AGENDA
CITY OF WATSONVILLE
JOINT COUNCIL, SUCCESSOR HOUSING AGENCY,
& SUCCESSOR AGENCY MEETING
Working with our community to create positive impact through service with heart.
Values: Teamwork, Integrity, Honesty, Service and Respect Maria Orozco, Mayor, District 3
Kristal Salcido, Mayor Pro Tempore, District 4
Eduardo Montesino, Council Member, District 1
Vanessa Quiroz-Carter, Council Member, District 2
Casey K. Clark, Council Member, District 5
Jimmy Dutra, Council Member, District 6
Ari Parker, Council Member, District 7
Tamara Vides, City Manager
Samantha W. Zutler, City Attorney
Irwin I. Ortiz, City Clerk
Location:
City of Watsonville
Community Rooms
275 Main Street, Top Floor
Watsonville, CA 95076
Anyone addressing the City Council is asked to fill out a speaker card and leave it at the podium for recording purposes
IF YOU CHALLENGE ANY ACTION APPEARING ON THIS AGENDA IN
COURT, YOU MAY BE LIMITED TO RAISING ONLY THOSE ISSUES YOU OR
SOMEONE ELSE RAISED AT THE PUBLIC MEETING DESCRIBED ON THIS
AGENDA, OR IN WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE DELIVERED TO THE CITY CLERK PRIOR TO, OR AT, THE PUBLIC MEETING.
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The Council Chambers is an accessible facility. If you wish to attend a meeting and you will require assistance in order to attend and/or participate, please call the City Clerk's Office at least three (3) business days in advance of the meeting to make arrangements. The City of Watsonville TDD number is (831) 763-4075.
For information regarding this agenda, please call the City Clerk's Office at (831) 768- 3040
AGENDA
CITY OF WATSONVILLE
JOINT COUNCIL, SUCCESSOR HOUSING AGENCY, &
SUCCESSOR AGENCY MEETING
City of Watsonville
275 Main Street, Top Floor
Watsonville, CA 95076
Friday, March 21, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
Civic Plaza Community Rooms - 275 Main Street, Top Floor, Watsonville, CA 95076 (Special Meeting) Pages
1. ROLL CALL
1.a MOTION TO EXCUSE ABSENT COUNCIL MEMBER(S) (If any)
2. MAYOR'S WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS
3. NEW BUSINESS
3.a LEGISLATIVE PRESENTATION (No Action Required) 2
Presentations by City Staff and the City's Local Legislators Regarding Pending & Recent State & Federal Legislative Matters
4. ADJOURNMENT
This agenda was posted in accordance with the California Ralph M. Brown Act. The agenda packet can be accessed on the City of Watsonville website at https://watsonville.gov/2123/City-Council-Agendas-Minutes and is available for public inspection in the City Clerk’s Office (275 Main Street, 4th Floor) during normal business hours. Any materials related to an item on this Agenda submitted to the Council after the distribution of the agenda packet will be made available to the public in accordance with Government Section 54957.5.
Public comments received three (3) hours or more before the meeting will be included in the online agenda packet before the meeting starts. All comments received less than three (3) hours, during the meeting, or after the conclusion of the meeting will be uploaded to the agenda packet as soon as possible, depending on staff availability.
Run of Show
9:30am-11:00am
275 Main St. Top Floor (Community Room)
• 9:30am- Mayor’s Welcome
-City Manager’s Welcome
• Presentation from City of Watsonville Staff Members:
-Current Projects
-Top Priorities
1) Community Resilience/Housing- Housing Manager, Carlos Landaverry and Interim Assistant Community Development Director, Matt Orbach 2) Infrastructure Improvements:
*Downtown Improvements- Interim Community Development Director, Justin Meek
*Wastewater Treatment Plant Infrastructure- City Manager, Tamara Vides
• Final Questions and Closing Remarks
• Guest Speakers:
-10:45 am: Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (Topic: State Initiatives) -10:50 am: Speaker Robert Rivas (Topic: State Initiatives) -10:55 am: Senator Laird’s Office District Representative, Marisa Hernandez • Meeting Ends: 11:00am
Legislative Meeting March - 2025
Mayor's Welcome
City Manager's Welcome
Agenda
1. Our Progress
2. Top Priorities
1. Community Resilience/Housing
2. Infrastructure Improvements
• Downtown Improvements
• Wastewater Treatment Plant
Infrastructure
3. Closing Remarks and Final Questions
Current Projects
Thank You for Your Support!
1. Ramsay
2. Electrical Improvements at
Wastewater Treatment Plan
3. Main Street Sidewalk
Main Street
Sidewalk Repair
The City of Watsonville has requested and is receiving support from Caltrans District 5 to approve the allocation of emergency funding to repair the failing sidewalk.
Special thank you to:
1. CTC Commissioner Bob Tiffany for visiting Watsonville and for advocating for this project.
2. Julius McIntyre, Policy Consultant for Speaker Rivas for advocating for this project.
Council Priorities
Economic
Development
Infrastructure &
Environment
Housing Fiscal Health
Public Safety Community Engagement &
Well-being
Efficient & Well
Performing Gov. Page 9 of 24
Zooming in to Priorities
1. Community Resilience/Housing
2. Infrastructure Improvements
• Downtown Improvements
• Wastewater Treatment Plant
Community Resilience
City of Watsonville 6th Cycle Housing Element
• Adopted on October 15, 2024
• Plans for RHNA target of 2,053 housing units
• Utilizes recently adopted Downtown Watsonville Specific Plan area to accommodate the majority of the new housing units
• Contains programs updating key parts of the Watsonville Municipal Code related to accessory dwelling units and
density bonuses
• The major constraint is the lack of vacant land available for new residential development.
• The city does not control market conditions.
Community Resilience
6th Cycle Housing Element
• HCD perception and treatment of City as 'bad actor'
during 6th Cycle Housing Element review process
• Lack of accountability from HCD staff. There is no real process for resolving disputes.
• Very difficult for smaller cities with less staff and resources to get pro-housing designation, therefore less funding opportunities
Quantity of New Housing-Related Legislation
• Quantity of new state housing and land use legislation each year
• Loss of local control
• Unfunded and unrealistic state mandates
Community Resilience
Housing Assistance
Watsonville is home to various groups with special
housing needs, including seniors, farm workers,
large families, disabled persons, homeless persons,
single parent families, and students, among
others. These groups face greater difficulty in
finding decent and affordable housing due to special
circumstances.
The City is committed to expanding and protecting
housing opportunities for all economic segments
and special needs groups within the community.
Community Resilience
Housing Production
The City depends on State, Federal, and other funding
sources for housing activities to leverage local funds, including:
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LHITC)
Housing Choice Voucher Program
CDBG
HOME
CalHome
Joe Serna
Permanent Local Housing Allocation
Loss of these funds will affect housing affordability and new development
Community Resilience
Discussion
How is the State preparing and working with the
Federal Government to ensure our City continues
to receive Federal funding, especially for housing?
What is being done at the Federal legislative level
to ensure that critical funding for housing remains
available into the future?
What can be done at the legislative level to remove
barriers to creating housing while allowing for local
control?
Infrastructure
Downtown Improvements
• Downtown Watsonville Specific Plan –
Promotes roadway and streetscape
improvements on Main Street
• Traffic calming measures to
promote foot traffic
• Utility improvements to support
future growth
Downtown
Street
Framework
Caltrans SR-152
Short-Term: Remain 1-way
Long-Term: Become 2-way
Caltrans Routes:
SR-129 (To Hollister / Salinas)
SR-152 (To Santa Cruz & Gilroy)
MAIN ST
W. LAKE AVE E. LAKE AVE
LINCOLN ST
UNION ST
2ND ST MAPLE AVE
KILBURN ST
RIVERSIDE DR
RODRIGUEZ ST
E. BEACH ST
129
129
152
152
TO SALINAS
TO GILROY
TO SANTA CRUZ / MONTEREY
TO HOLLISTER
TO CORRALITOS
TO SANTA
CRUZ
TO OCEAN
Recommended
Improvements
SHOPP #05-1P110
Recommended Improvements:
Main Street "Road Diet"
Between Beach Street
SHOPP #05-1P110 and Riverside Drive Unfunded
Wastewater
Treatment
Plant Infrastructure
WWTP Funding Needs
Request for funding from Congresswoman Lofgren
in early 2024 for $11 million.
• House/Senate agreement in Dec. 2024
• Section 219 Environmental Infrastructure
• City working with Army Corps of Engineers
• Design of Headworks is complete, need
construction funding - $37 million
Hexavalent Chromium Maximum Contaminant
Level, Affordability, and Compliance
• Support AB1567 and SB385
Infrastructure Discussion
What can be done to accelerate the timeline for the Main Street sidewalk repairs and the Caltrans Road Diet improvements (SHOPP #05-1P110)?
What is being done at the Federal level to ensure earmarks for these projects remain in place?
What additional State and Federal resources are available to support critical infrastructure projects?
Can legislation be passed to extend the compliance period for Chromium 6 from 2 years to at least 5 years?
Questions
and Closing Remarks
City Council
Strategic Goals
CONTACT US
TAMARA VIDES
CITY MANAGER
(831) 768-3010
NICK CALUBAQUIB
DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
(831) 768-3010
COURTNEY LINDBERG
PUBLIC WORKS & UTILITIES DIRECTOR
(831) 768-3176
JUSTIN MEEK
INTERIM COMMUNITY DEV. DIRECTOR
(831) 768-3077
Economic Development
Infrastructure & Environment
Housing
Fiscal Health
Public Safety
Community Engagement & Well-being
Efficient & Well-Performing Government
watsonville.gov
Building a Stronger Watsonville:
Key Legislative Actions Needed
The City of Watsonville seeks legislative action to advance essential infrastructure projects, secure sustainable funding, and address regulatory challenges that impact our community’s long-term growth and resilience.
ENSURE CONTINUED FEDERAL
HOUSING FUNDING FOR WATSONVILLE
Advocate for state and federal coordination to guarantee that Watsonville continues to receive essential federal funding for housing programs.
SECURE LONG-TERM FEDERAL HOUSING FUNDS
Support federal legislation that safeguards and sustains critical housing funding for communities like Watsonville.
REMOVE LEGISLATIVE BARRIERS
TO HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
Introduce or support legislation that eliminates regulatory obstacles and streamlines processes to facilitate new housing construction.
ACCELERATE MAIN STREET SIDEWALK
REPAIRS & ROAD DIET IMPROVEMENTS
Request an expedited timeline for the Main Street sidewalk repairs and the CalTrans Road Diet improvements (SHOPP #05-1P110) by prioritizing funding and streamlining approvals.
PROTECT FEDERAL EARMARKS
FOR LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Advocate for federal action to ensure that earmarked funds for these projects remain intact and are not reallocated or delayed.
SECURE ADDITIONAL STATE &
FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE RESOURCES
Identify and allocate additional state and federal funding sources to support these critical infrastructure improvements.
EXTEND COMPLIANCE PERIOD
FOR CHROMIUM 6 REGULATIONS
Introduce or support legislation that extends the compliance period for Chromium 6 from two years to at least five years, allowing municipalities more time to implement necessary upgrades.
LEGISLATIVE MEETING
C I T Y O F WATS O N V I L L E
MARCH 21, 2025
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
Housing Production
The City relies on State, Federal, and other funding sources to support housing activities and maximize local resources. The loss of these funds would significantly impact housing affordability and new development, including:
• Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LHITC) • CDBG
• Housing Choice Voucher Program • HOME
• CalHome • Joe Serna • Permanent Local Housing Allocation Housing Assistance
Watsonville is home to various groups with special housing needs, including seniors, farm workers, large families, disabled persons, homeless persons, single parent families, and students, among others.
These groups face greater difficulty in finding decent and affordable housing due to special circumstances.
Housing and Neighborhood Conservation
Conserving, preserving, and improving the housing stock is an important City goal. Approximately 45 percent of the housing stock in Watsonville is 30 years old or older, the age when most homes begin to have major rehabilitation needs.
MAIN STREET
SIDEWALK
The City of Watsonville has
requested and is receiving
support from Caltrans District
5 to approve the allocation of
emergency funding to repair
the failing sidewalk.
Special thank you to:
CTC Commissioner Bob Tiffany for
visiting Watsonville and for
advocating for this project.
Julius McIntyre, Policy Consultant
for Speaker Rivas for advocating
for this project.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
INFRASTRUCTURE
The Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) serves over 65,000 customers in the Pajaro Valley and requires critical upgrades to the aging infrastructure. The most critical upgrade to our Wastewater Treatment Plant today is replacing headworks to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations. The city has a finalized design for this construction project and it is expected to cost $37 million. The City requested partial funding from Congresswoman Lofgren in early 2024 to support this critical infrastructure project and is currently seeking additional funding to offset the costs for rate payers.
CHROMIUM 6
The State has failed us regarding the economic impact (the State has not provided funding) and the compliance schedule (the State has imposed a 2-year schedule to be in compliance. Last time in 2017, we were fortunate that SB385 was passed to give a 5-year implementation schedule).
Estimated $50-60M million for compliance. This is an estimate and has been adjusted from the $22-25M that was estimated in 2017
DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENTS
The Downtown Specific Plan promotes roadway and streetscape improvements on Main Street, implements traffic calming measures to encourage foot traffic, and includes utility upgrades to support future growth. Prioritizing CalTrans Road Diet improvements (SHOPP #05-1P110), along with funding and streamlining approvals, will help enhance traffic flow, improve safety, and support the overall revitalization of the downtown area.