Quick Take
The Lookout Editorial Board endorses Trina Coffman-Gomez for Watsonville City Council. She has already served two terms from 2012 to 2020 and understands the city and its needs. Her opponent, incumbent and former mayor Jimmy Dutra, is too mired in controversy over a recent civil trial to effectively serve. Dutra did not respond to Lookout’s requests for an editorial board meeting.
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.
Watsonville brims with vibrancy and pride, and we wish we saw that energy reflected in the city council races. Of three races this year, only one is contested. That race for the District 6 seat pits former councilmember Trina Coffman-Gomez, who served two terms from 2012 to 2020, against incumbent and former mayor Jimmy Dutra, who is currently serving his second stint on the council.
ELECTION DAY NOV. 5
Complicating the race, of course, the September trial in which a civil jury found Dutra liable for the sexual abuse of a minor in 2005 and ordered him to pay $1.1 million in damages. The trial preoccupied the community for weeks in September as Dutra, who has maintained his innocence throughout the process, insisted it was a ploy to besmirch his name and tank his political career.
Since the trial’s end, Dutra has attended council meetings, but he has not responded to media queries, including our editorial board’s attempts to meet with him about his policies. We think he is too mired in the controversy to be an effective leader at this time.
We recommend Coffman-Gomez, a real estate agent with strong experience and a track record of community service and investment. She currently sits on the board of the Salvation Army Watsonville Corps and Pajaro Valley Arts and has served as president of the Rotary Club of Freedom. The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture named her Woman of the Year in 2023.
In our editorial board meetings, she explained how her work at the Salvation Army gave her firsthand knowledge of the issues surrounding homelessness, which is on the rise in Watsonville, according to 2023 point-in-time data. And she spoke of the need for more affordable homes to buy, not just rent. She believes her background will make it easier for her to work with developers to get more homes built.
She is against Measure V, which would expand eligibility for membership on city boards and commissions to those not registered to vote. Dutra is for Measure V, as are we.
In the other two races, Watsonville Mayor Vanessa Quiroz-Carter is running unopposed in the District 2 race and incumbent Eduardo Montesino is running unopposed in the District 1 race.
Overall, we think Coffman-Gomez is the better choice for Watsonville right now. We endorse her for District 6.
For the record: This piece has been edited to accurately reflect Jimmy Dutra’s attendance at Watsonville City Council meetings.