2012 Watsonville Elections

Though 2012 may seem far away to some, to politicians it is right around the corner. Newspapers are covering Republican presidential candidates and President Obama’s start of the campaign trail. Politicians are emerging in the news, and soon we will be seeing the local elections starting.

Though the national political scene will be on fire this coming year, the Watsonville political scene will not be too bad, either. Watsonville has four council seats opening up in the 2012 election, meaning the majority of the council’s seats are up for grabs. Here are the Watsonville City Council seats that will be open:

• District 1: This council seat is held by Manuel Quintero Bersamin. District 1 covers West Riverside Drive, West Beach Street up to Freedom Boulevard. Councilman Bersamin will be terming out this year and will not be able to run again, leaving this seat wide open. (Amen)
• District 2: Oscar Rios holds the district 2 council seat that runs from Riverside Drive to East Lake. Oscar Rios was appointed into this seat when Assemblyman Luis Alejo won the Assembly seat. His appointment did not go down smoothly. Before Alejo left, the council voted 4-3 to allow Mayor Luis Alejo to participate in the selection of his successor. People were not happy with this vote and Councilman Emilio Martinez and two other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit, arguing the appointment couldn't be made until Alejo stepped down from the council. Martinez lost the lawsuit and Rios was appointed to the council. Rios had sat on the council previously before, in many people’s eyes he has done his time on the council and has not made a difference and needs to move on.
• District 3: Lowell Hurst was appointed to this seat after former Councilman Bill Neighbors, only after sitting on the council for 4 months, left the council. His district is highly coveted for the fact the Watsonville Airport resides in it. Hurst is not new to the Watsonville Council, common theme as we can see with Rios as well. Hurst first won a council seat in 1989 as the city was recovering from the devastation of the Loma Prieta earthquake but more importantly he was on the council when everyone was learning to live with court-mandated district elections. Hurst may make a difference on the council but at the moment, he is too new to see what he will bring to the table.
• District 6: Emilio Martinez has held this seat for four years, letting him run for City Council for a second term if he decides to. District 6 is the “golden area” of Watsonville, with Brewington and Martinelli sitting right in the middle. Martinez has probably been the most well-known City Councilman sitting on the Watsonville City Council other than former Mayor Luis Alejo. With his name recognition, if he decides to run, it would be hard for anyone to beat him. This includes his planning commissioner who has been eyeing the seat, Trina Coffman-Gomez.  

With the majority of the council up for grabs, it really is anyone’s game. But the real question is: Does it even matter?  The past couple years' proof has shown that the Watsonville City Council tends to be puppets for City Manager Carlos Palacios. 

Therefore, does it matter who you elect?  Unless you have a whistle-blower like Martinez, the answer is probably no.