In The News
Oscar Rios bows out of Watsonville council race
Thursday August 07, 2008
By Donna Jones
source: Sentinel Staff Writer
Oscar Rios, who has represented District 2 on the City Council for 15 of the past 19 years, will step down when his term ends in December.
Though Rios has insisted for the past several weeks that he would run for re-election, he said Wednesday he could no longer give the job enough attention given new responsibilities at his job with the Teamsters Union.
Instead Rios said he'll throw his support behind community activist and lawyer Luis Alejo.
"You don't know how hard this is," Rios said. "I was really torn. ... I love being a council member. I love representing the city, and I know I contribute. But I also believe in stepping out and letting a new generation come forward. The city and my district deserves someone who is going to be active there."
Rios, a four-time mayor, was first elected to the council in 1989, benefiting from court-ordered district elections aimed at giving then politically underrepresented Latinos a shot at electoral power.
He served on the council for 11 years before stepping down in 2000 in the face of term limits. He came back to defeat incumbent Richard de la Paz in 2004.
Joe Ortiz, a longtime resident of Elm Street in the heart of district and de la Paz's stepfather, also has said he plans to seek the council seat being vacated by Rios. Alejo is the only candidate to officially file for the race.
"Luis is top-notch qualified. He has a vision. He cares," Rios said.
Rios said he'll continue to be active in the city, focusing his attention on Fiesta Patrias, an organization that sponsors an annual celebration of Mexican independence in September.
Contact Donna Jones at 763-4505 or djones@santacruzsentinel.com.