Felipe Hernandez Appointed to City Council

With overwhelming support from the community, Felipe Hernandez exchanged his title as planning commissioner for city council member Thursday evening.

both vied for the appointment to replace  as the District 1 representative.

Hernandez was selected by the council with a 5-0 vote. Council members Emilio Martinez and Nancy Bilicich were absent.

Thirteen people, including Hernandez’s mother and brother, spoke on his behalf. No one came to advocate for Corley.

“This is an interesting watershed moment this evening. It is defining the community in many ways,” City Council Member Lowell Hurst noted.

Hernandez’s supporters highlighted his deep ties to the community—Hernandez was born and raised in Watsonville, living in District 1 most of his life—and his bicultural background. Hernandez speaks both English and Spanish.

People praised Hernandez for his dedication and attitude.

“He’s always prepared,” said Pedro Castillo, chair of the Watsonville Planning Commission and a District 4 resident. “He reads the material. He makes site visits. He knows the issues.” 

Tom Alejo, a self-described “a community activist and agitator,” has known Hernandez since the now-city council member was a kid.

“He grew up in the district,” Alejo said, adding that he’s intelligent and a hard worker. “Felipe is not a puppet. He will work with everybody.”

Corley, by comparison, is not bilingual and moved to Watsonville in 1989 to raise his family after growing up in Santa Cruz.

“I think the district has spoken,” City Council Member Oscar Rios said.

Before the appointment was made, both Hernandez and Corley answered 10 prepared questions about their motivations to join the council and the pressing issues in Watsonville.

Both focused on the need to create jobs in Watsonville and provide adequate city services within the current budget constraints.

"It’s about communication and outreach," Hernandez said when asked about the challenges of the city's diverse population; eighty percent of Watsonville residents are Latino and 40 percent of them are monolingual Spanish speakers. "We need to make sure city services meet the needs of the community.”

Corley said bringing an anchor business into the empty Gottschalks building should be a top priority in Watsonville because it will help revitalize the local economy.

"We need to be able to drive people back to downtown Watsonville," he said.

Hernandez also spoke about reducing the Watsonville's 25 percent unemployment rate as a catalyst for making improvements across the city.

"The underlying issue is jobs jobs jobs," he said. "Without a strong economic foundation it’s difficult to move forward.”

Corley addressed his language skills by saying he would get someone to help him bridge the communication gap.

"It doesn’t matter what background you are to represent them; you’re representing the whole community," he said.

Hernandez, who has also has served on the Library Commission, helped establish the and was one of the people who launched the nearly two decades ago, said he wanted the job because he's proactive and committed to Watsonville.

“I promise to bring new ideas, new solutions to the council," he said.

The position will be up for election in November. Hernandez said he's already been walking the district and is planning a campaign kickoff event.