Mayor's Blog: What is Happening in Capitola?

Got questions for Mayor Mike Termini? Post them in the comments below!

Well, spring is on the way, and soon Capitola will be wall-to-wall with events. As we all know, that also means wall-to-wall visitors, but we still love our little city, and so do the thousands of guests who come to town!

I could list the festivals, shows, concerts and such, but this is also a serious time for our city. The one-year anniversary of the flood is upon us. This is an appropriate time to reflect on that event and what has followed in its wake. 

Last year at this time, we were just coming out of one of the most trying episodes in our city's history: the legal challenge of our rent control ordinance. Without rehashing the details, I can honestly say that no council has ever been faced with a more "no-win" situation. More importantly, many low-income residents at the Surf and Sand Mobile Home Park were facing uncertain futures, and Capitola had exhausted most of its capacity to help. Spending more than $50,000 a month in legal fees to defend the ordinance was not sustainable.

Then, with a seriously heavy rainfall on March 26, 2011, we had a catastrophic failure of a storm drain that flooded the Village. Never had we imagined that floodwaters would attack us from the opposite direction from where we had always feared a flood might arise. We have made it a habit of keeping a close eye on Soquel Creek and the bay, ready to fight back a rise in the water levels. But that day, not only did the Village flood, but the residents of Pacific Cove Mobile Home Park were put in danger and displaced from their homes.

While we all attempted to dry out over the next few days, it seemed we had seen the last of it. The weather reports showed no significant rain in the near future, and repairs to the broken storm drain were well under way. Then only two days later, after less than a two-inch rainfall—far from the worst we had seen—the Village was suddenly under water once more. This time it was far more severe.

Residents' possessions were seen washing down Capitola Avenue, retail stores just recovering from the first flood were once again under feet of water. Property was lost, livelihoods destroyed. Even those who did not live or work in the Village displayed the pain on their faces as they witnessed the devastation to their fellow citizens.

Losing Pacific Cove Mobile Home Park
But where has that left us? The storm drain was repaired, but a now apparently unsafe mobile home park was lost and a city treasury emergency reserve was drained dry. In the wake of the last few years of economic downturn, we have been left in one of the more difficult economic conditions Capitola has ever faced since the Capitola Mall was built.

But it takes more than a down economy and a disaster to bring us down. The plan to close Pacific Cove Mobile Home Park has been a difficult decision but one the council has worked to make as economically gentile as possible, especially for the longtime residents of the park. We are determined to tighten our financial belt and continue. It was not too long ago that Capitola, like most other cities, didn’t maintain a special reserve fund for emergencies.  

We built up the appropriate savings over the course of several years, and those reserves served us well in the face of the disaster. Now is the time for us to get to the job at hand and make certain that if and when another emergency occurs, we have the funds we need to maintain city services and carry on.

In November, you will be asked to vote on a quarter-cent sales tax measure. The existing one will sunset in 2017. We need another to get us through the next few years.

With our reserves replenished, we can once again concentrate on our infrastructure.

Our repaving and road improvement program, which has had to take a back seat to more pressing demands, can now go forward. Many of the projects that had been planned were permanently abandoned when the state put an end to the
redevelopment program, which had provided for much of the improvements around the 41st Avenue corridor.

Clares Street has been scheduled for a major overhaul to control traffic and increase the walk-ability of the neighborhood. With reserves replenished, the economy improving and a bit more sales tax revenue, we will see our city built up even finer than before.

41st Avenue Art
There is news from our Art and Cultural Commission this month. The long-awaited 41st Avenue art project will soon begin.

An artist has been chosen and you can see the design posted at our City Hall. On Thursday, the final contract will come before the council, so check out the meeting either online, on Charter TV or here on Patch.

New Police Chief to be Take Office in April
In other big news this month, our police chief and longtime public servant Mike Card will be retiring. Chief Card started his career with Capitola and then left to work as a police chief in Wyoming.

Just over two years ago, Card returned to take the top job. He will step down, and we will welcome Rudy Escalante, deputy chief of Watsonville, as the new Capitola chief of police. With the exception of city manager, the chief is the most vital and visible member of the city's staff. We look forward to his leadership and spirit to head up what I consider the finest law enforcement organization anywhere. Let’s face it, besides the great seaside location and gentile weather, the safety and security of our town is one of the elements that makes living here such a joy.

Let's not let the events of the past year bring down the spirit of our city. Let us all remember why we are here and the pride with which we speak of Capitola.

Summer’s Almost Here
Summer is around the corner, and we will soon be meeting with family, friends and guests on Wednesday evenings for our concerts, bringing our children and grandchildren to the Easter egg hunt, admiring the custom cars and hot rods on the Esplanade, gathering at one of our fine parks, and sharing in the joy of seeing our own Junior Guards filling the beach.

There is a great deal to be thankful for here in Capitola. There have been hardships, but compared with many parts of our great county, we have managed well in the last five years, and we are starting to see a positive direction in our local economy. 

As always, I am at your service.

Mike Termini

Got questions for Mayor Mike Termini? Post them in the comments below!