Elect Dutra as 4th District supervisor
Among the changes in elected leaders coming up this year, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is seeing two longtime members step down.
In the Santa Cruz Third District, we've endorsed Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson to replace Ryan Coonerty.
In the Pajaro Valley Fourth District, our choice is Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra to replace three-term incumbent Greg Caput, who is retiring.
Dutra's communication skills, his performance as a mayor and council member and his growth as a candidate all make him the most viable of the three candidates to replace Caput. And his vow that Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley will have a greater voice in supervisorial decisions and policies is not just empty rhetoric, as evidenced by his strong advocacy for the region during his years on the council.
We should note here we did not endorse Dutra when he ran against Caput in 2014 and 2018. But he's since proven to be a capable and intelligent leader, and we think he'll bring the same qualities to the Board of Supervisors.
He will need at least 50% of the vote plus one to avoid a November runoff, however. That could be tough, since also running in the race are former two-term Watsonville City Councilman and current Cabrillo College board member Felipe Hernandez; and Ed Acosta, an agriculture manager and Santa Cruz County Board of Education trustee.
Hernandez also ran unsuccessfully against Caput in 2018 and then endorsed the incumbent in his runoff against Dutra. He continues to maintain significant union backing and has a strong record of public service and as an advocate for job creation. But at a recent South County election forum, many of the proposals he advanced lacked specificity, while Dutra was able to point to a solid record of accomplishment.
In 2021, while mayor, he helped find $30 million in regional, state and federal grants to support projects including the dispersal of vaccines to disproportionately impacted Watsonville residents and the revitalization of Ramsay Park. He stepped up his participation in community organizations, and is board president of Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance, as well as a board member of the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County Inc. and the Diversity Center of Santa Cruz County.
He also points out that Watsonville's water recycling programs have been successful enough to ensure residents are not being required to cut back on water use.
And he's been involved in all these efforts while working as a teacher in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.
All three candidates support a continuation of the urban growth boundary which preserves ag lands and specifies where developers are permitted to build in Watsonville. The measure is up for renewal this November.
On the divisive subject of Measure D, by the way, Hernandez was a solid “No” on the move to make a multipurpose trail the priority on the 32 mile rail corridor, citing the need of local working people to get to work outside the gridlock of Highway 1. Acosta, without giving details, said he was voting “Yes.” Dutra, either showing canny political instincts or concerned his stand one way or the other might cost him the election, said only, “I work for the people and I'm going to wait for them to tell me what to do on this.” But he's also on record backing Highway 1 auxiliary lanes and bus on shoulder to expedite the commute for local workers. He's also against the ballot measure in the unincorporated area of the county that hikes the transient occupancy tax.
Dutra has echoed other past candidates in the district that the Pajaro Valley has lacked a “strong voice” on the board advocating for the area's fair share of resources.
He's already sounded that voice on the Watsonville City Council.
Elect Jimmy Dutra as the new Fourth District county supervisor.