By Jon Chown
Watsonville’s City Council codified residents’ right to protest on city property without a permit at the July 8 City Council meeting.
The council amended the city’s municipal code relating to parades and events on city property, the purpose being “to protect the First Amendment rights of Watsonville residents to peaceably assemble and/or protest in the city’s public places and to establish the lest restrictive and reasonable time, place and manner regulation of these activities.”
While the code appears to be no less restrictive regarding parades or events, protests are mostly exempted from the permitting process. For “expressive events” and “spontaneous events,” the city only asks for four hours notice, if possible, and requires pedestrian and traffic laws to be obeyed; Traffic can’t be obstructed. Protests are also prohibited if the property has already been rented for another purpose.
The policy change was adopted through the Consent Agenda and there was no discussion on it at the meeting. A host of expenditures and pay raises were also approved at the meeting, mostly through the Consent Agenda.
Towing rates were increased to match the rates charged by the local California Highway Patrol. Vehicles are called to be towed by the Watsonville Police Department after collisions, at arrest scenes, storing vehicles for evidence, or when they are abandoned. The new rate for a Class A vehicle tow will increase from $315 to $355-$375. Class B and Class C vehicles will see smaller increases — $25 at most.
A water line replacement project on Beach, Union and Lincoln Streets will cost more than $5 million after all of the related contracts were rewarded, including a $400,000 contract to Cannon Corporation for management and inspection services, and $4.9 million to K.J. Woods Construction to do it.
Among other expenditures: The city will spend $117,000 to purchase two 2025 Ford Police Interceptor SUVs from Watsonville Ford. The two new vehicles will replace two current patrol vehicles that have more than 125,000 miles on them. The city also awarded a contract of $120,000 to Dorr Distribution Services for two years of transportation services for the city’s youth programs, and $321,000 to Unified Cleaning Services for a two-year contract for janitorial work.
Another $547,000 was committed to the Pajaro Valley Unified School District to provide after school and intersession programming through the district’s Expanding Learning Opportunities Program. That contract will last a year. The city also increased its contract for the revitalization of the Watsonville City Plaza by $121,154 to a grand total of $714,916. The city also authorized $1.325 million to replace LED street lights.
The City Council had to hold a public hearing on their own raise, a 5 percent increase to $1,679.50 per month. Nobody from the public commented, nor did the council members, who approved it in less than three minutes from it being introduced.
TOP PHOTO: PVUSD Teachers during 2013 contract negotiations.