CAPITOLA — Capitola Vice Mayor and first term Councilmember Alexander Pedersen abruptly resigned at the start of the council’s meeting Thursday, citing his recent purchase and planned relocation to a new home in Santa Cruz as well as what he referred to as a sustained “campaign of legal harassment and intimidation” from a local community group.
“When I ran for office, I did so with an intention to serve this community and to have a positive impact. I had no expectation of the level of vitriol that would be expressed by this small but vocal minority,” said Pedersen. “While I strongly believe that it is wrong to validate this type of behavior, I also have a responsibility to ensure the security and emotional well-being of my family.”
Pedersen’s resignation was immediate, and he did not return to the council’s meeting after it had completed its closed session.
Pedersen told the Sentinel he and his wife became first-time homeowners when their purchase of a Santa Cruz residence closed in mid February. He said he notified the city of a change of address within Capitola prior to a move on March 15.
Pedersen stressed at the meeting that he didn’t believe the acquisition was cause for concern, but the kind of mortgage he and his wife obtained required that one of them live at the new Santa Cruz property for the first year of ownership. Pedersen continued to rent and live in Capitola while his wife moved into their new home, but he said the toll of living apart has been emotionally and financially difficult.
“I want to state clearly that it is not uncommon or unethical for elected officials to own property outside of the district while living within the community in which they serve,” said Pedersen. “And I do not believe that I am the only person on this council — currently or previously — to do so.”
A Capitola spokesperson told the Sentinel Friday that Pedersen notified the city of his home purchase April 24 and that there is no policy prohibiting city councilmembers from purchasing property anywhere. The spokesperson added that rules from the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission require elected officials to disclose property purchased within the city and within two miles of city limits.
The spokesperson also confirmed that there were past instances of Capitola councilmembers owning property or homes outside of the city limits.
Pedersen added that his resignation also comes after an eight-month effort to remove him from office by a local group that refer to themselves as the Concerned Citizens of Capitola. A member of this group, TJ Welch, announced at the council’s Jan. 30 meeting that the group had served Pedersen with a notice of an intent to recall and accused him of several violations related to residency requirements, his oath of office for decision making as a member of the county’s Regional Transportation Commission and financial conflicts of interest.
Moments later, Pedersen delivered a lengthy refutation of each accusation, some of which the Sentinel was able to corroborate, and suggested the effort was politically motivated due to disagreements about the high-profile Coastal Rail Trail transportation project along the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, including a segment that passes through the city.
Pedersen said at Thursday’s meeting that the group continued to spread harmful lies about him and have contacted his supervisor and colleagues at work in an effort to jeopardize his employment.
Reached by phone Friday, Welch declined to comment on Pedersen’s resignation and took the opportunity to share frustration with the lack of media coverage of the recall petition effort from January.
The notice of intention to recall was confirmed by the Capitola City Clerk‘s Office and the next step was for the group to circulate the recall petition and collect enough signatures to force a recall election. As of Thursday, according to the city clerk, the group was still in the signature collection phase, which required them to get 25% of the city’s more than 7,000 registered voters to lend their signatures in support of a recall election. The deadline to return those signatures to the city for review is July 7, according to the clerk.
Pedersen, elected to his first term in 2022, is the second member of the Capitola City Council to resign this year. He was preceded by former Mayor Yvette Brooks, who stepped away from the dais after six years in office to accept a role as CEO of United Way of Santa Cruz County.
Brooks’ resignation kicked off an almost monthlong process to fill the empty seat. After initially deciding to replace Brooks with one of the two candidates that ran for City Council last November but failed to receive enough votes to claim victory at the time, the council pivoted and chose instead to create an open process that attracted eight applicants.
Councilmember Margaux Morgan, who was the third highest vote-getter in the November election, was chosen to finish the final two years of Brooks’ term and she pledged not to run again.
Comments from Pedersen’s former colleagues were relatively brief, with all thanking him for his service, wishing him well and some congratulating him and his wife on their newfound homeownership.
“I’m sorry that it came to this. I know it’s a very emotional decision that you had to make, and it was a strong one,” said Morgan. “Hopefully your work for the community and neighboring communities won’t stop here.”
Councilmember Melinda Orbach said she was sad to see Pedersen go.
“But I know that it’s hard serving this city; I’ve felt it for the last few months,” she said. “I know it was a really difficult decision for you, but ultimately it’s the right one because you should always, always put yourself and your family first.”
Pedersen’s decision came three weeks after the council hosted one of its most controversial meetings in recent memory that concluded with it rejecting a proposal to relocate a section of the rail trail project outside of the rail line corridor. At the same time, the local legislators made clear that their reading of Measure L — passed by Capitola voters in 2018 — specified that the trail must be developed exclusively inside the rail corridor within Capitola city limits.
Despite some voiced disagreements, the council’s decision was unanimous, while the issue bitterly divided the public, with community members spending hours pushing hard for their preferred design scenario.
Orbach and Pedersen both shared that the policy dispute had tipped into inappropriate territory. Orbach detailed an instance where a member of the public wandered through her neighborhood trying to find her home, and Pedersen claimed some had made efforts to ruin his livelihood.
After hearing concerns from the public about the city’s code of conduct policy when it comes to councilmember residency requirements, Mayor Joe Clarke requested that staff work to clarify that language in city policy and suggested it be shared a future meeting.
The council will consider how to proceed with filling the vacancy left by Pedersen when it convenes May 22.