Election Day is just around the corner
Anyone driving through the streets of our city can see that there is energy and excitement with the many political campaigns taking place. Nov. 8, is Election Day. I want to invite all eligible voters in our city to come out and cast your vote, or stay home, sit down at the kitchen table and cast your vote.
Share your voices, Watsonville. The best part of democracy is the opportunity given to all of us to vote our values and impact the way our community is shaped into the future. Please vote early or on Election Day. Our city clerk's office at 275 Main St. is open now as a satellite-voting place until Nov 8. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and the two weekends before the Election Day, Watsonville residents can come to the city hall building to vote. If you are not registered to vote yet but are eligible to vote, you may register and vote on the same day.
After a year of construction and site improvements, it is also very exciting to see the 975 Main St. commercial development finally being occupied and businesses starting to thrive. Starbucks and The Habit Burger are now open and very busy. Chipotle will be opening in the next two weeks. Stop by and check it out.
The city of Watsonville now has a new sister city. This week, the Watsonville City Council welcomed a delegation from Portugal and signed an agreement establishing a sister-city partnership between Watsonville and Velas, Azores, Portugal. What a wonderful celebration of our diverse community. With our new sister city, we aim to create opportunities to exchange ideas, share culture and heritage and, most importantly, establish a longlasting friendship and partnership.
During its stay in Watsonville, the delegation toured several city facilities as well as some of our local businesses. Our Sister City Program dates to November 1986 when we established our first sister city partnership with KawakamiMura in Japan. Since then we've added six cities to the program, including our most recent one with Velas, Portugal.
Following this important celebration of the cultural diversity in our community, the Watsonville City Council unanimously approved municipal code updates to align our city with state mandates known as SB9, which eases restrictions on residential development in an effort to make the construction of residential units easier and faster.
The lack of housing is not just a problem in our community; it is one that is shared by all cities all over our state. This update to the city ordinance eases the development of up to
two residential units per parcel for single-family residential zoned parcels that meet certain requirements, which creates a direct opportunity for the development of more housing in our city.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Watsonville Police Department, as a highly visible organization in our community, is in a unique position to make a tremendous impact in the battle against this deadly disease. Since 2017, we have joined multiple law enforcement agencies around the state and country to participate in the Pink Patch Project.
During October, you will once again see our officers and professional
staff wearing pink patches on their uniforms. You will also see the Pink Police Cruiser patrolling our streets. We are now taking online orders for our 2022 Pink Patch Project merchandise. Online orders will be processed during normal business hours and available for pick-up at the police department (215 Union St.) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. To place your online order, visit https:// forms.gle/iKoHNdxu5SyEMWj99.
The Parks and Community Services Department and the Watsonville Library have partnered to create a new Teen Action Council comprised of a group of youth ages 13 to 18 who want to make a
difference. The Teen Action Council provides teens the opportunity to amplify the voice of youth within the community. This program helps develop the tools necessary for teens to build leadership skills, explore and identify issues and concerns important to teens, communicate issues and challenges in the city of Watsonville, organize special events for the community and promote mutual respect, understanding, and diverse representation for teens of different backgrounds. Two Teen Action Council members will also have the opportunity to serve as youth representatives on the Parks and Recreation and Library Commissions.
Teen Action Council members will be working towards a framework for youth and teens that will equip them for a successful future, and resiliency from violence, alcohol & drugs, and other negative influences. The Teen Action Council will have its first meeting this month.
Our Parks and Community Services Department has some fun events planned to celebrate the Fall and the start of the holiday season.
Join us at the Watsonville Film Festival from
4-9 p.m. Oct. 28 for Dia de los Muertos at the Watsonville City Plaza. Everyone is invited to celebrate this beautiful tradition, complete with altars, live music, hands-on activities and a screening of the movie, Coco. For information and to view additional Dia de los Muertos arts & crafts tutorials and curated films, visit watsonvilfilmfest.org.
The fun doesn't stop there. Our second Halloween Downtown Candy Crawl is from 2-6 p.m. Oct. 29. This free event for ages 13 and younger is a safe and fun way for families to trick or treat and visit participating downtown businesses. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. To sign up, visit watsonvillerec.com.
See you around town, Watsonville.