Watsonville annexation proposal nears signature goal

WATSONVILLE — The final push to gather enough signatures for a ballot measure that would propose the annexation of the 80-acre Sakata-Kett and Green Farm properties along Riverside Drive near Highway 1 for commercial development is currently underway.

The proposal, spearheaded by Watsonville City Councilman Daniel Dodge in January, attempts to address the city’s high unemployment rate, currently 21.9 percent, and increase tax revenue for public services.

Julian Posadas, former organizer for AFSCME, heads up the signature-gathering effort in the city and said his team of 15 volunteers is close to reaching the 1,500 signatures needed by the July 2 deadline. Using voter registration roles to target neighborhoods and knocking on doors, volunteers are also hitting the local farmers markets.

Overall, Posadas said the response has been positive.

“Out of 200 signatures I’ve personally collected only a few have refused,” he said.

District 1 City Councilman Felipe Hernandez has taken up the cause and has collected close to 300 signatures in his district alone. For Hernandez, expanding the urban boundary to include the working farmland is about “jobs and economic development and tax revenue for our community.”





For the complete article see the 06-23-2012 issue.

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