Two Apply for Cabrillo Board Vacancy

Two people will contend for the position left open when last month.

Margarita Cortez, the executive director of , and Pedro Castillo, a UC Santa Cruz history professor, former provost of Oakes College at UCSC and current chair of the Watsonville Planning Commission, both have applied to represent Area V, according to Cabrillo College spokeswoman Kristin Fabos.

Area V covers includes most of Watsonville and the southern portion of Freedom, southeast of South Green Valley Road. Garcia represented the area 20 years.

Castillo applied for the provisional appointment Feb. 6. In his letter to Cabrillo College President Brian King, Castillo detailed his long history in education. He has been a professor for at UCSC for 36 years and taught at the community college level before that. He also shared his experience working on boards and commissions; President Bill Clinton appointed him to the Board of the National Council for the Humanities, where he served from 1999 to 2004.

Cortez, who grew up in Watsonville, applied Feb. 9. She attended UC Santa Barbara and worked in human resources administration for eight years before taking the helm of Loaves and Fishes in January 2011.

The remaining six board members will select Garcia's successor at a special meeting 6-8 p.m. Feb. 21 in the Watsonville City Council Chambers. The appointment will last until the next trustee election, in November.

Also at that meeting, Garcia will be honored for her years of service, Fabos said.

Cabrillo College offers associate degrees and certificates in more than 70 fields of study with an enrollment of more than 17,000 students. It operates three campuses: the main campus in Aptos,  and a Scotts Valley location.

Also, Rebecca Garcia remains involved in Cabrillo, working directly with students in a tutoring and support role.