When he first took his role as Mayor, Eduardo Montesino had a vision: a voice for youth so that they could help guide decisions that affect their lives.
That vision has become a reality with the formation of the Watsonville Youth City Council, a body of 12 high school students from various schools, backgrounds and perspectives.
"Our youth come with strong ideas about what needs to change in order to forge a better future for their city," said Mayor Montesino.
On Thursday, November 15 at 5:00 pm these well-informed, well-prepared and passionate leaders will take their seats in the council chambers and show the community just what they have in mind when it comes to making Watsonville a better place to live, work and grow up.
Council Members:
Dulce Sixtos, Mayor (Ceiba High School)
Alvaro Zamora, Vice-Mayor/District 2 (Pajaro Valley High School)
Nahara Villalobos, City Attorney and City Clerk (Watsonville High School)
Jesus Estrada, City Manager (Pajaro Valley High School)
Jiayao Huang, Parks and Recreation (Pajaro Valley High School)
Ulises Cisneros, Chief of Police (Ceiba High School)
Edgar Lopez, Fire Chief (Watsonville High School)
Juanita Alvarez, District 1 (Ceiba High School)
Selena Corona, District 3 (Watsonville High School)
Jeffrey Garcia, District 4 (Ceiba High School)
Jonathan Fry, District 5 (Pajaro Valley High School)
Alyssa Martinez, District 7 (Pacific Coast Charter)
Agenda Items:
1. Education
Watsonville, Pajaro Valley and Ceiba High School Interact Club members will propose ideas and strategies to improve elementary education in Watsonville.
2. City Budget
Vice Mayor, Alvaro Zamora and City Manager, Jesus Estrada will propose how the City of Watsonville can generate revenue from an enormous and currently un-tapped resource.
3. Public Safety
Chief of Police, Ulises Cisneros and Chief of Fire, Edgar Lopez will join the other council members in presenting findings to the group's survey of hundreds of students from five local high schools: Watsonville, Pajaro Valley, Ceiba, St. Francis, and Renaissance.
4. Community Forum
Mayor, Dulce Sixtos and City Clerk, Naharra Villalobos will open the floor for public comments and discussions of these agenda items and proposals for future agenda items.
The Council invites the community, especially youth, to come and learn about issues that are important to youth: 34% of Watsonville's population. District 1 Representative, Juanita Alvarez, adds, "We look forward to hearing innovative ideas about how to generate revenue for the city, support schools and reduce crime."
The purpose of the Watsonville Youth City Council is to provide opportunities for young people to participate in city government and for city government to hear from youth. This project provides practical life skills and help young people succeed in the future and have a positive impact on our entire community.
If the intent is to represent the youth of Watsonville, then why are all the students pulled from public schools? We have a good handful of private schools in and around Watsonville that local students attend. Not to mention Aptos High, where plenty of in-the-know Watsonville parents have their kids transferred to. I love the idea, but the execution sounds like another attempt by our local government to shut out certain socio-economic and cultural groups within our city. (Edit: And the lack of a district 6 rep just about confirms that)
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