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¡Adelante Watsonville!

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Clean Mobility in Schools Project

Ecology Action of Santa Cruz | ¡Adelante Watsonville!

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July 2024 - June 2027 

Project Details 

¡Adelante Watsonville! expands safe, affordable and sustainable transportation options for students and families in Watsonville. The project advances Clean Mobility in Schools goals by connecting youth to clean mobility services, education, and workforce pathways. 

The program provides a new EV car-share program, Earn-a-Bike and group bike ride programs, and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure paired with bilingual/bicultural education and encouragement strategies. The project is delivered through a collaboration of social equity, health, and sustainability-focused project partners devoted to the health and well-being of the people and land in the Watsonville region. The project coordinates with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District and community-based organizations focused on Watsonville youth and student groups through internships, classroom education, and hands-on training that build mobility skills and expose youth to clean transportation careers.

By centering on students and their families, the project supports safer routes to school, reduces transportation costs, and increases access to opportunities across the Watsonville community. 

¡Adelante Watsonville! - Bike & EV Events, | Free, Family-Friendly, Bilingual 

Side view of Miocar EV with booths in the background  Bike repair at Modo booth as part of one of the events for Earth Week of Climate Action.

Earth Week of Climate action even with volunteer showing a diagram of EV at UC Davis Electric Vehicle Research Center booth.   ¡Adelante Watsonville! team at bike repair booth

Funding Details

Grant Amount: $7,218,058

By the Numbers

  • 8 EVs for car-share
  • 150 bicycles through Earn-a-Bike program
  • 1,130 feet of new Class II buffered bike lanes
  • 98 refreshed or new visibility crosswalks; 89 curb extensions; 76 new or upgraded curb ramps; 2 pedestrian refuge islands; 10 school advance crossing signs; 868 feet sidewalk gap completion project on Freedom Boulevard
  • Repair and maintenance of the 7-mile Slough Trail Network
  • 8 Focus group sessions on transportation barriers
  • Community bicycling events: 16 Cycling workshops; 10 On-Bike trainings; 12 Women and Mother focused Urban Cycling workshops and 8 On-Bike trainings; 18 Women, Mother, Family and Fun Rides; 15 free Mechanic bike checks; 15 e-bike demo events
  • 1 zero-emission van equipped to transport bicycles and equipment to events
  • EVs Para Todos/EVs for Everyone events including 3 Ride and Drive events, several static events, and one-on-one engagement
  • 16 student internships and training through the Climate Corps Leadership Institute 

Estimated Quantifiable Benefits

  • GHG emission reductions: 341 MTCO2e
  • NOx reductions: 129 lbs
  • PM2.5 reductions: 11 lbs
  • ROG reductions: 25 lbs

Community Details

Watsonville, population 52,590, is designated low-income, with two disadvantaged communities. Most residents live in multilingual households and identify as Hispanic (81.2% based on the 2019 U.S. Census), have limited formal education, and work in low-wage agriculture and service jobs. Median annual household income is $55,470 in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets, and 30% of the population is under 18 years old.   

Partners

Grantee

Subgrantees

Contact

Celeste Gutierrez | (831) 515-1393 | Ecology Action of Santa Cruz