WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville bade goodbye to three outgoing members on Tuesday, two of them longtime leaders with decades of combined experience between them.
Lowell Hurst and Rebecca Garcia served for years on the council, including stints as mayor. Francisco “Paco” Estrada was elected in 2018, serving his first year as mayor.
Hurst served three terms as mayor, the most of any council member in Watsonville history, said City Clerk Irwin Ortiz.
Garcia was a teacher, assistant principal and principal in Pajaro Valley Unified School District schools, in addition to serving 20 years on Cabrillo College’s governing body and on community organizations too numerous to list here.
After the outgoing members received proclamations for their service, the City welcomed its new members onto the dais. Former Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board Trustee Maria Orozco, Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Kristal Salcido and longtime community volunteer Casey Clark are the Council’s newest members.
Clark and Orozco ran unopposed in the November election.
Also sworn in were Ari Parker, who handed the mayor’s gavel to City Councilman Eduardo Montesino, who previously served as mayor in 2012.
Vanessa Quiroz-Carter became Mayor Pro Tempore.
Quiroz-Carter, who was elected in 2020, said she is still learning in her relatively new role, which she said was made more challenging by the Covid-19 pandemic and increasing inflation.
“As an elected official my job isn’t to be the voice of the people,” she said. “It’s to uplift the collective voices of the people.”
Montesino described himself as an “innocent, shy kid” who grew up in the fields of his native Mexico and who “played with sticks and his imagination to have fun.”
“When my parents brought my sisters and I for a dream of a better life in the United States, I don’t think they had an idea that their son would grow up to lead the City as Mayor,” he said. “And I hope they are proud of me.”
Mayor Parker thank you for your wonderful service to our city. Unfortunately, the Lord High Pope of Watsonville Steve disapproves of your accomplishments
Frankly he couldn’t make a pimple on your a s s
You did a great job as mayor
WT
Mayor Parker thank you for your wonderful service to our city. Unfortunately, the Lord High Pope of Watsonville Steve disapproves of your accomplishments
Frankly he couldn’t make a pimple on your a s s
You did a great job as mayor
WT
congratulations to the new members of the council. Ari, you can do better. at the very least, we need street road repair.
I will miss Paco ‘Estrada from the city council. he is wise, deliberate and compassionate. I hope he will run for political office again. he has my support.