In today's newscast:
Marina voters will choose a new mayor next week from a group of three candidates.
Mayor Bruce Delgado is leaving after 18 years. During his tenure, Marina’s population has climbed by nearly 20%—and approaches to addressing the city’s growth spurt differ.
Ana Luz Acevedo-Cabrera, a civil engineer, Hartnell College professor and only candidate originally from Monterey County, says, "The next big focus for us needs to be all hands on deck—workforce housing.”
She added that, “ People that are coming from Silicon Valley (and) other parts of the Bay Area. Relative to them, this is more affordable.”
But as the granddaughter of farmworkers, Acevedo-Cabrera says working class folks need smaller homes at friendlier prices. She’s also the only one who hasn’t previously run for office.
Affordable home ownership is something Liesbeth Visscher also supports, but it isn’t her top issue.
“We need to bring long overdue improvements to outdated Marina fire, police, and city facilities," says Visscher. "They are not ADA compliant, and they're just too small for our growing city.”
Visscher is an architect and currently serves on the Marina City Council. She moved to Marina from Silicon Valley nearly a decade ago. She helped pass three ballot proposals to increase city revenue and says the city has more money because of them.
“And you can see it in better road maintenance," says Visscher.
Mike Moeller moved from Santa Clara to Monterey Bay over 15 years ago. He settled in Marina in 2021 and ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2024.
"It's a great community," says Moeller. "It's blue collar, but it's still coastal."
He says volunteer work and engagement with city hall revealed a disconnect between the community and City Council, which he says has stalled new projects.
"We have still decades of economic development here in Marina," says Moeller.
He says hosting public town halls and breathing life back into disempowered city committees and commissions are key to figuring out what Marina grows into.
