• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Santa Cruz Local

Sound local news

Santa Cruz Local
  • News Stories
    • Santa Cruz
    • Watsonville
    • Live Oak
    • Scotts Valley
    • Capitola
    • Santa Cruz County
  • Membership
  • Elections Guide
  • Guía para las elecciones
  • Wildfire Resources
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
    • Editor’s Picks
  • Community
    • Community Advisory Board
    • What is community engagement?
  • Sponsorship
  • Advertising
  • Contact us
  • About
  • Account
  • Faq
  • Log In

Capitola budget brightens, three vacant positions to be filled

September 11, 2020 By Stephen Baxter

by Stephen Baxter
September 11, 2020September 11, 2020Filed under:
  • Capitola
  • Capitola City Council
  • coronavirus
  • economy
  • Jacques Bertrand
  • Sam Storey
  • Yvette Brooks

Santa Cruz Local offers its Capitola City Council meeting recaps free as a public service. But our work costs us money to produce.
Santa Cruz Local depends on memberships from people like you to make sure vital information can be available to all. Can we count on your help?

Yes! I support local news.
I’ll become a Santa Cruz Local member.

Outdoor dining customers have helped buoy Capitola’s parking revenue in recent months. (William Duncan — Santa Cruz Local)

CAPITOLA >> Better than anticipated revenue from hotel and sales taxes in recent months helped the Capitola City Council decide Thursday to fill vacant positions for a police officer, a traffic officer and a senior mechanic.

City leaders froze six vacant city positions when COVID-19 shelter rules started during the spring. Jim Malberg, Capitola’s finance director, said during Thursday night’s council meeting that sales tax revenue from April to June was 21% lower than the same period a year prior. Sales tax revenue was anticipated to be 50% lower. Similarly, hotel tax revenue was 71% off the same period a year prior rather than an anticipated 95% lower. 

“We’re starting to see some better performance,” Malberg said of the city’s revenue. City staff said that parking revenue was starting to improve in part because people have been drawn to restaurants’ outdoor dining.

Malberg said The Hook Outlet cannabis dispensary on Gross Road had lower than anticipated sales tax and other tax receipts for the city. Another cannabis dispensary is expected to open on 41st Avenue in Capitola this year or early next year, Malberg said. 

The council unanimously agreed to fill vacant positions for an evening-shift police officer, traffic officer and a mechanic. More budget information is expected in December. 

Sign up for Santa Cruz Local’s free newsletter. We’re in your inbox two to three times a week.

* indicates required

Code of conduct

The city council on Thursday also unanimously approved a new code of conduct for city councilmembers and members of the city’s boards and commissions. 

Vice Mayor Yvette Brooks and Councilmember Sam Storey met with city staff and the city attorney to craft the code in part from other cities’ rules. 

Capitola City Manager Jamie Goldstein said the code does not replace any current laws. It also does not change rules about conflicts of interest or the Brown Act that bar members from making decisions outside public council meetings. Instead, Goldstein said, the new code of conduct provides:

  • A framework to guide how officials should conduct themselves
  • A structure in which to consider violations of the conduct of conduct

The code also provides guidelines for council members to disclose relationships with people who seek city permits or other decisions from the council, for instance. The code describes meeting decorum and ethical principles. City staff said the code is expected to be included in “onboarding” and signed by new council members and members of boards and commissions.

Goldstein described the code as “self enforcing.” Alleged violations can go to the city manager and city attorney to determine if any laws were broken. If no laws were broken but the conduct code appears violated, the council would discuss it and potentially reprimand or censure the person in question.

Councilmembers could not be removed for conduct code violations, but other city officials and members of boards and commissions could be removed, Goldstein said. 

Councilmember Jacques Bertrand supported the code. He asked whether councilmembers could accept free tickets to events run by nonprofit groups. Goldstein, the city manager, said it was OK if the nonprofit does not seek money from the city. If it does, “I might think twice about something like that,” Goldstein said. 

Stephen Baxter

[email protected] | Website | + posts

Stephen Baxter is a co-founder and editor of Santa Cruz Local. He covers Santa Cruz County government.

  • Stephen Baxter
    https://santacruzlocal.org/author/admin-10/
    City to use eminent domain
  • Stephen Baxter
    https://santacruzlocal.org/author/admin-10/
    Stephen's ethics statement
  • Stephen Baxter
    https://santacruzlocal.org/author/admin-10/
    Show me the data
  • Stephen Baxter
    https://santacruzlocal.org/author/admin-10/
    Did Measure M talk shrink Santa Cruz's rental market?
Tagged:
  • Capitola
  • Capitola City Council
  • Capitola Village
  • Coronavirus
  • economy

Post navigation

Previous Post Santa Cruz water quality at risk from wildfire damage
Next Post Santa Cruz County leaders outline rebuilding plan, landslide threat

Footer

Subscribe to our newsletter

@theSClocal on Twitter

My Tweets

Sitemap

  • About
  • Account
  • Contact Us
  • 🎧Episodes
  • Ethics – Kara’s Statement
  • Ethics – Stephen’s Statement
  • Help
  • Home
  • Login
  • Members Wall
  • Membership
  • Send Us A Tip
  • Sponsorship
  • News Stories
  • Get our community watching and engaged.
  • Who supports us?
  • We want to hear from you.
  • Guide our elections coverage
  • What is community engagement?
  • Sign up for local housing news
  • Sign up for local homelessness news
  • Sign up for local development news
  • Sign up for local government news
  • Subscribe free for local development news
  • Subscribe free for local housing news
  • Subscribe free for local government news
  • Subscribe free for unbiased local news
  • Subscribe free for homelessness news
  • Sign up free for local news
  • Support local journalism on housing
  • Support local journalism on growth in Santa Cruz County
  • Support journalism on local government
  • Support local journalism on homelessness
  • Support unbiased local journalism
  • Dreams for Santa Cruz
  • Tell us what you want to know about the coronavirus in Santa Cruz County
  • COVID-19 resources in Santa Cruz County
  • Want local news on COVID-19?
  • Please take our super quick reader survey
  • Upgrade your Santa Cruz Local membership
  • Support Santa Cruz Local with Ride Out the Wave
  • Apply for Santa Cruz Local’s community advisory board
  • We want to hear from you.
  • What do you want from local government?
  • Thank you for sharing your priorities
  • Share your business talent with Santa Cruz Local
  • Community Advisory Board
  • ¿Qué quiere usted de su gobierno local?
  • Santa Cruz Local surpasses 500 members
  • Apply for Santa Cruz Local’s Pay it Forward campaign
  • Santa Cruz County wildfire resources
  • Tell us what you need.
  • Santa Cruz Local’s Elections Guide and Results
  • Business Advisory Circle
  • Pay it Forward
  • Vote Nov. 3: The People’s Agenda
  • Our advertising policy
  • Santa Cruz Local: Guía para las elecciones
  • Santa Cruz Local’s Elections Guide
  • Share your thoughts on police in Santa Cruz County
  • Become a Santa Cruz Local member
  • Comparta lo que piensa sobre la policía en el condado de Santa Cruz

Copyright © 2021 · Log in