City of Watsonville

SQA Online Resource Center

Award Recipient Post-Visit Report

Organization name: City of Watsonville

Street Address: City Hall Annex, 215 Union Street, 2nd Floor

City: Watsonville Zip code: 95077 Central phone: 728-6011

Name of person submitting the application: Steve Aguilar

Title: Administrative Intern Phone: 728-6011 Fax: 761-0736

Product or service: Government

Number of employees: 442

Eligibility Category: Government Agency

Site-visit coordinator: Jeff Smith and Steve Soloman

Date and time of Site Visit: October 31, 1994; 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Category: Government Agency Criteria Areas: All four Final Score: 80

The following report completes the site visit and evaluation process for the 1994 Sustainable Business Quality Awards. We would like your permission to use the commentary on the first page in SBQA advertising, public relations, and press annoucements. The second page contains feedback for your eyes only. We accept corrections and clarification to the information provided on either page in writing or by telephone no later than 5:00 pm, 1/10/95. After that date, the information contained herein will be considered complete and correct and available for distribution.

Congratulations and thank you for participating in the 1994 SBQA process.

I Leadership

The City of Watonville has demonstrated leadership through its Cooperative Internship Program. This program provides jobs for students living in Watsonville for up to 1000 hours per fiscal year. The number of jobs vary from time to time because the City requires that the departments participating have funds in their budget to support the activity. The City has higher than average unemployment (~14%), and ~30% of the population is under the age of 18, this program is critical and is providing real employment and experience for as many student interns as can reasonably be supported. The City provides job training, job evaluation, maintenance of work time records, and pays 50% of the student-intern’s salary. Santa Cruz County Careerworks pays the other 50% and provides counseling and support services, including the selection of relevant course work. Students take work-related courses at Cabrillo College.

II Human and Community Relations

The City’s four-day "Fourth of July" celebration, Spirit of Watsonville, celebrates community pride, unity and cultural diversity. The events are designed to draw the people of Watsonville together as a community. The events include a wide range of activities including: Youth dances, Fireman’s Muster, a car show, a parade, breakfasts, country-western dance and a "grand reunion dance." The events were co-sponsoried by the City of Watsonville, Parks and Recreation Advocates, the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Watsonville Band. This is the second year for the event and it is accomplishing its goals, that of bringing a diverse community together to celebrate and appreciate their diversity as well as their common bonds.

III Continuous Improvement and Economic Development

(a) The City of Watsonville’s Redevelopment Agency purchased the vacant Old Post Office for $400K and is current using it as a satellite campus for Cabrillo College. This has enabled Cabrillo to increase enrollment by more than 40%. It has provided greater access to education and made beneficial use of the downtown resources. The renovation also provided local employment.

(b) They also began a process of continouus improvement entitled "Challenge ‘93." It was established to solicit ideas from all employees for cutting waste and improving efficienty. 192 suggestion were made and as of September, 66 had been implemented and another 51 are in process. The results have produced $837,800 so far in ongoing saving and additional "one time" savings of $495,700.

IV Environmental Stewardship

The City has provided an excellent model for community-based environmental stewardship. The City’s Divisions for Water, Wastewater, Solid Waste and Public Works department have made great strides. The City’s efforts involve both measurable/quantifiable results and extensive public education campaigns. For example, the City uses a cogeneration facility to power its waste treatment plant; by using methane gas produced at the waste treatment facility the City saves $120,000 annually. The City has also completed a retrofit of all lighting which will save between $20K and $40K per year while providing a better quality of light. The City has also won national recognition for its efforts to conserve and replenish groundwater. Voluntary recycling is at 80% for the citizens of Watsonville (this is comparable to percentages associated with manditory recycling programs). Water conservation goals for the year were to reduce usage by 16% while accommodating the City’s growth .. the result was that the agency is 6% over it annual goal as of September 1994.