Elect David Terrazas

SANTA CRUZ — As the only parent of small children running for, or sitting on, the City Council, David Terrazas said he would bring a unique perspective to Santa Cruz leadership.

Terrazas and his wife, Monica, bought a fixer-upper home on the Westside in 2000, spent years repairing it and are now raising their two daughters there. He put himself through night school to earn his MBA and law degree.

As a result, Terrazas said he can relate to the struggles that young city residents endure to afford their homes and raise their families. As the grandson of Mexican and Italian immigrants, and whose wife immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador as a child, Terrazas said he can also relate to the increasing diversity in the city.

“I think it’s important that we have new perspective on the council that reflects our community and reflects the needs of families and working professionals,” Terrazas said. “I want to be a voice for the people of the community that are working hard to live here.”

Now, Terrazas is eyeing a City Council seat and hopes to attract businesses to Santa Cruz that fit in with the city’s environmental and social values, but can provide well-paying jobs that keep other parents employed in the city where they live.

Terrazas said he envisions green industry to “help to create both meaningful economic development and new sources of revenue in our community.”

A member of the city’s Transportation Commission, Terrazas said he also would work to build safe bicycle and pedestrian routes around town, and encourage residents to get out of their cars.While a newcomer on the political scene, Terrazas’ positions have earned him the endorsements some of the county’s biggest political players: four sitting City Council members, county Supervisor Neal Coonerty, former Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt, and county Treasurer-Tax Collector Fred Keeley.

Contact G. Bookwalter at 706-3286 or gbookwalter@santacruzsentinel.com.