A Lookout View: Gerry Jensen and Melinda Orbach for Capitola City Council

Editor’s note: A Lookout View is the opinion of our Community Voices opinion section, written by our editorial board, which consists of Community Voices Editor Jody K. Biehl and Lookout Founder Ken Doctor. Our goal is to connect the dots we see in the news and offer a bigger-picture view — all intended to see Santa Cruz County meet the challenges of the day and to shine a light on issues we believe must be on the public agenda. These views are distinct and independent from the work of our newsroom and its reporting.

Capitola, like its sister three cities in Santa Cruz County, faces tough issues. Its elected leaders face unprecedented housing challenges, which in Capitola means a mandated “allocation” of new housing set at 1,336 new units by 2032. Unaffordability drives many issues, as do the quotidian issues of urban living. And of course, there’s not enough money, requiring even more rigorous decision-making.

Amid this environment, Lookout recommends Gerry Jensen and Melinda Orbach for the open seats on the Capitola City Council.

Jensen’s credentials, and dedication to Capitola, are well proven by all the work he’s done, as a leader in volunteer efforts and most recently, on the Capitola Planning Commission. We believe he’s a realist who knows how to get things done. As chair of the Capitola Wharf Enhancement Project and founder of Random Acts of Capitola Kindness, he’s demonstrated those capabilities, along with a true ability to connect with people. He jokes that people call him the “Mr. Rogers” of the neighborhood. 

Jensen barely missed the cut to serve on the council two years ago, and his experience has only deepened since then. His focus on the nuts and bolts of “infrastructure and safety” are key in the dense environment of the city of 9,500. He also recognizes the increasing challenges of an aging populace, with older adults numbering 62% of the city’s population and the urgent need to fix the city’s failing roads. He is himself a grandfather who says he understands the urgent need for affordable homes for young families. Three of his four kids had to leave the area to buy homes, he said, and now his grandchildren live far away.  

Like his fellow candidates, he has no easy answer to the question of reimagining and restyling Capitola Mall, for what the area might want and need it to be in coming decades. His experience as a contractor and small business owner should help, as we hope the issue sees some progress beginning next year. 

Melinda Orbach brings a different set of attributes to the mix of the next city council. Speaking frankly of a divide in the city – somewhat based on geography, somewhat on age and income – she emphasizes resiliency and city services in her approach. A family nurse practitioner at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and a mom of three kids, ages 2, 6 and 8, she brings a voice of working parents, with such perennial issues as child care and long commute times to work as an emphasis. She also speaks to the oft-heard complaints about the slowness of the planning process – something that persists countywide despite the pledges of elected leaders to reform it. As both a first-generation Chinese American and a resident of Capitola’s west side, her election would also help to further diversify the council. She points to 41st Avenue as the “future of the city” and says people who live there need to have a say in what gets built and how the budgeting happens.   

We also value the work and commitment of Margaux Morgan, who is running for reelection. She brings excellent, on-the-ground experience, especially working with the village’s small business community. She would bring the experience of her four years on the council to the job.

Enrique Dolmo Jr. is the fourth candidate for a seat. He made the transition from banking into education and has worked locally in athletics, campus security, transportation and coaching, and has been much involved in community life. He lost his 2022 bid for a council seat by 55 votes. While he did not respond to requests to meet with us, we laud his, and all of the candidates’, willingness to step forward and serve.

In the end, we believe Jensen and Orbach are best suited to join the five-person council.