Quick Take
Incumbent Jimmy Dutra is reelected back to Watsonville City Council, defeating his challenger Trina Coffman-Gomez for the District 6 seat. Dutra led Coffman-Gomez by 10%, securing 55% of the district's votes.
Tuesday, Dec. 3, 4:56 p.m. — Incumbent Jimmy Dutra secures another term in Watsonville City Council defeating his opponent, real estate broker and former council member Trina Coffman-Gomez for the District 6 seat.
Dutra had 55% of votes to Coffman-Gomez’s 44.3% — 1,198 for Dutra and 964 for Coffman-Gomez. In the uncontested District 1 and 2 city council races, Eduardo Montesino had received 96.09% of the votes and Vanessa Quiroz-Carter received 94% of the votes.
County Clerk Tricia Webber’s office said Tuesday’s update was the last as the office certified the results at the same time of the last update. All totaled countywide,136,505 votes have been counted.
Dutra was found liable for sexual abuse of a minor by a Santa Cruz County jury in September in lawsuit first filed while he was running for county supervisor two years ago.
Although he has denied the allegations and vowed to appeal, Dutra continued with his reelection campaign. He did not respond to Lookout’s repeated requests to be interviewed about his candidacy. Dutra served on the Watsonville City Council from 2014 to 2018 prior to being elected to his current seat. He became Watsonville’s first openly gay mayor in 2020.
Coffman-Gomez currently sits on the board of the Salvation Army Watsonville Corps and Pajaro Valley Arts, and previously served as president of the Rotary Club of Freedom. She served two terms representing District 6 on the Watsonville City Council, from 2012 to 2020.
Dutra promised in a written statement on his candidacy to “improve roads, enhance neighborhood lighting, ensure city safety, prioritize economic development, provide adequate community spaces through completing our park renovations, continue the Kmart center improvements, advocate for Blanca Lane’s Meadows Manor Mobile Home Park, deter a county homeless encampment on Freedom Boulevard, and invest in youth and mental health programs.”
Throughout her campaign, Coffman-Gomez promised to get the necessary resources for Watsonville’s unhoused community and improving public transportation.
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