agenda city of watsonville city council/redevelopment agency meeting

Santa Cruz County’s Targeted Employment Area (TEA)
– Watsonville
The shifting economy
Over time, Watsonville has been known as the agricultural center of the Monterey Bay. The City is recognized
for its strawberries, apples, cauliflower, broccoli and fresh cut flowers. Watsonville food processors freeze and
distribute more fruits and vegetables than any other single area in the United States. While agriculture and food
processing industry remains as the mainstay of Watsonville’s economic structure, the City’s economy has been
diversified with an influx of electronics, manufacturing and service firms, in addition to the establishment of
distribution centers for non-agricultural products. In these days, main industries in Watsonville are agriculture,
construction and manufacturing. Driscoll’s Strawberries, Martinelli’s, California Giant, Monterey Mushrooms,
Graniterock, Granite Construction, West Marine, Vendwize, Fox Racing Shox and many other leading companies
in the agriculture, construction and manufacturing industries locate their companies’ headquarters in
Watsonville.
At start of the shifting economy, Watsonville has been benefited a lot from the diversity of industries; however
the recession and its aftermath have nailed Watsonville hard. A big hit has strike on to the manufacturing and
agriculture and particularly construction.
Unemployment
Watsonville has been terribly hard hit with the recession. The jobless rate in Santa Cruz stands at a worrisome
11.6 percent, while Watsonville’s is a whopping 27.9 percent. Since Watsonville has more blue-collar jobs, it has
suffered more than Santa Cruz ,and which its trend can be played out on a national scale. In October 2010,
Market Watch reported that national unemployment was 4.5 percent for college graduates, 10.8 percent for
high school grads and 14.3 percent for those without a diploma.
California Sunshine Regional Center (CSRC)
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