ALTHOUGH TRADER JOE’S WAS SCHEDULED TO OPEN its new Marina store at 9am on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, a line had already formed around the building by 8:50am.

As expected, the parking lot was completely full. Drivers circled the area hoping for a spot to open up, while others parked along two blocks of Second Avenue and inside the nearby Dunes shopping center, making the trek by foot, Trader Joe’s bags in hand.

While people waited outside for their turn to enter, a call-and-response chant broke out: “Trader! Joe’s!”

Mayor Bruce Delgado was greeting customers in line, asking them what they were going to buy as he was decked out in a Hawaiian shirt, lei and top hat, calling it his Trader Joe’s outfit.

“I’ve never seen so much excitement from people for the opening of a grocery store,” he said. “This is historic.” (Thanks to MC Weekly for this great story)

OUR COMMUNITY PRIORITIES
The preceding story gives you a snapshot of what it’s like to live in Marina. Bruce has played an enormously transformative role in building a warm and authentic community where people from over 50 nationalities can thrive. I’ve learned so much from him and my fellow councilmembers over the last four years.

We have accomplished a tremendous amount, but there is so much more that needs to be done. Here’s a good example. Many of our residents are not aware that City Hall and the Council Chambers are double-wide trailer structures that have been in use for over 50 years. The structures have deteriorated, are not ADA-compliant, and are too small for the current workforce.

The Public Safety Building, which houses the Police Department and Fire Station #1, was built more than 30 years ago. It’s also too small for current staffing needs and operational requirements. To create rapid service response times for the entire city, a new fire and police station needs to be constructed. Locating our new facilities in Cypress Knolls, near the center of the city, will create an ideal place for an Emergency Operations Center.

I wholeheartedly agree with the recommendations of the Citizens Advisory Committee; the proposed Utility Users Tax Measure on the November 2026 ballot can make these operational visions a reality and bring badly needed services to the community.

My master’s in architecture and building technology will help explain the pros and cons of potential locations for the new city hall and review designs for all new city facilities.

My background in accounting will be valuable for budget review. That knowledge will also be critical if a tax measure doesn’t pass and we need other funding to construct new city facilities.

FROM ZOETERMEER TO MARINA
I grew up in Zoetermeer, a small town in the Netherlands with a population of fewer than 10,000 that grew to a city of over 120,000. Over the years, I witnessed the kind of city transformation and challenges that we would one day experience in Marina.

In 2017, my husband, Juul, and I, and our two college-age children, moved to Marina. We invested in rental homes to provide housing for our daughter and other CSUMB students.

As a new resident, I was shocked to hear about the groundwater drilling operation that Cal Am was forcing on Marina. I joined Citizens for Just Water (chair from 2020 until 2022) to help stop Cal Am’s proposed desal project. In 2022, I was elected to the Marina City Council, where I have continued the fight to protect our precious water supply and support an ambitious list of new community projects. In 2024, I became Mayor Pro Tem.

MORE TO SHARE
As I walk from door to door in our community in the days that follow, I look forward to hearing about your challenges and what your dreams are for the future of our community.