EDITOR"S NOTE: Luis Alejo is running against Joe Ortiz for the District 2 seat on the Watsonville City Council. Wednesday, learn about District 1 contenders Manuel Bersamin and Gabriel Gonzalez. Profiles on incumbent Edward Din, Emilio Martinez and Tony Gomez, all vying for the District 6 seat on the Watsonville City Council, appeared Sunday and can be found online at www.santacruzsentinel.com/elections.

WATSONVILLE -- Luis Alejo started a career in political organizing in his hometown as a 19-year-old, helping found the Watsonville Brown Berets as a counter to gang violence. So when he left for college, he promised himself he'd come back and make a difference.

During the past few years, Alejo, who earned a law degree at UC Davis and master's at Harvard, has taken on issues ranging from the high school dropout rate to, most recently, a proposal to install a high-tech incinerator at Santa Cruz County's Buena Vista Landfill. He's served on numerous city committees and is a member of the Planning Commission.

Now, he says, he's ready for the City Council.

Alejo, 34, is competing against retired carpenter Joe Ortiz, 64, for the District 2 seat.

"Watsonville needs a strong voice on some tough issues regionally," he said. "With my experience, my background, I can be an effective voice."

Alejo said bringing jobs to the city is first on his agenda. He hopes to cure Watsonville's chronic high unemployment rate by participating in an effort to make Santa Cruz County a hub for new green technologies. He'll also advocate for stronger schools and vocational training that will make the city's work force attractive to businesses in the new sector.

Alejo has taken a leadership role in local Democratic Party politics and in 2002 served as a legislative aide to a San Jose assemblyman in Sacramento. That's helped him forge a relationship he can tap to Watsonville's benefit, he said.

The foremost issue facing his district is neighborhood safety. He said residents complain of violence, robbery and vandalism, and he'd push for the development of active neighborhood watch groups.

On one of the most debated issues in the city, planning for development of Atkinson Lane in District 6, Alejo said he supports it as part of the city's long-range growth plan and the 2002 voter-approved growth initiative, Measure U. In the long run, Atkinson should be part of the solution to providing housing for teachers, firefighters and farmworkers. But he said now, with the housing slump, the timing might be off.