Community Transportation Watsonville Needs Assessment

Community Transportation Watsonville Needs Assessment

Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program
Community Transportation Needs Assessment

Regeneración - Pajaro Valley Climate Action (sponsored by Social Good Fund) | Community Transportation Watsonville Needs Assessment

Regeneración - Pajaro Valley Climate Action Logo

Project Details

The Regeneración - Pajaro Valley Climate Action needs assessment’s grant term ran from December 2020 to September 2021. For the needs assessment effort, Regeneración and Ecology Action used a variety of outreach strategies to collect survey responses such as door-to-door outreach, mailers to residents, tabling at events, posters and flyers, and social media. All materials were produced in English and Spanish, and the majority of in-person outreach was conducted in Spanish. Regeneración and Ecology Action analyzed both locally and nationally generated transportation datasets and indicators to inform our survey and engagement strategy for the two target disadvantaged communities. Our team was successful in collecting over 200 community responses, and data will be shared with the City of Watsonville and other partners to inform future transportation programs.

To learn more about project implementation, watch this video.

Project Outcomes

Final Report

Funding Details

Voucher Total: $50,000

Community Engagement Activities

200+ Survey responses collected
3-4 Tabling events

Community Details

The project focused on 2 census tracts within the City of Watsonville, downtown Watsonville and Rodriguez Street. The community is mainly Latinx, with a largely young, immigrant, and farmworker population that is burdened by poverty, pollution, and lack of access to higher education. Both census tracts are majority Latinx with a high percentile of poverty, barriers to housing, education, and pollution from nearby agricultural fields. Historically, Watsonville’s economy has been fueled by cultivation of the Pájaro Valley’s rich and fertile soil that is the basis of a thriving agricultural industry. Farm laborers, however, have rarely benefited and instead face low-paying, backbreaking jobs and seasonal work. Seasonal low-paid migrant workers have limited opportunities for financial advancement and face many barriers, including language, scheduling availability, childcare and (ironically) transportation to participate in the transportation and community planning processes.

Partners