Hollister
– When interviewing Eugenia Sanchez about her bid for a seat on
the City Council, there’s one word that came up over and over
again: communication.
Hollister – When interviewing Eugenia Sanchez about her bid for a seat on the City Council, there’s one word that came up over and over again: communication.
“If I’m elected, communication is my top priority,” she said. And in each of the solutions she presented for the city’s problems, communication – with her constituents, with other councilmembers, with city staff – plays a key role.
Sanchez, a 26-year Hollister resident, is going up against incumbent Mayor Robert Scattini for the District 2 Council seat. Scattini touts the experience and knowledge he’s accumulated during his four years in office, and Sanchez said she doesn’t have anything against him. But, Sanchez added, she offers the Council a chance for a new beginning.
“I felt that with my background and knowledge, I was ready for the City Council,” she said. “I feel like I can bring a fresh perspective to the challenges we face right now.”
Sanchez, 38, said there are three key perspectives she brings to the table: she is a teacher, a school board member and the mother of a 15-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son.
Sanchez has been teaching for four years and it’s a desire, she said, that came at an early age. She recalled that after she left Mexico as a child, her father insisted she speak Spanish at home, so she could only learn and speak English at school.
“I wanted to be that avenue for students, to be there to listen, comfort and help them excel academically,” Sanchez said.
She obtained an associate of arts degree at Gavilan College and attended San Jose State University for a year before her educational plans were sidetracked by pregnancy, then by her daughter’s asthma. But education was important to her, she said, and Sanchez eventually went back to school, getting her bachelor’s degree and her teaching credential from California State University, Monterey.
It was during that time that Sanchez took her first step into Hollister politics, by running for and winning a seat on the Hollister School District Board of Trustees.
Sanchez, who is single, now teaches Las Animas Elementary School in Gilroy and is the school board’s president. She said one of the biggest issues she’s had to wrestle with as board member and president are the district’s finances.
The City Council is dealing with its own budget crunch – the city is facing a $2.7 million budget deficit that officials hope to alleviate with Measure R, a citywide ballot initiative that would raise the sales tax by 1 percent. Councilmembers are also taking the heat for raising sewer rates to pay for the proposed wastewater improvement project.
Sanchez said both decisions were necessary, short-term solutions, but she has more ideas to address the long-term issues.
Regarding the sewage rates, Sanchez said, “It’s something they had to go forward with. But now we need to come up with solutions to alleviate the costs for the community. Not everyone has the same income.”
And when it comes to the budget deficit, she said the city needs to take steps to ensure its long-term fiscal responsibility.
Sanchez has worked to address the community’s gang problem, she said, through her involvement with the Hollister Gang Task Force Advisory Board, which recently held a community education forum and is launching a pilot mentoring program at R. O. Hardin Elementary School. She also told the Free Lance that she’s been endorsed by the Hollister Police Officers Association.
One of the city’s biggest events is the annual motorcycle rally. Sanchez’s opponent Scattini has been a major proponent of the event, putting together a committee to organize the 2007 rally. Sanchez said she’ll support the rally as long as it’s safe, well-planned, profitable and there are enough volunteers.
“Those four factors are all very, very important,” she said.
And with two weeks before the election, Sanchez is enjoying her campaign.
“I’m really excited about running,” she said. “We can definitely make a positive move toward a wonderful community.”
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
