City of Watsonville City Council Councilmember Kristal Salcido

The day after Francisco Estrada announced he would not run for reelection to the Watsonville City Council, Kristal Salcido was ready. In an interview in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Salcido announced she would run for Estrada’s seat in the Nov. 8 election. And as it turned out, she ended up with no opponents in the race to represent the residents of District 4, which incorporates areas of west Watsonville, including between Green Valley Road, Freedom Boulevard and Clifford Avenue, as well as west of Ohlone Parkway.

On her campaign website, Salcido gives a thumbnail of her résumé. She currently works as an assistant district attorney for Santa Cruz County, specializing in sexual assault prosecution, and has lived in Watsonville since 2015. Salcido has already served on governmental advisory bodies, including Watsonville’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Policing and Social Equity and the Redistricting Committee. And her background with various nonprofits includes serving on the board of Encompass Community Services and the Watsonville Police Activity League.

While running for council, Salcido supported Measure S, along with Watsonville councilmembers Jimmy Dutra and Vanessa Quiroz-Carter and District 3 candidate Maria Orozco. The measure called for less restrictive development limits than Measure Q, which was also on the November ballot. Measure S passed by 50.03 percent, but Q garnered 67.77 percent support. Speaking about Measure S, Salcido told Lookout Local, “If we want to support our agricultural workforce, we need to use all of the tools available for city planning. If the messaging is it just has to stay farmland and that’s it, then that really doesn’t even account for their own workforce needs.”

First elected: Nov. 8, 2022

Day job: Assistant district attorney for Santa Cruz County

Notable quote: “I dream of a Watsonville that is thriving, that really has a sense of community wellness, and ultimately a city government that is very responsive to those needs and to those requests so that when the government can provide services, that it’s done in the most competent manner possible,” Salcido said. “What do people expect from their city council leaders? In what way can local government help everyday citizens thrive in our community?” —Santa Cruz Local, November 2022 Election Guide