Soledad mayor outlines hires, housing, public safety and infrastructure gains in State of the City address

Mayor Ana Velasquez on Thursday delivered Soledad’s fifth annual State of the City address, highlighting workforce growth, infrastructure work, public-safety activity, housing initiatives and steps to address homelessness.

Velasquez opened by saying the city was “centered on building an inclusive city for all,” and asked residents to learn more about department services at a city resource fair following the address. “I will not be taking questions” during the speech, she told the audience, and directed attendees to staff tables for follow-up.

The mayor said the city hired 42 new employees in 2024 — 22 part-time and 20 full-time — bringing the payroll to roughly 85 full-time employees plus about 40 seasonal staff. She credited the finance department with generating about $2,000,000 in investment income last year and said those interest earnings helped offset utility and other costs for residents.

Velasquez recapped the city’s shift from at-large to district elections, noting Soledad held its first district races Nov. 5, 2024, for Districts 1 and 3 and will hold additional district contests this year. She also said voters chose to continue electing the mayor at large every two years.

On public safety, Velasquez praised officers’ community engagement and said the police department logged 26,310 calls for service in 2024, an average she described as about 2,192 calls per month. She thanked officers, victim advocates and local nonprofit partners for outreach programs ranging from “Coffee with the Cops” to toy deliveries and services for victims.

Velasquez announced the retirement of Police Chief Damon Lawson and expressed appreciation for his years of service.

She also highlighted fire services: a ladder truck is expected to arrive in 2025 after a district budget allocation from 2022, and a new apparatus bay will be finished this year to house the vehicle. The mayor said firefighters completed extensive trainings and listed fire response counts but did not resolve an inconsistency in the numbers presented during the speech; she reported 572 medical-aid calls and a stated total call volume of 2,037 while also citing a separate figure of 3,322 for certain fire responses.

Public works accomplishments included completion of the Front Street project (sidewalk repairs, ADA ramps and landscaping), large-scale water-valve maintenance in older neighborhoods, and trimming about 756 trees to improve visibility and safety. Velasquez said the city is advancing a recycled-water project and plans to install smart meters to save water and reduce utility bills. She told residents the recycled-water effort will save an estimated 54,000,000 gallons through a memorandum of understanding with the school district.

On housing and economic development, Velasquez said the city bought a 4.6-acre parcel intended to support up to 100 affordable housing units and is moving forward with approvals for a larger development (referred to in the speech as the Mio Monde project) that includes 598 housing units. She said the council will adopt an updated general plan (referred to as the 2045 general plan) to guide future growth.

On homelessness, Velasquez said the city and county participated in a state-funded program that received $4,700,000 to support interim shelter solutions; the mayor described the allocation as state money routed through county partnership to place a temporary shelter for unsheltered residents and to reduce river encampments. She emphasized the city could not have done the application alone and thanked county and state partners.

Velasquez also listed recent and upcoming retail openings supported by the city, including Ace Hardware and planned sites for Panda Express and Tractor Supply, and described a container-marketplace concept and other downtown revitalization steps intended to attract visitors and businesses.

The mayor closed by urging continued civic participation, announcing an upcoming all-day council strategic planning workshop, and thanking staff and volunteers. City Manager Megan Hunter, who introduced Velasquez earlier, noted she “works hand in hand with the city council and the mayor” and encouraged residents to use the resource tables after the address.

Ending: Velasquez asked residents to help write Soledad’s next chapters and said city staff and elected officials will continue pursuing the 2025 goals announced in the address.