Thanks to a voter-approved sales tax increase, the city of Watsonville, Calif., is investing in upgrades that will benefit the whole community.

          Known as Measure R, the half-cent sales tax increase was approved in November 2022 and went into effect in April 2023. It raises approximately $5 million per year, and the revenue will be used to improve roads, expand parks and library services, and upgrade the community plaza.

          “I am really excited to be here at a time that is allowing us to do so much,” said City Manager Tamara Vides. “Watsonville voters understand that if we invest in the community, then we can improve the quality of life for all of our residents and that’s what Measure R is all about.”

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The road to Measure R began during the COVID-19 pandemic when Watsonville residents flooded the city parks to get a bit of fresh air and exercise while adhering to social distancing protocols. Unfortunately, the city has the lowest park acreage per person in Santa Cruz County, making the need for expanded recreation facilities a priority. Using that need as a springboard, the City Council polled residents to find out what other issues were on their minds and hearts. After gathering that data, the council asked if the community would be willing to tax themselves in order to achieve those goals. When the vote was tallied, the result was an overwhelming yes.

In addition to the public support, Measure R also has a lot of community engagement from those who come out to learn about which projects are in the works as well as a community oversight group who ensures that the revenue is being spent appropriately.

“We have been very intentional that this money will be focused on the three things that we promised voters,” Vides said.

In May, Watsonville broke ground on the Ramsay Park Renaissance Project, which is a $28 million effort to transform and revitalize the area’s largest recreational site. When completed, the park will have the largest all-inclusive playground in the county, additional soccer fields that will be outfitted with lights for night play, a multiuse sports field and a dog park. There are also additional plans for a new nature center thanks to a partnership between the city and the Watsonville Wetlands Watch.

“In addition to Measure R revenue, we have applied for a state grant to help us improve the connectivity and walkability of our nature trails,” Vides said. “Our team is very good at looking for ways in which we can supplement the Measure R revenue and get things done faster.”

The city is also making a capital improvement investment in the Watsonville Public Library. In October, the Watsonville City Council heard about a plan to construct a $2.5 million outdoor rooftop cafe and meeting space at the Watsonville Public Library on Main Street. Construction is slated to begin next spring using money from Measure R, and if all goes according to plan, the expansion should be completed by 2026. There are also plans to make the library more accessible to patrons who can’t physically come out to the facility as well as developing programming that will meet the needs of the 21st century library patron.

“Libraries are becoming so much more than a place where people check out books and our library needs to expand with those times,” Vides said.

Road reconstruction

          Measure R has also given Watsonville the opportunity to look at its street maintenance programs and develop a pavement management plan that would not only inventory the conditions of the streets throughout the city but also prioritize improvements that need immediate attention.

          “Fixing the streets is not a cheap endeavor, and we wanted to make sure that we did it in an equitable manner so that everyone in the community benefits rather than just the louder neighborhoods that ask for improvements,” Vides said. “With a full inventory of our streets, we know the pavement conditions and we have a dedicated team that is making sure we can plan future road work.”

          At the present time, the city is designing and engineering its large street reconstruction project for 2025, which will involve the section of Green Valley Road from Carey Avenue to the city limit. However, the pavement management program is not just for those areas that need major overhauls. It is also designed for those roads in need of striping, pothole filling, small dig out projects, making sure that new and current safety measures are in place and working with the school district to ensure that everyone is safe when they are en route to school.

          Vides said that it will cost approximately $93 million to make all the improvements the city plans to accomplish through Measure R funding over a 10-year time span. However, the tax helps the city make improvements in the present while planning for the future.

          “If we remain committed to putting this money where it is intended to go, then we give our residents and visitors better access to the features that matter, and in the end, we are all winners,” Vide said.

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