April Mayor's Update

Dear Residents,

The City of Watsonville strives to provide excellent customer service. We are committed to providing programs and services that will create a safe, healthy and environmentally friendly community. We do it with pride and we do it with less!

There are a lot of exciting things happening in Watsonville:

The City of Watsonville and OpenGov.com announced the release of a powerful new tool that presents and visualizes the city’s revenues and expenses—from multi-year trends to object-level details.  By leveraging the OpenGov Platform, citizens and staff can use the web-based software to enhance access, understanding, and analysis of the city’s annual budget.  The City of Watsonville joins the ranks of over 40 other California governments who are leading the country on the open government initiative. The public is invited to explore the tool on the city’s website, or directly at https://WatsonvilleCA.OpenGov.com.

The City’s Public Works and Utilities Department is dedicated to environmental protection and serving our community. We are excited to celebrate both by bringing you the 12th annual Earth Day/Day of the Child Festival. Ask any Watsonville child, “What can you do to help the environment?” and they will be quick to tell you “We should save water, recycle, and not litter.” This community awareness is what our Public Works Department is accomplishing with our ongoing outreach programs and services, and this festival.

The celebration will be held on Sunday, April 27, 2014 from 12-4 at Ramsay Park. Over 30 booths will offer free activities, and food will be available at a low cost. There will be prizes, crafts, games and jump houses. Families can watch local entertainment, and learn about services in our community. This year, local businesses have joined the City to make this event possible for Watsonville families

If one of your organization’s goals is outreach and education to youth and families, this is an ideal place to have a booth. Most participants are Spanish speaking parents with young children ages 2-10. The typical booth includes a simple, earth friendly activity for children plus educational information for parents.  For more information, please contact our Parks and Community Services department at 831.768.3107 or visit our website at www.cityofwatsonville.org.

The City of Watsonville believes our residents deserve clean streets and a healthy environment. Our Public Works and Utilities Department is always exploring ways to keep our community litter-free. Every year thousands of children, families and community groups join our Environmental School Program and Community Litter Clean-Up events to pick up litter on our streets, beaches, river, trails and wetlands. The City is proud to work with you, our Community Heroes. Thank you to CEIBA school for bringing out 400 students to do a downtown cleanup this spring. Now, local businesses, community members and service groups can become stewards on a section of wetland trail. Through their efforts our award-winning trails will be further restored and kept litter-free. We all want a clean Watsonville. To get involved in our litter clean-up efforts, visit the City’s Nature Center located behind Ramsay Park or call 768-1622.

Mauricio Pedroza from the Pumas soccer club of Club Universidad Nacional, A.C. in Mexico City attended the April 3rd Parks and Recreation Commission meeting as part of his first visit to the Parks and Community Services Department youth soccer league. Mr. Pedroza will attend youth soccer practices, meet parents and players and present a coaching clinic during his visit to Watsonville.

I love to hear from our community, so please feel free to email me directly at: karina.cervantez@cityofwatsonville.org.

Sincerely,

Mayor Karina Cervantez