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Scotts Valley City Council

Seven candidates are vying for three seats on the Scotts Valley City Council in the Nov. 5 election.

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Steve Clark

Age: 60.
Occupation: Public safety consultant, retired chief deputy of Santa Cruz Police. 

Krista Jett

Age: 37.
Occupation: Registered nurse at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

John Lewis

Age: 45.
Occupation: Information technology contractor and stay-at-home dad.

Donna Lind (incumbent)

Age: 74.
Occupation: Scotts Valley City Council member, retired Scotts Valley Police sergeant, president of the Fallen Officer Foundation. 

Dustin Lopez

Age: 24.
Occupation: Full-time UC Santa Cruz student.

Mercedes Molloy

Age: 24.
Occupation: Director of the Women’s Advocacy Initiative, founder and CEO of Safe Squad Mobile App, a free safety app. 

Corky Roberson

Age: 53.
Occupation: Food sales representative.

Quick comparison (full answers below)

Steve Clark Krista Jett John Lewis Donna Lind Dustin Lopez Mercedes Molloy Corky Roberson
Should the city help fund child care or afterschool programs? Not directly. Yes. Yes. Yes with caveats. Yes on children’s programs, no on child care. Yes. Yes.
Do you support a city law that would allow rent control? Maybe. Undecided. Yes with an end date. No. Probably not. Yes. No.
Do you support Measure Q, the wildfire and water measure? No. Undecided. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. No.
Do you support Measure X, the Scotts Valley business tax hike? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Should the city help fund child care or afterschool programs? 

Clark: Not directly.
Jett: Yes.
Lewis: Yes.
Lind: Yes with caveats.
Lopez: Yes on children’s programs, no on child care.
Molloy: Yes.
Roberson: Yes.

Do you support a city law that would allow rent control?

Clark: Maybe.
Jett: Undecided.
Lewis: Yes with an end date.
Lind: No.
Lopez: Probably not.
Molloy: Yes.
Roberson: No.

Do you support Measure Q, the wildfire and water measure?

Clark: No.
Jett: Undecided.
Lewis: Yes.
Lind: No.
Lopez: Yes.
Molloy: Yes.
Roberson: No. 

Do you support Measure X, the Scotts Valley business tax hike?

Clark: Yes.
Jett: Yes.
Lewis: Yes.
Lind: Yes.
Lopez: Yes.
Molloy: Yes.
Roberson: Yes.

Scotts Valley City Council candidates on the issues

Santa Cruz Local interviewed and surveyed residents in Scotts Valley this summer about their priorities for city council candidates. The following questions are based on what we heard from voters.

How would you improve access to child care in Scotts Valley? What are your plans to support affordable youth activities and programs in Scotts Valley?

“As with any issue, I’m going to start with hearing directly from the people that are affected,” Clark said. “I want to hear their concerns and their proposed solutions.” He added, “One possibility that I like could be a partnership to expand the Cabrillo College Children’s Center & Lab School to a North County location. That’s an excellent program. We certainly have the office space for it here,” Clark said. He supported grant applications to the California Department of Education, local public safety programs like the Junior Police Academy, and leveraging the resources of private organizations and Scotts Valley Parks & Recreation. 

Clark said parents should have access to programs through the Boys & Girls Club, Santa Cruz County Office of Education and California First 5. “We need to ensure that these programs and resources are easily accessed,” Clark said. Clark said he understands the difficulties of finding affordable, quality child care because for many years he worked a night shift while raising three children.. “We leaned heavily on family and close friends to help us fill the gaps,” Clark said. “I understand the power of community and creating those kinds of bonds of support for one another.”

“I think it’s great that California moved to a universal [transitional kindergarten] for all 4-year-olds,” Jett said. “So that right there captures a lot of child care for young children that didn’t exist before 2022.” Jett said the City of Scotts Valley should continue to support the after-school program at elementary schools as long as the money could be found for it. She said the after-school program is comparatively very affordable.

Jett also expressed support for the Boys & Girls Club, and said she would help families who qualify to get reimbursed for child care from the California Department of Social Services. “I think a lot of families just don’t know about that,” Jett said.

Lewis said that “engaging the student body at Scotts Valley High [and] asking kids directly what type of programs they’d like to participate in would be a refreshing change.” For older kids, Lewis advocated continued support for the Scotts Valley Parks & Recreation Department, which had funding cut during the Covid pandemic and is rebuilding. “They’re already putting together new programs, like the family campout and the movie in the park,” Lewis said. “And we’ve also seen the Siltanen Pool reopen again, which is a big deal.”

Lind said Scotts Valley had a robust after-school recreation program that closed during the Covid pandemic. “We had to lay off all of our recreation staff,” she said. “Our program was exceptional, and I’m sad that we lost that.” Scotts Valley then helped fund the Boys & Girls Club through its community grant program, she said. Lind said she helped obtain grant funding to replace a modular building at Vine Hill Elementary School that is used for after-school child care. 

“To be honest, I’m not very intimately familiar with this topic,” Lopez said. “I’ve never faced those challenges before since I don’t have kids.” For older children who could perhaps bike or walk there themselves, he said the city’s parks and recreation department could offer more after-school programs. Child care should largely be outside the city’s domain and more in the domain of organizations like the Boys & Girls Club, Lopez said. “I think that money would be better spent building out infrastructure that would help everybody,” Lopez said. 

“As a member of the youth, I felt very discouraged that there weren’t a wide range of youth programs available,” Molloy said. “That was kind of why I got started in the political arena.”

She recalled a children’s aftercare program when she attended Vine Hill Elementary School. “But I do remember a cause for concern for parents was the associated cost,” Molloy said. “So I feel like it would be important to explore grant opportunities [and] funding opportunities.”

She said she wanted to partner with the local libraries in Scotts Valley to “create programming” and “spearhead diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,” as well as “host events like Women’s History Month and also Latinx History Month.” She said, “I’m a part of the Latinx community. I remember a time when I was young, my mom had to go search all over for Latinx history books because they simply did not exist within the Scotts Valley education system.”

For the parents of young children, she said affordable access to child care was really important. “I think Scotts Valley, in particular, is sort of a commuter community,” Molloy said. “A lot of people who reside here, they work over the hill.” Molloy said “many people have had to decide whether they can or can’t take a job” over concerns about child care.

Roberson said he helped bring the Boys & Girls Club to Scotts Valley. Roberson sold the land on which it now stands and later served as a Boys & Girls Club board member. He said its programs are “priced really well, and they’re great for Scotts Valley.” He noted that the Boys & Girls Club will soon have a new teen center. “That, for sure, can take care of all the teens,” Roberson said. He said he would try to bring additional child care facilities to the city. “The Boys & Girls Club does a good job, but there does need to be more,” he said.

What will you do as a city council member to prepare Scotts Valley for potential wildfire?

Clark said he was forced to evacuate during the CZU Lightning Complex Fire. “I felt that vulnerability. After 30 years of public safety, I was used to being the guy who responded to these emergencies, the person who was there. And now I found myself reliant on our public-safety first responders — ever so grateful for our investment in their training, their skills, their knowledge and their dedication to keep our community safe. I was so glad that we had invested in top-notch first responders.” 

In addition to making sure the fire district has the resources it needs, Clark said he would encourage the expansion of the federal Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to Scotts Valley. “CERT members can triage those that are injured, they can extinguish small fires, they can shut off utilities, perform search and rescue, and they can collect disaster information that helps first responders,” Clark said. He said he would support aggressive enforcement regarding the fire district’s weed abatement and brush clearing program. 

“One of the big keys to prevention is appropriate and adequate education,” Jett said. “We need to understand that we are all stakeholders in this community, and that fire prevention really is on all of our shoulders.” She said that the Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County had “lots of great guidelines” on its website “for how to provide defensible space on your property [and] how to do fire prevention landscaping,” and that she would like to get “that kind of information into the hands of our community members so that they can start taking those actions for themselves.” She added that it was important to have a “strong community neighborhood environment where people look out for each other.” 

Making it easier for residents “to create defensible space around their homes, if they live a little bit more rural, like I do, would be a huge help.” Lewis advocated for working with the chamber of commerce to publicize local companies that offer tree and brush clearing services, reducing tree removal permit costs, and connecting with the nonprofit San Lorenzo Valley Emergency Network. He expressed support for more community meetings. “We’ve had a couple in the past at the library, and I think we could stand to do that on a regular basis,” Lewis said. 

During her time in office, the city has held community workshops on wildfire preparedness, with participants from the county, local fire departments, Cal Fire, the Santa Cruz Office of Emergency Services, Firewise and insurance companies. “We just recently did one at the Scotts Valley Performing Arts Center, and it was sold out,” Lind said. “We had the house packed.” Scotts Valley “Vice Mayor Derek Timm asked how many in the audience had had their insurance canceled, or were pending cancellation, and almost everyone in the audience raised their hand,” Lind added. “So it was something that was really eye opening to just see the impact.” People learned that by taking steps to make their homes fire safe, their insurance could be returned.

Lopez called this a “huge issue.” He said, “I think there’s definitely more room for collaboration with the fire department. I also think a lot of it is just getting knowledge out there on how to harden your home against wildfire, how to create defensible space on your property and how to engage in programs like Firewise, where it’s a community collaboration to make your neighborhood safer against fires.” The city must also keep public lands well maintained and defensible, Lopez said. In hilly and hard-to-access areas, he recommended “creative solutions,” like “maybe getting some goats in there to eat the grass.” 

Molloy said her family’s home burned down in a 2006 fire and she evacuated during the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire. She said she wanted “to be a champion for fire protection” through “climate resiliency and natural resource allocation.” She said city land should be maintained and fire departments should be given the resources to help prevent fires. 

Molloy said when her home burned down in 2006, a local firefighter named Nick gave her a teddy bear and a blanket “when I had no other teddy bears and blankets because everything was lost.” This inspired her to later donate a couple hundred teddy bears and blankets to the Scotts Valley Police Department to distribute in similar circumstances.

Roberson said he would like to work with CalFire and Scotts Valley Fire to educate residents. “I know we recently just had something in Scotts Valley [on wildfire preparedness], but I think it needs to be a yearly thing,” Roberson said. More people, he said, need to be aware of the fire safety measures they can take for their homes. 

What is your plan to address the rising cost of housing in Scotts Valley and provide more low- and mid-income housing?

Clark said he supported “tiered housing” in Scotts Valley, including starter homes for first-time buyers, family homes for people with expanding needs and downsizing homes for people simplifying their lives. “I hate the fact that people feel like they have to move out of this community,” Clark said. He said “one possible solution is to increase supply and build up the available homes at lower cost points.” 

He said, “We want to balance the approach so that we don’t create a situation where current homeowners lose value in their investment.” On the Scotts Valley General Plan Advisory Committee, Clark worked on Scotts Valley’s recently certified state-mandated Housing Element, which plans for 1,220 new units by 2031, more than half of them for very low or low-income residents. “Scotts Valley is going to need to rezone several parcels, and I look forward to that process,” Clark said.

“This is a really tough question and a hot topic,” said Jett. “Affordable housing is one of those issues that requires collaboration at all levels,” from city, county, state and federal. Scotts Valley’s state-mandated Housing Element was recently certified, which will require the planning of 1,220 new units by 2031, more than half of them for very low or low-income residents. Jett said she would want to “keep the course of what’s on paper and make sure that actually occurs.” Jett said, “That’s the role of the city council, to hold the city manager, to hold the planning department accountable,” to make sure “we are all operating within the frameworks that we’ve set for ourselves and for our community.”

“We just need to figure out how to say ‘yes’ to housing,” Lewis said. “And then from there, stretch those muscles and rebuild that skill, because we haven’t had a significant growth in available housing in Scotts Valley in quite some time. All we can do as a city is permit it, and that’s exactly where we’ve been failing,” he said. In addition to permitting more housing and actively engaging with developers, Lewis said Scotts Valley should stop requiring certain construction projects to include retail space and offices. “We already have a glut of offices and retail space that are currently vacant,” he said.

Lind said that the state has “really taken [affordable housing] out of our hands.” She said that city staff has worked hard on Scotts Valley’s state-mandated Housing Element of the city’s General Plan, which requires planning for 1,220 new units by 2031 — more than half of them for very low or low-income residents. “Our staff is working closely with [state] housing officials to meet the mandates,” Lind said. 

“It’s not something that Scotts Valley can just address by itself, but I definitely want to see Scotts Valley doing our part to build our plan” for the city’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation, Lopez said. “I think the Town Center is a really big piece of that, making sure that’s done right.” Lopez said he would like to see as much low-income housing in the Town Center as possible. 

However, Lopez said, “when you talk to developers, they say, ‘If you go above 15% affordable housing, then it doesn’t really pencil out,’ and they’re not really able to make money. So, we will probably have to also work with some [nonprofit] organizations to build some 100% affordable housing projects in Scotts Valley.” In the Town Center, Lopez said he would like to make it as easy and “as cheap as possible for developers to come in and build so that they’ll have more money [for] affordable housing instead of spending it on fees or environmental assessments and whatnot.”

As a recent college graduate, Molloy moved back in with her parents. “And I think this is a position that many youth are currently facing,” Molloy said. She added, “They aren’t able to have a place for themselves, not because they don’t want to, not because they aren’t employable, but simply because the cost of living and the cost of rents are so high.” She said luxury condos have gone up in Scotts Valley “in places where affordable housing could exist, should exist.” The city council should explore more opportunities to put up affordable housing, Molloy said. “If elected, I would love to be a part of that exploration.” She said that creating affordable housing “has to be done with care and consideration.”

“We are mandated by the state [to] build low-income housing,” Roberson said. He said that when consultants and developers come in, “we need to have a plan that says, ‘this is what we want’” in terms of the number of low-income housing units. That way, he said, “we can keep up and ahead of the state, and we can stay in compliance.”

How would you fill empty office and retail space in Scotts Valley?

Clark said he supported exploring the expansion of Cabrillo College into Scotts Valley for child care purposes or otherwise. “We have the available space for them to do that,” he said. He also said it was important to support local businesses, which he called “the heart of our community.” For example, he recently purchased a chainsaw at a local hardware store to clear an oak tree that had fallen on his house. “They had a great selection, a competitive price and they even threw in a safety demo,” Clark said. “Try getting that at a large box store.” 

As the city grows, there will be additional demand for local services, including medical care. “Right now, it might look like there’s several empty [retail and office] spaces,” Clark said. “But we’re also well positioned to expand.” He expressed support for an ongoing marketing rebrand of Scotts Valley, which will hopefully help “capture some of the dollars that pass through our city on a daily basis” on the way to places like the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Jett credited Scotts Valley for establishing an economic development committee well before the Covid pandemic, which could then “jump in straight away” once Covid hit. She said the same committee could now work together with the chamber of commerce to “strategize [on] how to retain and attract businesses to this community.” She said the development of the Town Center would hopefully attract more businesses. “As they see that we are taking the proactive measures to create a community-centered hub,” Jett said, “they will want to be there to catch that foot traffic.”

The city should remove any requirements for retail and office space as part of new housing developments. “We don’t need more [retail and office space],” he said. “We need to fill what we currently have.” Lewis said it should be easier to get permits to convert office buildings into apartment buildings. “We have prime-location offices that aren’t currently filled, and there are developers who are interested in converting them into homes,” Lews said. “There are all sorts of beautiful buildings that started off as one thing and are now something else,” Lewis said, citing the Tannery Arts Center in Santa Cruz as “a great example of that.” 

Lind has served as a Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce ambassador since prior to retiring from the police department. In that role, and as a council member, she said she helps “market our community and encourage businesses to locate here.” Lind said she also works to assist businesses by streamlining procedures. “I was mayor when we brought Kaiser to Scotts Valley, and we worked really hard to move that permitting process along. At the time, they commented that we were the most cooperative agency that they’d worked with.” 

She said she played a role when Ambient Photonics came to Scotts Valley and occupied a building that “had been standing vacant for quite some time.” Lind said, “We can do things from the council to collaborate and go out and encourage people to come look at Scotts Valley.”

“For economic development,” Lopez said, “a lot of it is just making the town whole, and that includes building more homes. So if any new companies wanted to come to Scotts Valley, their workforce would have housing nearby.” He added that more housing could give businesses “more of a customer base to be able to support themselves.” Lopez said the city must be operated efficiently, and he stressed the importance of good infrastructure like the wastewater treatment plant, sewers, roads, bike lanes and sidewalks.

Another component is advertising, Lopez said. “A lot of people don’t really consider Scotts Valley as a [place] where industry or innovation happens, but there are large companies in Scotts Valley already, and it does happen.”

“I think since the pandemic we’ve seen that many local businesses have continued to struggle with soaring rents,” Molloy said. “I would aim to closely collaborate with business owners to identify more ways for Scotts Valley to support them.” If elected, she would promote initiatives that encourage people to shop locally and explore innovative ways to unite the private and public sectors. 

“Other communities I’ve seen have taken charge, and expensive spaces have been subdivided for them to be able to accommodate multiple businesses,” Molloy said. “I envision a similar concept of Abbott Square [in Downtown Santa Cruz], which could become a bustling hub for Scotts Valley residents.” Molloy also expressed interest in renting coworking spaces for individuals and travelers who do not have access to traditional office facilities, and she said Scotts Valley has the potential to become a hub for travelers and commuters to the Bay Area. 

She was encouraged that Zinnia’s Gift Boutique and Cruise Coffee have both recently expanded to new locations.

“We need to work with the Chamber of Commerce to bring businesses here,” Roberson said. “The Town Center is going to have a lot to do with that.” He added, “There are all those people that come through Mount Hermon Road and the Town Center. Those people are going to shop there.” He said city leaders need to know what type of businesses those people want in the community. “Do they want organic? Do they want more toy stores? Do they want, you know, shoe stores? What kind of facilities?”

People want safer bike routes and expanded sidewalks. The city’s 2021 Active Transportation Plan would address these concerns, but is unfunded. How would you fund the plan and road repairs?

Clark said he enjoys walking and has at times felt unsafe from vehicles. He helped create a Safe Routes to School program while at Santa Cruz Police. He also participated in road redesigns to improve pedestrian and bike safety and helped create a policy for the use of Segways on West Cliff Drive. 

Clark said he would look to partner with the state and county to help maintain Mount Hermon Road and Scotts Valley Drive to help free up city money for local street safety upgrades. Clark said he would explore available grants for roadway re-designs like roundabouts. Scotts Valley “is operating at a net budget deficit right now, and we’re drawing down our reserves at an alarming rate,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean that you give up on these essential things.”

Jett said that future funding for bike and pedestrian infrastructure will depend in part on whether Scotts Valley voters approve a business tax increase in Measure X in the Nov. 5 election. “Our budget looks like it’s going to have a $2 million shortfall, so we really need to make that up,” she said. “If the business tax were to pass, then we would bring in an extra $1 million annually, and so that would help with our road projects [and] with our bike lane projects.” Jett said she would also like to explore other, novel ways of bringing in revenue for the city. “For example, a soda tax has been really successful for communities like Berkeley,” Jett said. 

Lewis said that Scotts Valley “doesn’t have enough alternatives to car transit.”  He said, “There are kids in the city that want to experience a safe walking and bicycling environment. There are people who don’t want to take their cars everywhere. There’s a lot of stress involved with driving a car and managing traffic and dealing with all those things.”

Cyclists and pedestrians must deal with cars whizzing by them at 35 or 40 mph, he said. “Anybody who wants to get around in Scotts Valley just has to deal with the streets,” Lewis said, “We could have great, separated bicycle and walking infrastructure that helps people feel safe and avoid having to use their cars.” Alternative transportation would also help alleviate traffic, he said. More housing would bring in more property taxes, which could then be used on bicycle and walking infrastructure. He added that city leaders should reach out to state and federal legislators to see what kind of funding is available for such projects.

“Those things are going to be challenging” with city budget constraints, Lind said. She said the city has considered reducing Scotts Valley Drive to two lanes — in addition to a center-dividing lane — but they have not found money for it. “When the pandemic hit and we lost a great deal of staff, our maintenance in our parks and our streets fell behind,” she said. Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission grant money allowed bike lanes to be installed on Mount Hermon Road, Lind said. 

 

Lopez said Scotts Valley’s active transportation plan is already “a little bit outdated,” and that, with the rise of e-bikes, “dedicated protected bike lanes are even more important.” He said he would support trimming the number of lanes on Scotts Valley Drive and putting a protected bike lane running in each direction. “I think that feels a lot better and is a lot safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and people driving as well, when they don’t have to worry” about bikes on the road,” Lopez said.

Lopez said that he would support increasing the hotel tax to 12% from 11% to raise money for pedestrian and bike lane projects, but that he would not support raising utility taxes.

Attending college in New York City helped Molloy understand “the benefit and impact of better walking and biking infrastructure.” She noted that about 77% of Scotts Valley residents drive alone to work. “Improving public transportation options and creating incentives for biking and walking can help reduce this reliance on personal vehicles.” 

Embracing walking and biking paths would also encourage the roughly 8% of Scotts Valley residents who work from home “to utilize local public spaces, such as libraries and coffee shops, which would further benefit our community’s economy and social vibrancy,” Molloy said.

To fund these improvements, Molloy said she has a multifaceted strategy that includes seeking regional and state grants and applying for federal support, particularly from programs that focus on transportation improvements and urban development.

Roberson expressed support for more bike lanes, trails and sidewalks in Scotts Valley, pointing to a section of Mount Hermon Road as in particular need of sidewalks on both sides. It’s just dirt now, he said. He added that he needs to learn more about this issue. “I did hear that they were talking about what Santa Cruz has done, put those green [bike] lanes on Scotts Valley Drive,” Roberson said. “But that’s something that’s in the future.”

What experience do you have that prepares you for office? What local issues drive you to run?

Experience: Clark worked for Santa Cruz Police for 30 years. “This gave me some real-world experience with large municipal budgets, collaborating with city council members, develop[ing] policies. We developed policies and legislation that really improved and increased the safety and improved the quality of life for all of our residents and visitors.” Clark has served on the Scotts Valley General Plan Advisory Committee, where he said he worked with department heads and council members to develop the city’s General Plan. “I’ve dedicated my life to public service,” Clark said.

Important local issues: Clark said his top priority is public safety. “I think that community safety is sort of the foundation for so many of the things that we enjoy here. I want everyone to feel safe in this community.” He said he wants to improve traffic safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers and that he would help the “city adapt to the growing use of e-bikes.” Clark also mentioned wildfire preparedness, schools, housing, parks maintenance and attracting new businesses.

Experience: During her 15 years at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, Jett said she has worked on “high-level multidisciplinary teams” and participated in “shared leadership, which is our own sort of nursing governance.” “The majority of my experience has been there,” Jett said.

Important local issues: “I am a mother of two young kids,” Jett said. “Young families living in this community should have representation in local government.” She said she hopes to “bring in a fresh perspective” as a young parent and health care provider. 

Jett said she was “really interested and invested” in the Town Center development. “I’ve chosen to raise my family here, and I think that the Town Center will have a lot to do with Scotts Valley and its future and how our town establishes itself as a community,” she said.

Experience: Manager of infrastructure projects at previous engineering jobs; organizer of hobby and social groups. Lewis ran unsuccessfully for Scotts Valley City Council in 2020.

Important local issues: Housing. “I think Scotts Valley needs to turn its eye towards the needs of people who can’t afford to live here,” Lewis said. “We have firefighters, police officers, retail workers who all spend their day time in Scotts Valley, and they can spend a considerable amount of their evening driving home to where they can afford to live. We should find a way of allowing the people who work in the city to live in the city.” He said he wants more permits for new construction.

Experience: Lind worked for Scotts Valley police for more than 40 years and has been a Scotts Valley council member for the past 15 years. “I have a great deal of experience, knowledge, love for my community,” Lind said. “All of my adult life has been serving this community.”

Important local issues: Because Scotts Valley City Councilmembers Randy Johnson and Jack Dilles are not seeking reelection, Lind said it is important to have someone with experience on the council to work with the new council members and meet “the challenges that we’re facing the next few years.”

Experience: Lopez was a summer intern with the City of Scotts Valley. “I’ve gotten an inside look at the projects that are ongoing and the teams and how the government works, and also the challenges that we face,” Lopez said. He added that he has a “personal interest in cities and topics relating to cities,” and that he’s “really interested in social science and philosophy and how that can be applied to help people.”

Important local issues: Lopez said his priorities were the city budget, bike and pedestrian infrastructure and making sure the Town Center project “is done right, where everyone can feel like they belong.” 

Experience: Molloy grew up in Scotts Valley and recently earned a degree in political science and government from The New School in New York. She has been a United Nations youth delegate, an American Red Cross youth humanitarian award winner, Miss Teen Scotts Valley and an intern at Ignite National, a nonprofit that encourages young women’s leadership. 

Important local issues: Climate resiliency, civic engagement, parks and recreation, unequal access to menstrual products in schools and diversity, equity, and inclusion. “I kept seeing the same routine leadership,” with no youth representation, she said. 

Experience: Roberson has spent 25 years at Performance Foodservice, a food distributor and supplier. “I’m a people person,” Roberson said. “I like to talk to people.” He said he would ask questions of the community to learn what issues he should work on.

Important local issues: The Town Center. “The city’s getting ready to purchase that piece of property, so I want to be involved with that,” Roberson said. He said he would also work to fill the empty storefronts along Scotts Valley Drive. 

Yes/no questions

Do you support Measure X, the Nov. 5 Scotts Valley ballot measure to increase the city business tax?

  • Clark: Yes. Clark noted that this measure has the support of several small businesses and Chamber of Commerce members. “I think there’s an overall sense that it’s time to update this process,” he said. “And the revenue from this program is going to be vital.”
  • Jett: Yes. “It hasn’t been raised since 1992 so I think it’s a fair and reasonable thing to do.”
  • Lewis: Yes.
  • Lind: Yes. “It’s an obvious change that we need to make,” Lind said, pointing out that it hasn’t been increased since 1992.
  • Lopez: Yes. “I highly encourage everyone to vote yes on that,” Lopez said. “It’s really crucial for Scotts Valley to maintain its budget.” He said he would not want to see Scotts Valley run through its reserve funds, and he noted that the city business tax hasn’t been updated since 1992. 
  • Molloy: Yes.
  • Roberson: Yes. Roberson said the tax hasn’t been updated since 1992 and needs to be brought up to modern times.

Do you support Measure Q, the county ballot measure for a parcel tax for land and water management, cleanup and conservation?

  • Clark: No. Clark said he supported each of these elements individually, but didn’t like the way the initiative was written. “It’s written like a combination pizza with a little bit of everything,” he said. “I prefer initiatives that are narrow and focused.” He added that there’s no guarantee Scotts Valley would get its “fair share” of the money.
  • Jett: Jett: Undecided. “I wish there was a little bit more out there on how the money would be spent, and it concerns me that not very much money would make it to Scotts Valley itself,” Jett said. “But I really respect the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, as well as [the Peninsula Open Space Trust, which] are the big supporters of it.”
  • Lewis: Yes.
  • Lind: No. She said she’s spoken to fire chiefs who worry none of the money will go to Scotts Valley Fire.
  • Lopez: Yes.
  • Molloy: Yes.
  • Roberson: No. Roberson said that he spoke to “three-quarters of the fire chiefs” and that they are opposing this measure, partly over concerns that none of the funds would come to Scotts Valley.

Would you support a city law that allows rent control?

  • Clark: Maybe. “It really depends on how it’s written,” Clark said. “I’d want to see a program that curves egregious or unconscionable actions by property owners. But I still want to allow property owners to exercise control over their investment and have the resources to adequately care for and maintain their property.”
  • Jett: Undecided. “I would consider it with more detail.”
  • Lewis: Yes, but with a sunset provision. “I think it would be a bridge to get us to a place where we have more housing and not something we should have permanently.”
  • Lind: No. “Not with what I know now.”
  • Lopez: Probably not. “I’d have to see the specifics,” Lopez said. “But I don’t think that rent control really addresses any of the main issues of why the cost of living is going up in the first place.”
  • Molloy: Yes.
  • Roberson: No.

Should the city help fund child care or afterschool programs in Scotts Valley?

  • Clark: Not directly. “Right now,” Clark said, “the city’s not in a position to add additional expenditures to the budget.” However, he said the city could contribute without “hard dollar contributions,” such as by making facilities available, supporting grant applications and organizing partnerships. “Once we’re in a better budget position, then I think we can review that,” Clark said.
  • Jett: Yes.
  • Lewis: Yes.
  • Lind: Yes with caveats. Lind said the city currently can’t afford to bring back its after-school recreation program. However, she does support providing funding to the Boys & Girls Club and other organizations that help fill that gap.
  • Lopez: Yes in terms of general programs for kids through Parks & Rec. No, specifically for child care.
  • Molloy: Yes.
  • Roberson: Yes.

Incumbent Donna Lind on her record

Donna Lind has served on the Scotts Valley City Council for the past 15 years. Santa Cruz Local asked her questions about her record as a council member.

What have been your major accomplishments during your tenure as a city council member?

Lind said she has worked hard to re-staff the city following the COVID pandemic and economic downturn. “Our police department had really suffered for a period,” she said. “We’re close to being back to fully staffed again, although several of the officers are in training.” A city manager, a new parks and recreation manager, a finance manager and additional planning employees have also been brought back. “We were really struggling without that staff,” Lind said. “Our parks suffered, our roads suffered. So that’s top of my mind, being able to support our recruitment efforts.”

In a 2020 Santa Cruz Local candidate questionnaire, you wrote that a top priority as a council member would be to support local businesses in recovery from the COVID pandemic and the CZU Lightning Complex Fire. What progress have you made towards that goal?

Lind said that when the pandemic first hit she worked closely with local businesses to help them apply for stimulus funding. She also helped put on special events, like treasure hunts, to encourage people to shop local, and gave out hand sanitizer and gloves. “Several [business leaders] said it was because of our city’s support that they were able to keep their doors open and survive,” Lind said. “So I know we made a difference.” She said that though we’ve “recovered a great deal,” some businesses are still paying off loans and otherwise struggling in the wake of COVID “There’s still more to be done,” Lind said, “but we’ve made a great deal of progress.”

In 2020, you said you wanted to give Scotts Valley Police more funding to raise salaries. Have you made progress towards that goal?

The city has provided some raises to police officers, Lind said.  “I’ve been at each one of our swearing-ins for the new officers, and I’ve helped recruit some of those officers,” Lind said. She said she is “feeling really good about where our police department’s headed right now.”

In a 2020 Santa Cruz Local candidate forum, you said that you would support expanding Scotts Valley’s 15% inclusionary affordable housing rule to the entire city. A majority of the council supported that proposal. Four years later, why has the law remained unchanged?

It “didn’t move forward as fast as it could have” because “we lost two city managers at that time [and] planning staff,” Lind said. “Then the Housing Element came in and pretty much made it moot,” Lind said.

Other Scotts Valley elections

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