Quick Take
If Measures V and W are passed in November, Watsonville’s city charter will be updated to eliminate gendered references and other outdated language, and residents who aren’t U.S. citizens will be able to serve on city boards and commissions.
Two city charter changes will be on the ballot this November in Watsonville. Measure V would change eligibility requirements to allow residents to serve on city boards and commissions regardless of immigration status. Measure W would update gendered and other outdated language in the charter, including duties and requirements for roles such as city manager.
“There are many residents of Watsonville, for many different reasons, they may not be registered voters, but these people are taxpayers,” District 4 Councilmember Kristal Salcido said about her support for Measure V. “They are business owners. They own property in Watsonville, and we want them to be fully included in the decision-making of their community.”
NOVEMBER BALLOT MEASURES: Find Lookout’s local and state coverage here
The change would open the door for legal non-U.S. citizen residents to serve on a committee. Residency can be confirmed in ways other than voter registration, Salcido said, including a driver’s license or utility bill.
District 5 Councilmember Casey Clark, an opponent of Measure V, said there’s no way for the city to really track who lives in Watsonville and is an actual resident. The process of confirming residency isn’t as straightforward as supporters of Measure V make it out to be, said Clark.
“You can’t prove somebody lives in an address just because of the utility bill,” he said. “Also, the city clerk does not have access to the DMV to check licenses.”
The basic process of selecting and appointing residents to an advisory board or committee would remain the same if Measure V passes, Salcido said. Each councilmember still gets to appoint one person from their respective districts to serve on one of four committees: library, personnel, parks and planning.
“This measure moves Watsonville forward,” Maria Cadenas, executive director of local nonprofit Ventures, said. “It really builds a stronger, more united Watsonville. It will strengthen civic engagement, build community trust.”
The state of California and the county and the city of Santa Cruz have already adopted this practice, and adopting this measure will align Watsonville with other local governments, said Cadenas. The measure is really about ensuring informed policy design and work through the advisory bodies, she said, so elected officials can make their choices.
It just makes sense to embrace the voices that are contributing significantly to the development of the community and ensure that those voices are considered in policies adopted by the city, she said.
“Just remember that the real issue here is that there is nothing to lose, and so much to gain,” Cadenas said.
Clark said city commissions have a lot of decision-making power, and the pro-Measure V side is downplaying that influence. There are certain things a commission can do that do not come to the city council for a vote, and the only way those things come to the council is if somebody appeals it, he said. Some of these commissions are voting on how public funds are being spent.
“This is how the city is run. This is how the government works,” Clark said. “It can affect the city and its constituents financially.”
The only aspect of the measure Clark said he agrees with is that in the end, the councilmembers are the ones appointing the commissioners. The city council has the final decision in that regard, he said.
Everybody has a right to come to every single one of these meetings, to be a part of it, to speak at the podium and to write letters, he said, even if they can’t currently serve on a commission.
“It’s more powerful to actually get them to be a registered voter,” Clark said. “That’s what encourages diversity, true diversity, and really empowers people and gives them a voice.”
Measure W, the other charter change before voters in November, has no formal opposition. If passed, the measure would update outdated language. It’s been 10 years since the most recent revision to the city charter, said Salcido.
“For example, some of the language in the charter is gendered inappropriately. So, it assumes that the mayor is male, right?” Salcido said. “So we removed some of the gendered language that there is.”
The measure also plans to update the requirements for city manager and city attorney. If passed, the city manager will be required to “regularly meet with and communicate with a council member” upon request to discuss agenda items. In addition, the city manager will act as “Director of Emergency Services pursuant to Watsonville Municipal Code section 4-2.03.”
A lot of what this measure intends to do is make the charter more functional, Salcido said. The update will help a lot of the city staff get their jobs done and in a more efficient way, added Clark.
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.