Elected in 2022, Pedersen said he recently purchased a home in Santa Cruz with mortgage rules that he or his wife must live there. Though he has continued to live in his Capitola rental to stay on the city council, he said living apart from his wife has been stressful. 

Pedersen said stress has also come from a campaign against him from the group Concerned Citizens of Capitola.

“When I ran for office, I did so with an intention to serve this community, to have a positive impact,” Pedersen said at Thursday’s meeting. “I had no expectation of the level of vitriol that would be expressed by this small but vocal minority.” 

He added, “I hope that my resignation does not encourage this type of political action or dissuade future leaders from running for office.”

Spearheaded by resident TJ Welch, Concerned Citizens of Capitola in January initiated a recall effort against Pedersen. At a Jan. 30 city council meeting, Welch accused Pedersen of ethical violations that included lying about his address, misusing public funds and conflict of interest. “Each of these issues individually are concerning. Combined, they’re unacceptable,” Welch said at the January meeting.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission rejected two complaints that Welch filed against Pedersen in 2024. A FPPC complaint against Pedersen filed this year by Kevin Maguire remains under investigation.

With his resignation, Pedersen also leaves his position at the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, which makes decisions related to rail trail and other transportation issues.

Alexander Pedersen speaks during a contentious April 17 Capitola City Council meeting. (Tyler Maldonado — Santa Cruz Local file)

During his 2022 campaign, Pedersen said he supported new housing in Capitola and expediency in the rail trail project.

During a packed April 17 council meeting, some members of Concerned Citizens of Capitola and other residents successfully advocated against a proposed bike path on Park Avenue as part of the Coastal Rail Trail.

Welch also said Pedersen has “intentionally violated” Measure L, a 2018 voter initiative that forbids “expenditures to route bicyclists, pedestrians and other human powered transportation from the rail corridor to Capitola streets and sidewalks.” It directs city staff to “take all steps necessary to preserve and maintain” the Capitola portion of the rail trail, including the trestle, for bikes, pedestrians, and other “human powered transportation.” 

As the Capitola City Council has considered plans for the Coastal Rail Trail through Capitola, some residents have said that council members and city staff have not abided by Measure L.

At the April 17 council meeting, council members voted 5-0 to uphold the stricter definition of Measure L and reject a plan to reroute a section of the rail trail from the rail corridor to the adjacent Park Avenue.

Pedersen is the second council member to resign since November. 

Last year, former councilmember Yvette Brooks stepped down from the council after she accepted a position with United Way of Santa Cruz County. The council accepted applications for the open seat and appointed Margaux Morgan. 

Morgan previously served on the city council and lost her bid for reelection, but was the next highest vote getter in the Nov. 4 election. 

The city council has not yet decided on its process to replace Pedersen. 

Questions or comments? Email [email protected]. Santa Cruz Local is supported by members, major donors, sponsors and grants for the general support of our newsroom. Our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Learn more about Santa Cruz Local and how we are funded.