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Health & Fitness

Standing Up for Good Government in Watsonville

Today we celebrate that the Founding Fathers of the United States of America signed the Declaration of Independence, freeing this country from the rule and law of Great Britain. I celebrate that they were standing up for good government.

If you attended, or watched the July 2nd City Council meeting, you saw a group of concerned citizens stand up and say that the registered voters in Watsonville have the right to have a voice and the opportunity to have a deciding vote in how decisions are made by our elected representatives on the City Council. I am honored to be one of nine Proponents for these initiatives (the Santa Cruz Sentinel published all three Petitions on July 1st if you’d like to read them in their entirety).

On July 1, 2013, we filed three Notices of Intent to Circulate Petitions in the Watsonville City Clerk’s Office. The first two amends the Charter of the City of Watsonville and the third amends the Watsonville Municipal Code.

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Petition number one intends that “all vacancies that occur in the office of a Council Member be filled by an election of the registered voters” of that particular district and gives a clear definition for the term “vacancy.” The Primary Proponent for this initiative is Rick Danna. This initiative simply ensures that the process of selecting Council Members will at all times belong to the people.

Petition number two intends to “have the Mayor appointed in a sequential fashion” (by District number) “in order to allow all Council Districts to have an equitable opportunity for their respective Council Member to become Mayor.” The Primary Proponent for this initiative is Rhea DeHart. Who can possibly argue against the idea that all the citizens of Watsonville deserve to have their Council Member serve them as Mayor?

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Petition number three intends that the naming of public places like buildings, bridges, plazas, airports, etc., “be done solely with voter approval by registered voters in the city.” The Primary Proponent is Gerry Martin. The simple goal is to have democratically approved place names that bind all citizens of Watsonville together with a sense of common pride in our community.

All three of these initiatives are positive, good governance; they are all are color blind, race blind, age blind, gender blind and political party blind, and as Proponent Rhea DeHart stated “The idea behind all three is to increase public participation in civic life.”

Our intention is to have these initiatives on the June 2014 General Election ballot so that it isn’t costing the city any extra money (or the tax payers) with a special election. If you’d like more information or find out how you can get involved by “standing up for good government” call 831-685-7432 or 831-685-RHEA. Leave us your comment or message and someone will get back to you.

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