Letters to the Editor | Published Oct. 11, 2024 — Part I

Martinez represents hope and practical solutions

I live in Boulder Creek and have taken the time to attend campaign gatherings for both Christopher Bradford and Monica Martinez this past year and have had a chance to get a feel for who they are and what they bring to the table.

Given our current political climate of distrust and chaos, I feel lucky to live in a district where people take the time to get involved to bring about the type of citizenship we need for creating a community we want to live in.

I’ve been very impressed with the way that Monica Martinez has run her campaign and the skillful leadership qualities she has exhibited for uniting people. Monica has worked in public service most of her life and truly walks the walk for engaging leadership.

I greatly admire Monica for being genuine, confident, reliable and a creative problem solver that knows how to navigate through government bureaucracy. She is an excellent listener and communicator and has the skills and experience of working with numerous organizations and officials to implement programs and secure the means to move them forward.

The long list of endorsements she has earned from organizations and colleagues speaks volumes to the quality of the working relationships she builds with people. From a financial perspective, she is used to working with large budgets, state funded grants, allocating funds and seeing to it that things get accomplished in a timely manner.

I find her to be very practical and efficient that comes from her years of experience and dedication to a standard of excellence that she holds herself accountable to. Bottom line—Monica has the vision and skills to ensure that our District gets the support we need to build the sound infrastructures we rely on for our basic human needs.

Penny Ellis
Boulder Creek

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Strengthen community safety by backing Measure S

I would like to take this opportunity to express my support of Measure S for Scotts Valley Fire District.

As a homeowner in the Scotts Valley Fire District, I know how important response time is to saving lives. The current fire station on Erba Lane is a 60-year-old building that does not meet current seismic standards. In the event of a large earthquake, the substandard condition of the Erba Lane station could jeopardize the lives of our firefighters, which would then cause a lack of emergency response to our community.

A relocation of the fire station will strengthen wildfire protection and construct a seismically safe and strategically located station to ensure operations during a disaster. Please keep our local first responders safe while they serve our residents. I hope you will join me in voting “Yes” on Measure S.

Beverly Jensen
Scotts Valley

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Trust Martinez to transform the Fifth District

OK, listen—Christopher Bradford is a really good guy, and he and his family have experienced both the tragedy of losing their home, and the extreme difficulty of rebuilding caused by the County. But if you want the best person to fix those and other problems, Monica Martinez is the only reasonable vote for Fifth District supervisor.

She’s also a really good person, heavily involved and invested in the Fifth District, and she’s the only candidate with the experience and smarts to get things done on the Board of Supervisors for our oft-neglected Fifth District, in particular the San Lorenzo Valley.

Let’s take transportation, for example. Particularly here in SLV, we need a lot of help with roads. Monica’s experience and contacts will help her accomplish her goals for us. Some of those goals are: Ensuring that road repair funds are distributed equitably around the County and that the Fifth District doesn’t get left behind; working with state and federal partners to explore additional and innovative funding sources to support and improve our public transit system; and coordinating with partners to expand safe routes to schools and pedestrian access.

Help the Fifth District get the experienced, smart and competent representation it needs and deserves—vote for Monica Martinez for Fifth District supervisor.

Peter Gelblum
Boulder Creek

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Make our community safer: Vote ‘Yes’ on Measure S

As residents of the Spring Lakes Retirement Community, we care deeply about the safety and well-being of our neighbors and the greater Scotts Valley community.

I, Don Ramos, am a retired San Jose Fire Battalion Chief, a past Fire Chief of the Branciforte Fire Protection District, and myself as well as my wife are past members of the Fire Board of Directors for the Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District. My wife Marilyn and I urge you to support Measure S for the new Scotts Valley fire station.

The current station is outdated and has been deemed unsafe in the event of a disaster by two independent engineering studies. The new fire station will improve response times across the entire district, especially in the southern part, where rapid response is crucial. When it comes to an emergency, every second counts.

Measure S is not just about upgrading a building; it’s about protecting our community, providing a safe working environment for the firefighters and ensuring that the first responders have the resources they need to serve us effectively. With your support, we can enhance public safety and improve the ability of our firefighters to respond swiftly in times of crisis.

Please join us in voting “Yes” on Measure S to make our community safer.

Don and Marilyn Ramos
Scotts Valley

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We welcome letters to the editor and commentaries on all topics of local interest. Email your submissions to [email protected]. Letters must include the writer’s name and hometown (for publication) and phone number (for verification). Submissions may be edited, and will be published as space permits. Letters are limited to about 300 words, commentaries to 500 words.