that served as the conclusion of a year-long debate about historical figures sparked by the murder of George Floyd.
Hernandez was on the council while the debate over the statue was bubbling over, but the item did not come before the elected leaders before he left office.
On the debate between Watsonville’s measures Q and S, Hernandez has sided with the former and Dutra has endorsed the latter. Hernandez, in an unprompted op-ed published in the Pajaronian, opined that the city can meet its housing and economic needs by focusing on infill development, specifically in the downtown corridor, rather than overtaking any agricultural land. Dutra, meanwhile, was a signee of the argument for Measure S, which says that the community deserves the opportunity to plan out the next 20 years together, rather than accept the fate that was determined some 20 years ago with the passing of Measure U.
Fred Keeley has by far tallied the most campaign contributions among the Santa Cruz mayoral and city council candidates running for office in the upcoming Nov. 8 general election.
According to the final campaign finance statements submitted last week, the mayoral candidate has raised nearly $63,000, with contributions coming from a who’s who of Santa Cruz County and regional power brokers such as Netflix CEO Reed Hastings ($250), Ow Properties’ William and George Ow ($250 each), Santa Cruz Seaside Company President Karl Rice ($250), former Congressman Sam Farr ($100), retired politician Neal Coonerty ($250) and philanthropists Pat and Rowland Rebele ($250 each).
But Keeley’s biggest contributor to his candidacy has been himself. The former state legislator, county supervisor and treasurer poured $15,000 of his own money into his campaign committee in the form of a contribution on Sept. 27. And he also loaned himself $12,000 over three transactions in July.
In comparison, his competitor Joy Schendledecker, a newcomer to local politics, has raised a little more than $13,000 for her campaign.
In the two city council races, Renee Golder ($9,723) leads fellow District 6 candidate Sean Maxwell ($7,005) in contributions, and Scott Newsome ($10,393) leads his fellow District 4 candidates Hector Marin ($3,561) and Greg Hyver ($3,277).
Here’s a look at other city council races across the county:
Watsonville
A strange sign situation in Watsonville has caught the attention of District 7 voters.
On the east side of the city by the Staff of Life Natural Foods grocery store, a pair of signs for current District 7 City Council representative Ari Parker are seemingly subtweeting two signs for District 7 candidate Nancy Bilicich with the quote made famous by First Lady Michelle Obama: “When they go low, we go high.”
Bilicich, who was first appointed to the city council in 2009 and twice earned re-election before leaving office in 2018, says she has “no idea” why her opponent included the quote under her typical signs.
“One day they just appeared,” says Bilicich, who adds that she has nothing else to say.
Parker, who is currently serving as mayor, did not respond to emailed questions before press time Tuesday.
Steve Trujillo, who ran unsuccessfully against Parker in 2018 and is now on the Cabrillo College Governing Board, said at a recent city council meeting that he would not vote for either candidate because of ongoing “smear” tactics from both sides. Instead, he said, he planned to vote for himself as a write-in candidate.
Capitola
The decision to not run for re-election this November was a tough one, says Capitola Mayor Sam Storey. While this year will likely serve as his swan song from local politics, the long-time elected leader is leaving the door open for an unlikely return.
“As the saying goes, ‘never say never,’” Storey wrote in an email. “We can never know what the future may hold and we should stay open to new opportunities while we still can.”
For now, however, Storey is saying goodbye to politics to focus on family. His youngest daughter was recently accepted into the University of Washington, and he helped her make the transition to Seattle this fall.
“I believe the voters are entitled to a fully engaged and committed candidate,” Storey wrote. “I have become the age where I realize my time is a non-renewable resource, and I best use it wisely.”
When he exits office in December, Storey will have served on the council for 12 years—2006-14 and ’18-22—and thrice held the position of mayor. The current mayoral stint, he says, has been arguably his most rewarding, as he’s witnessed the city pull its way out of the mini-recession caused by the pandemic.
“Capitola does have some challenges ahead with the Capitola Mall project still being stalled, mitigating impacts from the rail/trail corridor use and the lack of affordable housing,” he wrote. “However, I believe the current council, newly elected council members and staff are capable and have the tools to address these and other challenges.”
Storey says he’s endorsing incumbent Yvette Brooks for one of the three open seats. Enrique Dolmo, Jr., Joe Clarke, Alexander Pedersen and Gerry Jensen are also running for office.
Scotts Valley
Councilmember Derek Timm has teamed up with recording-plug-in company executive Allan Timms in a bid to unseat Vice Mayor Jim Reed, who Timm has sparred with on several occasions over the past year.
Timm and Reed have increasingly been at odds since the former, who was mayor last year while Reed was vice mayor, nominated Lind for mayor in December instead of him. Then, in May, when Timm tried to fast-track a vote on a policy to allow the Pride Flag to be raised for nearly the entire month of June, Reed took issue with city “transparency,” as staff asked for a majority of council to indicate they supported the move.
When that policy came up for debate, Reed raised concerns about expanding the flags the city can fly (although Reed put forward a motion that didn’t succeed that sought to enshrine the rainbow flag—and no others—as a new banner Scotts Valley would be able to raise).
Reed said he worried the policy might be used by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan to force the city to fly their flags. Reed ultimately did vote with the rest of the council to support Timm’s motion for a new ceremonial flag policy.
But the evening gave Timm the opportunity to cast Reed in a homophobic light, something Reed tells GT isn’t fair. He accuses Timm of not being willing to look at different ways to achieve the same objectives—pointing out that he pushed for the rainbow to become an official Scotts Valley symbol (which Timm voted against).
“It’s not credible in my opinion to argue that putting the Pride Flag at the same level as the U.S. flag is not sympathetic to LGBT issues,” says Reed, the chief of staff for outgoing San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.
Timms moved to the U.S. from Britain in 2014. He says his interest in participating in local government was sparked by the citizenship process. He became an American earlier this year.
Timms says the Pride Flag debate was one of the catalysts that caused him to pull the trigger on a run for office.
“He didn’t do the research,” he says. “It was just a disaster.”
On Nov. 14, the Cabrillo College Governing Board will meet to answer a question that has been vexing Santa Cruz County for two years: Should the name of its community college be changed?
The effort to possibly change Cabrillo College’s name began in 2020, as the Black Lives Matter movement gained steam and inspired institutions and jurisdictions to take a look at what names they placed on their buildings and institutions.
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo has been lauded for exploring the West Coast of the Americas around 1542. Historians say he was on a mission to map the coast to the north and chart a course to China, find a route from Europe above Canada to the Pacific and establish trade relations with China.
It was on that mission that he discovered the winter wind patterns and southern pacific trading current, and helped establish the beginning of trade with China and the greater Pacific Basin.
But that legacy is tarnished by his reputation as a murderous conqueror who stole occupied land and enslaved and brutalized the Amah Mutsun people who already lived here.
Proponents of the name change say they do not want the college to bear the name of a person who embodies European imperialism.
Adam Spickler, who sits on the Cabrillo College Name Exploration Subcommittee, says the group did widespread community-wide outreach, as well as delved deeply into the issue.
Spickler declined to say what recommendation the subcommittee will bring to the board in November. If the board decides the name change will move forward, the subject of the new name will be the next topic of discussion.
Spickler added that the move to change Cabrillo College’s name moves far beyond a binary yes-no issue.
“There are some important truths that are fundamental for everybody who cares about the name of our college,” Spickler says. “No matter what perspective is held, it is rooted in deeply caring about what is best for the college so that the students attending and the staff working there are really getting and giving the best educational experience possible.”
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the coming weeks, I encourage you to work as hard as you have ever worked. Work smart, too. Work with flair and aplomb and relish. You now have a surprisingly fertile opportunity to reinvent how you do your work and how you feel about your work. To take maximum advantage of this potential breakthrough, you should inspire yourself to give more of your heart and soul to your work than you have previously imagined possible. (PS: By “work,” I mean your job and any crucial activity that is both challenging and rewarding.)
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Here’s my weird suggestion, Taurus. Just for now, only for a week or two, experiment with dreaming about what you want but can’t have. And just for now, only for a week or two, go in pursuit of what you want but can’t have. I predict that these exercises in quixotic futility will generate an unexpected benefit. They will motivate you to dream true and strong and deep about what you do want and can have. They will intensify and focus you to pursue what you do want and can have.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your most successful times in life usually come when all your various selves are involved. During these interludes, none of them is neglected or shunted to the outskirts. In my astrological opinion, you will be wise to ensure this scenario is in full play during the coming weeks. In fact, I recommend you throw a big Unity Party and invite all your various sub-personalities to come as they are. Have outrageous fun acting out the festivities. Set out a placemat and nametag on a table for each participant. Move around from seat to seat and speak from the heart on behalf of each one. Later, discuss a project you could all participate in creating.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): A Cancerian reader named Joost Joring explained to me how he cultivates the art of being the best Cancerian he can be. He said, “I shape my psyche into a fortress, and I make people feel privileged when they are allowed inside. If I must sometimes instruct my allies to stay outside for a while, to camp out by the drawbridge as I work out my problems, I make sure they know they can still love me—and that I still love them.” I appreciate Joost’s perspective. As a Cancerian myself, I can attest to its value. But I will also note that in the coming weeks, you will reap some nice benefits from having less of a fortress mentality. In my astrological opinion, it’s PARTY TIME!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo poet Antonio Machado wrote, “I thought my fire was out, and I stirred the ashes. I burnt my fingers.” I’m telling you this so you won’t make the same mistake, Leo. Your energy may be a bit less radiant and fervent than usual right now, but that’s only because you’re in a recharging phase. Your deep reserves of fertility and power are regenerating. That’s a good thing! Don’t make the error of thinking it’s a sign of reduced vitality. Don’t overreact with a flurry of worry.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Siegfried Sassoon became renowned for the poetry he wrote about being a soldier in World War I. Having witnessed carnage firsthand, he became adept at focusing on what was truly important. “As long as I can go on living a rich inner life,” he wrote, “I have no cause for complaint, and I welcome anything which helps me to simplify my life, which seems to be more and more a process of eliminating inessentials!” I suggest we make Sassoon your inspirational role model for the next three weeks. What inessentials can you eliminate? What could you do to enhance your appreciation for all the everyday miracles that life offers you?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You Libras have a talent that I consider a superpower: You can remove yourself from the heart of the chaos and deliver astute insights about how to tame the chaos. I like that about you. I have personally benefited from it on numerous occasions. But for the next few weeks, I will ask you to try something different. I’ll encourage you to put an emphasis on practical action, however imperfect it might be, more than on in-depth analysis. This moment in the history of your universe requires a commitment to getting things done, even if they’re untidy and incomplete. Here’s your motto: “I improvise compromises in the midst of the interesting mess.”
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Fear is the raw material from which courage is manufactured,” said author Martha Beck. “Without it, we wouldn’t even know what it means to be brave.” I love that quote—and I especially love it as a guiding meditation for you Scorpios right now. We usually think of fear as an unambiguously bad thing, a drain of our precious life force. But I suspect that for you, it will turn out to be useful in the coming days. You’re going to find a way to transmute fear into boldness, bravery and even badassery.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): For decades, the Canadian city of Sudbury hosted a robust mining industry. Deposits of nickel sulphide ore spawned a booming business. But these riches also brought terrible pollution. Sudbury’s native vegetation was devastated. The land was stained with foul air produced by the smelting process. An effort to re-green the area began in the 1970s. Today, the air is among the cleanest in the province of Ontario. In the spirit of this transformation, I invite you to embark on a personal reclamation project. Now is a favorable time to detoxify and purify any parts of your life that have been spoiled or sullied.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The literal meaning of the ancient Greek word aigílips is “devoid of goats.” It refers to a place on the earth that is so high and steep that not even sure-footed goats can climb it. There aren’t many of those places. Similarly, there are very few metaphorical peaks that a determined Capricorn can’t reach. One of your specialties is the power to master seemingly improbable and impassable heights. But here’s an unexpected twist in your destiny: In the coming months, your forte will be a talent for going very far down and in. Your agility at ascending, for a change, will be useful in descending—for exploring the depths. Now is a good time to get started!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Evolved Aquarians are often blessed with unprecedented friendships and free-spirited intimacy and innovative alliances. People who align themselves with you may enjoy experimental collaborations they never imagined before engaging with you. They might be surprised at the creative potentials unleashed in them because of their synergy with you. In the coming weeks and months, you will have even more power than usual to generate such liaisons and connections. You might want to make a copy of this horoscope and use it as your calling card or business card.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I surveyed the history of literature to identify authors I consider highly intuitive. Piscean-born Anais Nin was my top choice. She used language with fluidity and lyricism. She lived a colorful, unpredictable life. No one better deserves the title of Intuition Champion. And yet she also had a discerning view of this faculty. She wrote, “I began to understand that there were times when I must question my intuition and separate it from my anxieties or fears. I must think, observe, question, seek facts and not trust blindly to my intuition.” I admire her caution. And I suspect it was one reason her intuition was so potent. Your assignment, Pisces, is to apply her approach to your relationship with your intuition. The coming months will be a time when you can supercharge this key aspect of your intelligence and make it work for you better than it ever has before.
Homework: Imagine you have taken a particular consciousness-altering drug. Imagine how it affects you. newsletter.freewillastrology.com.
Is Sunday brunch the ultimate comfort meal? I’d say so. It’s right up there with ravioli and red wine, or birthday cake and ice cream. Name your favorite—I’ll bet that Sunday brunch is in the mix.
In the case of that downtown treasure Gabriella Cafe, Sunday brunch also happens on Saturday. By the time we arrived last Sunday, there were boisterous, if laid-back, diners both indoors and out. The narrow entry patio was filled, and several of the parklet tables as well.
Here’s why: Gabriella’s Brunch menu actually offers both breakfast and lunch. Half the menu lists incredible morning items, like waffles with fruit and whipped cream (we spotted an 8-year-old moaning with delight over his massive waffle order), eggs Florentine, hash and eggs, chilaquiles and various omelets. The other half of the menu includes sensuous entrees including tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce, steak and polenta, porcini gnocchi and the house’s famed Rodoni Farm Brussels sprouts.
We have our own destination brunch items, flavor combinations that get us out of bed on Sunday morning en route to Gabriella. One is a classic Breakfast Americano ($15), a plate of perfection involving what is easily the finest bacon on offer. Cut generously, yet distinctly lean, this bacon feels like the slenderized version of pork belly. The fabulous bacon is organized alongside a pile of addictive rosemary roast potatoes, and crowned by your choice of eggs. My go-to eggs are poached—I spear first one, then the other, and let their gorgeous yolks ooze all over the potatoes before digging in.
My companion’s favorite is the huge plate of Breakfast Tacos ($17), in which a pair of tortillas has been piled high with warm-from-the-skillet scrambled eggs, calabrese sausage and black beans. This abundance of flavors and textures is rendered baroque by being topped with shredded cabbage, sliced avocado and drizzled crème fraiche. Add some of the house salsa (to-die-for thick spicy salsa) and a few ribbons of carrot just for extra color and texture—oh, and a mound of those amazing rosemary roast potatoes—and you have frankly more than any human deserves. Or can finish! We invariably take half our potatoes home for dinner.
We like to bookend our brunch with glasses of fresh-squeezed orange juice ($5/small), sometimes a Mimosa and a small French press pot of rich strong coffee ($3).
Gabriella Cafe, 910 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. Tuesday-Friday, 11am-2pm (lunch); Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9pm (dinner); 10am-2:30pm (brunch). gabriellacafe.com.
Bad Animal’s Thai
Meanwhile at Bad Animal, the new Thai cookery by Lalita Kaewsawang, Hanloh Thai, fills the dining menu with intriguingly spiced items such as pan-fried roti stuffed with curried sweet potatoes; fried chicken rubbed in coriander and sweet-and-sour sauce; and shitake mushrooms, tofu and vegetables with glass noodles. The perfect moment to sample this exciting new menu, along with a varietal from the distinctive wine list, might be this coming Sunday, Nov. 6. Start by taking in the book launch celebration and reading for Cafe Vernacular: The Art of Tom Bottoms by local painter and UCSC professor emeritus Frank Galuszka from 3-5pm. After schmoozing and reading from Cafe Vernacular, you will have worked up an appetite for the in-house Thai cookery. Purchase a glass of wine for the reading and make reservations for Thai dinner following the book launch.
Bad Animal, 1011 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. Open Wednesday-Sunday, noon-9pm (until 10pm Friday and Saturday). badanimalbooks.com.
As we head toward the festive season, it’s time to get some good wine to celebrate the holidays. Equinox’s Pinot Noir Sparkling Rosé would be a good bet. We stopped by Equinox recently for a tasting of owner and winemaker Barry Jackson’s wines. Barry’s wife, Jennifer, poured an impressive 2019 Sparkling Rosé ($55) made in the Méthode Champenoise style. Chock-full of pizzazz and flavor, this is a sparkler par excellence. Barry Jackson has made superb wines for years for his non-sparkling Bartolo wines and his Equinox bubblies. Good sparkling wines take time to produce, and Jackson never cuts corners. The Jacksons’ tasting room is in the middle of all the action in the Swift Street Courtyard complex. Surrounded by other tasting rooms and opposite Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, this is a go-to spot for some great libations.
Equinox Sparkling Wines, 334 Ingalls St., Santa Cruz, 831-471-8608; equinoxwine.com.
Scrumptious Food at the Cement Ship
Scrumptious Fish and Chips will be selling their award-winning food at the Cement Ship on Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, noon-6pm every Saturday and Sunday until the end of November. Enjoy delicious fish and chips, made by two Brits, and some very tasty Chicken Tikka Masala, a favorite food in Great Britain. It has now overtaken roast beef and Yorkshire pudding in popularity! scrumptiousfc.com.
Wine and Roses
Organized by the Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley, the annual Wine and Roses event raises funds to support better health and well-being for the people of the Pajaro Valley. Expect wine tastings by notable vintners, beer from local breweries, delicious hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants and great auction and raffle items.
Wine and Roses is Saturday, Nov. 5, 3-6pm at Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds (Crosetti Building). $100; $160/pair. pvhealthtrust.org.
Kenneth Park’s family purchased the Buttery in 2016—three decades after the restaurant first opened in 1984, and quickly became a local fixture. As manager, Park is dedicated to providing customers with the quality to which they’re accustomed. Known for scratch-made baked goods, Park says the Buttery’s most popular offerings are the carrot cake and the “Our Favorite Chocolate Cake,” which is made with ganache filling and icing.
Breakfast, the other Buttery staple, thrives thanks to the French toast made with Golden Sheaf (their sister bread company) ciabatta bread. Customers regularly call it the best in town. In addition to vegetarian options, the breakfast burrito—loaded with eggs, bacon, roasted potatoes and cheddar cheese—is another hit. The Asian chicken salad and chicken club sandwich are two of several lunchtime faves. GT asked Park what makes the cakes so special and how his two careers complement each other.
What sets the Buttery’s baked goods apart?
KENNETH PARK: We try to use the best ingredients around, and our baker manager Marcelino is probably one of the best bakers in the state and has been with us for over 20 years. We also really emphasize presentation; our icing is very precise and clean, which really separates us from other cake shops. The original founder, Janet, traveled all around the world to perfect our recipes, and that differentiates our pastries, pies, cookies and cakes as well.
How has restaurant work helped with your other career as a clinical trials manager?
Being a manager at the Buttery, I gained invaluable experience and skills leading a team of over 50 employees, interviewing and hiring countless people, scheduling while taking employees’ personal lives into account and being responsible for managing our massive inventory. Through all of this, I gained many leadership traits, and it has also strengthened my work ethic and helped me better handle pressure situations.
The Buttery,702 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-458-3020; butterybakery.com.
A Watsonville man who killed his wife and left her body in a vehicle in Santa Cruz–before fleeing to Mexico where he was arrested at the border–was sentenced Friday to at least 20 years in state prison.
Cesar Hernandez, 49, has been in Santa Cruz County Main Jail since October 2020, after Watsonville Police detectives arrested him at the border crossing at San Ysidro, where he was re-entering the U.S. It is still unclear why he re-entered the U.S. after leaving the country.
Police believe that Hernandez murdered Becerra at their Watsonville home on the 700 block of Rodriguez Street on Oct. 15, and then drove her in the family’s Ford SUV and abandoned her body and the vehicle on Mission Drive in Santa Cruz. She died from blunt force head injuries, and mechanical asphyxia, police said.
Becerra was first reported missing Oct. 15, about a half-hour after Hernandez dropped off the couple’s two young children with family members in Watsonville. Her body was found in the vehicle just before noon the same day.
Watsonville Police Capt. Anthony Magdayao said Border Patrol agents stopped Hernandez Monday evening as he made his way through the checkpoint. WPD Detectives drove overnight to arrest him.
Becerra worked as a cleaner at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. She had plans to attend college, earn a degree and enter the medical field. Her children are currently living with the Aceves family.
Beccera’s cousin Alma Aceves has described Hernandez as a “monster” who abused Beccera mentally and verbally.
