WATSONVILLE — The days of South Santa Cruz County residents having to drive to Santa Cruz to pay taxes in person, drop off agricultural permits or pick up marriage licenses are over. As of Tuesday, they now have a place in Watsonville to do all of these things and more with the opening of the South County Government Center on 500 Westridge Drive.
The center allows county departments such as Human Services, the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, County Clerk’s Office and Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office to open up offices in a single building that will serve South Santa Cruz County residents.
“We recognize that it’s important for local government to serve the community and make it easy to access the services, particularly in underserved populations,” said Santa Cruz County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez in a grand opening ceremony Tuesday. “This is a key to equity.”
Hernandez emphasized that previously, the county had all of its services spread throughout the county as well as Watsonville.
“This consolidation here makes it easier for our customers and our residents, clients to access services,” he said.
The opening comes after three years of renovation of the former West Marine headquarters, which have been vacant since the boating chain’s relocation to Florida in 2021. The county purchased the 121,000-square-foot campus in October of that year to consolidate some of its departments into a new building to serve South County residents, in keeping with a recommendation in the county’s Long-Range Facilities Plan to make access to government services easier for residents of Watsonville and other South County communities.
Starting in February 2023, the county began the process of renovating the former West Marine building to serve as the new South County Government Center. The work on the building has consisted of code updates, seismic upgrades, building out two public lobby spaces and client service areas, painting, flooring upgrades and a new HVAC system, which was delivered by helicopter in February.
Hernandez said the new building would staff more than 340 employees in Watsonville.
“Easily more than 10% of our county workforce will work out of this building,” he said. “This location makes it easier for staff who already live in South County to work here in South County. Bringing these essential services together under one roof is a significant step forward for South County.”
County Supervisor Zach Friend said the building was long overdue but was happy to be celebrating its opening.
“What you see here isn’t just a building,” he said. “It’s the personification of an investment in South County that is the greatest investment we’ve made in a generation.”
Friend said it would bring not only services to South County but equity and would provide a lot of benefits.
“We’re the second largest employer in the county, and now a number of cars are gonna be taken off the road,” he said. “A number of folks, because of affordable housing, won’t have to commute the longest commute in the county for some of the lowest-paying jobs in this area to access services or get a job. They’ll be able to do all of that within this area.”
Maria Orozco, Watsonville’s mayor pro tempore, said it signified a commitment to expanding access to services.
“Over recent decades, Watsonville has outpaced other communities in Santa Cruz County in terms of growth,” she said. “Notably, this area has a larger population of young people and families in need of support than any other part of the county. The future of Santa Cruz County relies significantly on Watsonville’s progress.”
Human Services Director Randy Miller said his department is the building’s largest tenant and provides everything from Medi-Cal and CalFresh to aging and disability, child welfare and homelessness programs.
“If you look at the number of people who live in the city of Santa Cruz who are receiving a service from Human Services, it is 29%,” he said. “When you look at the number of people who are living in the city of Watsonville who are receiving a service from the Human Services Department: 63%, more than double.”
Miller said the new government center provided a step in the right direction when it came to providing services to the public. He also said staff were previously spread throughout three buildings and not always available to come to the main lobby to meet specific clients’ needs.
“We can move our staff to where they need to be, including this lobby, so people who come here to South County can get service,” he said.
County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios, also a former longtime Watsonville city manager, said he used to feel angry that Watsonville and its neighbors did not receive the same access to services as its North County peers. He believes the new center will make a big difference for the community.
“This is not the end,” he said. “This is the beginning. We’re going to continue to invest not only here but throughout the county to serve the community that most depend on our needs.”
Palacios said there are also plans for a campus at 1430 Freedom Blvd. to house public health services including a new dental clinic.
