District 4 county supervisor candidates make case to voters during Wednesday night forum

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The three candidates competing for District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor shared their visions to improve South County on Wednesday night, discussing hot-button issues such as battery storage, housing and affordability during a Lookout forum. 

One thing all three candidates – Tony Nuñez, Elias Gonzales and incumbent Felipe Hernandez – agreed on is that South County residents have historically been underserved by county government. 

“I think you can pick multiple areas in which South County is underserved,” said Nuñez, who currently serves as the marketing and communications manager for nonprofit Community Bridges, as well as the board chair of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, which operates Watsonville Community Hospital.

He told the nearly 70 South County residents in attendance that there’s a lack of economic investment and understanding about what the community wants and needs. One of the ideas Nuñez would like to introduce is a program to help community members start their own businesses.

Gonzales said he wants to invest in the region’s youth, such as showing them different career paths, like apprenticeships that can lead to jobs in the trades. He also suggested creating a county office focusing on youth needs.

MORE ON THE DISTRICT 4 RACE: Find Lookout’s coverage here

“Watsonville has not been invested in and we continue to be the stepchild,” said Gonzales, who is associate director of movement building for Hollister-based nonprofit Youth Alliance, which provides support services for students and their families. 

As the incumbent, Hernandez said that throughout his first term representing District 4, the county has invested more than $800 million in the community. Those projects include opening a county office on Westridge Drive in Watsonville, starting repairs to the Pajaro River levee and fixing roads. 

The ongoing issue of the battery storage project proposed for outside Watsonville was a prominent point of discussion. Both Nuñez and Gonzales said they were against the 90 Minto Rd. project steered by Massachusetts-based developer New Leaf Energy. 

“I’ve met with more than 600 local residents over the last month and a half,” Nunez said, “and several of those residents have been organizers against this plan, and all of the concerns … have been around public health.” 

“How is this going to impact the public health of the people living there,” he asked, “and how is this going to impact the public health of the people living throughout the region?” 

Hernandez did not share his stance on the project, saying it would violate the Brown Act if he were to discuss his position before the project came to the board of supervisors for approval. 

He did say, however, that whether the developers seek approval through the state’s energy commission or at the local level, he would want to ensure the project meets safety standards laid out in the county’s ordinances meant to regulate such facilities. 

New Leaf confirmed to Lookout earlier this month that it is indeed exploring the state route for project approval, as well as keeping the county route open. County officials told Lookout that they have yet to determine its next steps on its draft ordinance. 

“And so we want to make sure that even if they go through the state process, I’m still going to be pestering this company,” Hernandez said. 

The candidates discussed ways to keep themselves accountable if elected to represent District 4, which includes most of the Pajaro Valley, Watsonville and Interlaken. 

Nuñez said he’ll have a listening tour within his first 100 days in office to hear from residents about what changes they’d like to see. 

“My palabra is very important to me,” Gonzales said. “It’s how people hold me accountable and how I hold myself accountable.” 

Gonzales said he wants to build connections with the community, modeling the work he’s been doing for years in the nonprofit sector. 

During the portion of the forum when candidates could ask each other questions, Hernandez was on the defensive several times. He responded to criticisms that he hasn’t been showing up to meetings of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission by saying he’s at every board meeting and sharing what he’s been doing on social media. He was also grilled by Nuñez about where the aforementioned $800 million was invested in South County. Hernandez listed numerous projects, such as the new county offices in Watsonville, repairs to Green Valley Road and improvements to social services. 

The candidates also discussed homelessness in South County and ways to address the issue or, in Hernandez’s case, what he’d continue doing. 

Hernandez brought up the 34-unit “tiny village” in Watsonville, which is a joint project between Santa Cruz and Monterey counties aimed at addressing homelessness along the Pajaro River levee. He said he’d like to develop similar projects, and also convert old hotels into residential treatment centers. 

Nuñez told the audience he would support local organizations, such as Community Bridges, in their efforts to help prevent homelessness by intervening during “just cause” evictions. 

“If we prevent homelessness through eviction protection,” Nuñez said, “I think one of the great things is that it not only saves the public dollars, but we have been able to fund the majority of that work through private philanthropy and foundations.” 

Gonzales said it’s important to change the narrative around the unhoused community, and start looking at services to help those with ongoing mental health issues. 

“A lot of the folks that are incarcerated are dealing with mental health issues, right?” he said. “How are we actually acknowledging those mental health issues?” 

View the forum here.

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