[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6200615,"mediaKeyId","3813253-767414ef9aff4d4e049115ca3a34ed5b","parentId",3813253,"title","Council approves Park Avenue traffic-calming striping, buffered bike markings and speed feedback signs","audioSeconds",517,"startMs",9506000,"endMs",10023000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3813253-767414ef9aff4d4e049115ca3a34ed5b&start=9506&end=10023","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3813253-767414ef9aff4d4e049115ca3a34ed5b/thumbnail_9506000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6200615/Capitola-City/Santa-Cruz-County/California/Council-approves-Park-Avenue-traffic-calming-striping-buffered-bike-markings-and-speed-feedback-signs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200615-a67a3213abfe3770f3249435333dcfb3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135207&Signature=lUnB839eTQoX6I1jVFwyhGaEyGmgj~Qi94ahZy3OqsiFnLfHwV--gyf89C6W4nQstcMMRn~QG2wP1glFwJpzG582QTyiDjuLsR~vVvHSAqpPKbwtNyWan8It7kV6630gl0I2imc4PrcvBNvocStHLrqFPFWuHlvcKG2POT8oFi1DQFOZ~9L~oMo~~fp5YTa2PDoJbSU0-~uKto3aG5ZSPSfWHrzvP8TnaDKpVnZ4o2HCuVjbPQT50oKMgmSsMSERY-0H55ebA6oa7IMXO2iPcQFppOMuZCUDVZ6-lfIlmDkMxJDpqJDx~yVZ2ruw88ZthMCBpVSjWVdihPyQb3X0HQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Capitola, California","date","2025-06-13T03:51:50Z","article","The Capitola City Council approved a staff plan on June 12 to add traffic-calming striping, buffered bike markings and speed-feedback signs along Park Avenue, directing staff to include the work as a change order to the city's 2025 pavement maintenance contract.

The plan narrows vehicle travel lanes to 10.5 feet, adds painted bike lanes and green intersection markings at crossings, and installs speed-feedback signs. Staff estimated total cost at about $120,000: roughly $98,000 for striping, $8,000 for feedback signage and a $4,000 construction contingency. The work is scheduled to be combined with the contractor's summer paving work should the council adopt the proposed budget later in June.

Why it matters: Park Avenue is a principal arterial with documented speeding and pedestrian crossing concerns. The measures are intended to calm speeds and improve bicycle and pedestrian safety without removing physical parking; outreach in 2023–24 showed community support for protected bike facilities and concerns about parking loss.

Council and staff comments: Staff noted Park Avenue had been studied multiple times and that speed surveys are the typical mechanism for a formal speed-limit change. \"There is no change in the speed limit,\" a staff presenter clarified; the project installs feedback signs that display actual vehicle speed to drivers. Council members said they wanted the city to continue reviewing whether a consistent 25 mph limit could be established on the corridor and noted recent enforcement data showing an increase in citations.

Public comment and next steps: One speaker raised a public-safety concern at a nearby park in the broader area. After brief public comment the council voted to approve staff recommendation and authorized staff to execute the change order contingent on final budget approval. Staff will coordinate with the contractor to implement the striping and signage this summer and to install ADA ramp updates and green bike markings at intersections already included in recent nearby projects.

Sources: Staff presentation to Capitola City Council, June 12, 2025; council roll-call vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Capitola City Council - 06/12/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The council authorized striping and markings estimated at $120,000 to add buffered bike lanes, narrowed vehicle lanes and speed feedback signs; staff will include the work in the summer paving contract pending budget adoption.","taxTitle","Capitola City, Santa Cruz County, California","taxId",68972,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6200620,"Capitola seeks answers from RTC on rail-trail encroachments at Castle Mobile Home Estates; forms ad hoc to press requests",3139,6360000,9499000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3813253-767414ef9aff4d4e049115ca3a34ed5b&start=6360&end=9499","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3813253-767414ef9aff4d4e049115ca3a34ed5b/thumbnail_6360000.jpg","/articles/6200620/Capitola-City/Santa-Cruz-County/California/Capitola-seeks-answers-from-RTC-on-rail-trail-encroachments-at-Castle-Mobile-Home-Estates-forms-ad-hoc-to-press-requests","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200620-0d7e41ee84e838c72900bd0775d7bf00/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135207&Signature=JOeZDf5M87oL3nlZd4K26408bLbqVdIu8W0ikIywCeybK1QYzYOb1eYfz4JeHFhzYkIaw213vT2N-r1fNx4V893vhgdABPdaEzsgyRjFekCpTENNiWclv8VIdiwWIjgXtyhKH5p8Cud9jZR92a8pQzHUHjod0qVWU7VADZN4GHDD2IIVcAeW4JmWA2DPVKtT7FfeaGJIvaium8jwtQt~Mkp9GPkzAJ-T30LUADsX84B8PzIBHfSSmaZQkViqQ0buPGShoprk1iu~SiqnbX3UuxYw2zdwyTOJLx0fMCO9wPGWysRNxEgYKUVfnnBvmZuUn9pxNR~fnUcrnf8oYpcshw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff briefed the Capitola City Council on June 12 about encroachments along the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) right-of-way adjacent to Castle Mobile Home Estates and described ongoing coordination with the park owner Millennium Housing and the RTC to find a negotiated path forward.

Why it matters: Preliminary RTC surveys identify roughly 20 encroachments into RTC-owned right-of-way at the mobile home park. Residents and advocates said the encroachments, if enforced as currently described in RTC materials, could require moving homes or fences and impose significant cost and disruption on low-income and senior residents of the park. Council members and residents urged clarity and fairness about how encroachments will be handled across the corridor and whether comparable encroachments elsewhere (for example, at the Capitola Beach Villas on 40 First Avenue) are being treated consistently.

What staff reported: The park, at 1099 30 Eighth Avenue, has 108 spaces and is an affordable park; when the City participated in the acquisition there were two active rehabilitation loans remaining (originally 10). Staff summarized prior outreach and said the RTC has completed an encroachment review and that some additional, more-accurate surveying is needed to determine whether structures, fences or other improvements must be relocated. Staff described the city’s role as convener and said the RTC proposed a tolling agreement to pause legal deadlines while negotiations continue; Millennium Housing was reviewing that draft and staff characterized discussions as productive.

Resident testimony and concerns: Several Castle Mobile homeowners described anxiety and confusion after receiving notices referenced in RTC materials, disputed counts in the RTC concept report and asked why similar narrow segments elsewhere along the corridor appear to have been treated differently. \"If that is accurate, I would like to know why the RTC is requiring the removal of these encroachments behind Castle Mobile Estates, but not imposing the same requirements on 40 First where the condominiums are,\" resident Cammie Corvin said. Multiple residents said the concept report undercounts affected homes; one resident told council she received a notice stating a home must be moved by June 30, 2025.

Council response and action: Council members pressed for clearer data and asked staff to assemble a list of specific questions for the RTC. Council directed staff to pursue an expedited process for information and negotiation and voted to form an ad hoc committee composed of the mayor and Council Member Jerry Jensen to draft a letter and request formal answers from the RTC. The council motion to create the ad hoc passed unanimously.

Funding and assistance: Councilmembers and residents discussed potential local housing-rehab or assistance resources, including housing trust funds and nonprofit partners such as Habitat for Humanity, and volunteer support from community organizations. Staff said some rehab loan funds remain tied to the property and that prior rehabilitation loans totalled slightly less than $250,000 when issued; two loans remain active totaling a little over $100,000.

Next steps: The city will convene parties and the newly formed mayor-Jensen ad hoc will draft and send a letter to the RTC with council questions. Staff also said the RTC requested additional site surveying and that the city can be present during that work. Council members sought a public response from the RTC at a scheduled RTC board meeting; staff recommended the mayor and ad hoc pursue formal written questions and request RTC response at a board hearing so the regional decision-makers see the concerns.

Sources: City presentation on Castle Mobile Home Estates, resident public comment at the June 12 council meeting, council motion to form ad hoc committee.","Residents at Castle Mobile Home Estates told council they face potential displacement from right-of-way encroachments tied to the RTC rail-trail project; council formed an ad hoc (mayor + Council Member Jensen) to draft questions and a letter to the RTC.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6200626,"Council appoints longtime Capitola volunteer Susan Westman to vacant council seat",2296,481000,2777000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3813253-767414ef9aff4d4e049115ca3a34ed5b&start=481&end=2777","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3813253-767414ef9aff4d4e049115ca3a34ed5b/thumbnail_481000.jpg","/articles/6200626/Capitola-City/Santa-Cruz-County/California/Council-appoints-longtime-Capitola-volunteer-Susan-Westman-to-vacant-council-seat","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200626-45ce527357107a288e69b6b6372b3441/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135207&Signature=hdqqPsp2eo4tK6mr0Gh0RA-r~Le-5KnjQYNBuSKFohP~DmHR9~Ilkr1IH~g5zAGRrygahsBcFyhHnBRn9jr4NM7nKCVAGKVasCqMupBYr1AZeSqSC8nsccT8nz75M~Cots~8nHGPuwth6-kV3k4Kg5y4txpyVuHuykYnSvQoqhZhwp~IedBzNlM0YVqVmgyQFOKlXVMXzmN7xoyJFp1tm6vKGlms4QMEMcf6vHN0VAhz3sJK8cAGpK7EdJ9IheUjHXN1D7ceOSz8~y40Xn5j3TCMgYflv08cRGCMBosUy-B7imahbOYbsd38aDVE8boxF4f2zzEfxAM3oVrp-B3VUA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Capitola City Council on June 12 appointed Susan Westman to the council seat left vacant when Vice Mayor Alex Peterson resigned in May, voting 3-1 to fill the seat for a term that expires in December 2026.

The appointment came after a public application process running May 27–June 3 that produced 15 applicants (13 qualified by the deadline, one qualified after it and one later withdrawn). Staff told the council the California Government Code requires a council confronted with a vacancy to either appoint someone or call a special election by July 7; staff also said the code requires appointees to be at least 18, registered voters and city residents. \"The application period ran from May 27 to June 3,\" staff said during the presentation.

Why it matters: The choice replaces an elected official before the next regular election and gives the council a new voting member for issues such as regional transportation and grant decisions. The council used the same ranked-choice-style scoring method applied in January 2025 to select a successor to a prior vacancy.

Council discussion and public comment featured many residents urging the appointment of Westman. Tori Delfavro, who identified herself as a Capitola resident, called Westman \"a Capitola superhero,\" noting her long record of volunteer and staff service to the city. Several other residents and former colleagues — including Pam Greninger and a former mayor who said she hired Westman as community development director and later appointed her city manager — spoke in support of Westman's experience and readiness to \"hit the ground running.\" \"She's been showing up in so many different capacities in this town since 1981,\" Delfavro said.

Westman, who identified herself as a current planning commissioner, told the council she would work to \"move Capitola forward\" and emphasized collaboration with staff and regional partners. \"If selected, I would look forward to working with all the members of the city council,\" she said.

When the council proceeded to vote, Council Member Jerry Jensen voted yes, Council Member Melinda Orbach voted no, Council Member Margo Morgan voted yes, and Mayor Joe Clark voted yes. Council Member Margo Morgan made the motion on the floor: \"I'll move to appoint Susan Westman to Capitola City Council.\" After the vote the mayor administered the oath of office and Westman took her seat.

Related reorganization: Later in the meeting the council filled the vacant vice mayor position created by Peterson's resignation. Council Member Margo Morgan was nominated and approved unanimously in a separate roll call vote to serve as vice mayor for the remainder of the calendar year.

What’s next: Westman will serve on council committees and may be assigned to regional boards previously served by the departed member; staff noted vacancies will be advertised for the planning commission seat Westman vacated. The California Government Code timeline remains in effect: the council must either appoint someone or call a special election by July 7.

Sources: Staff presentation to the Capitola City Council; public comments and roll-call vote at the June 12, 2025 council meeting.","The Capitola City Council voted 3-1 June 12 to appoint Susan Westman to the seat left vacant in May; Westman took the oath and the council later named Margo Morgan vice mayor.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council approves Park Avenue traffic-calming striping, buffered bike markings and speed feedback signs

Capitola seeks answers from RTC on rail-trail encroachments at Castle Mobile Home Estates; forms ad hoc to press requests

Council appoints longtime Capitola volunteer Susan Westman to vacant council seat