Who’s running for Watsonville City Council? Four district races begin to take shape

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With just three months until Election Day, the field for Watsonville’s four open city council seats is coming into focus.

Voters in four of the council’s seven districts — 3, 4, 5 and 7 — might recognize a few of the names on the Nov. 3 ballot, as past major players in Watsonville politics are looking to return to public service after taking time off. 

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At least two of the four districts are shaping up to be contested races – Districts 5 and 7. Candidates have until 5 p.m. Friday to submit paperwork to run for a city council seat. 

Political newcomer Angel Zuniga is throwing his hat in the ring for the District 5 city council seat. The district encompasses central Watsonville, which includes a portion of Freedom Boulevard, Main Street and the Struve and Watsonville sloughs. 

Zuniga will face off against incumbent Casey Clark, who was elected to the seat in 2022. 

The winner of this race will not only represent this district, but will also step into the role of mayor in 2027. Watsonville has a rotating mayor system. Each calendar year, a new mayor is rotated in order of council district. Clark currently serves as the vice mayor. 

Clark, a state-licensed administrator for adult residential facilities helping adults with developmental disabilities, told Lookout that he wants to get projects that got off the ground during his first term “across the finish line.” 

He added that he and his colleagues on the city council are on the same page when it comes to prioritizing projects — such as infrastructure and replacing every streetlight in the city — that will help build a solid foundation for Watsonville to flourish.

In 2022, Zuniga and Clark would have faced off for the seat, but Zuniga did not submit his candidate paperwork by the deadline to appear on the ballot that year. 

Zuniga told Lookout via email that the decision to run for city council came down to his kids and the future of the community. He added that he wants to make sure that Watsonville continues to be a place where families can thrive, feel safe and have real opportunities.

Zuniga is an operations manager for supply-chain company Americold. He currently serves on the city’s personnel commission.

In District 7, two familiar names will be on the ballot in November: Nancy Bilicich and Ed Acosta. The neighborhood encompasses the eastern corner of the city, including Beck Street, Lake Avenue and Vermont Street. This area is also home to Pajaro Village, one of the largest senior communities in Watsonville. 

Bilicich and Acosta are vying to replace Councilmember Ari Parker, who will be terming out of her seat at the end of the year after being in public office for eight years. 

Bilicich, a lifelong educator, is hoping to return to a seat she represented for nine years. She was originally appointed to replace the late Dale Skillicorn in 2009 and then went on to serve two four-year terms. 

She told Lookout that she’s running again after current elected officials and community members encouraged her to run for office again. “I just thought, why not give it a shot? Let the people vote, you know,” she said. 

Similar to Clark, there are projects such as the ongoing repairs to the Pajaro River levee that Bilicich wants to see completed. 

Acosta, a Watsonville native, is an agricultural manager and currently serves as a trustee for the Santa Cruz County Board of Education. Last summer, he resigned from representing District 7 on the city’s planning commission after serving for many years. In 2022, Acosta ran an unsuccessful bid for the District 4 County Supervisor seat. 

Acosta told Lookout that this year’s election felt like the right time for him to step and serve his community. “That’s really what I wanted to do is just bring the community together,” he said.

He added that he would like to strengthen the bond between community members and their council member, by listening to their needs and concerns.

City Councilmembers Maria Orozco and Kristal Salcido, who represent Districts 3 and 4, respectively, are so far running unopposed in their bids for a second term. Both were elected in 2022 and served as mayor in their first term. 

Lookout will update this list if more candidates submit their paperwork by Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline.

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FOR THE RECORD: This article was updated to include a response from city council candidates Angel Zuniga and Ed Acosta.

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