Good evening everyone,
I want to begin with something real.
I remember when I was deciding to run for Pajaro Valley Unified Board Trustee . I had doubts. I questioned myself. I asked, “Should I do this? Am I ready? Will it even matter?”
And then I saw Hector Marin.
I saw a young Mexicano who did not wait for permission. I saw someone who stepped forward, again and again, on behalf of his community. Not for attention. Not for recognition. But because he knew people were not being heard.
And that stayed with me.
Because right now, across this country, our gente is rising.
Young people are stepping forward.
Working people are stepping forward.
Not because politics is easy, but because survival is getting harder.
We are tired of contributing to this country and still fighting for the basics.
Tired of seeing our families priced out of the communities we built.
Tired of watching decisions get made without us, about us.
And let’s be honest about the moment we are living in.
We have seen an administration attack education.
Attack the electoral process.
Attack immigrant families, working families, Latino families.
We have seen fear used as a tool.
We have seen division used as a strategy.
So what do we do?
We organize.
We stand up.
We run for office.
Because if we do not speak for ourselves, someone else will speak over us.
And that is why Hector’s race matters.
Because in a city like Santa Cruz, where so many of our people have already been pushed out, where so many families are hanging on by a thread, representation is not a luxury.
It is a necessity.
Hector is a bilingual paraeducator at Harbor High School.
He works with students every single day.
He sees the pressure families are under.
He sees the gap between what people need and what they are getting.
And he is doing something about it.
He is fighting for real affordability.
Not housing that looks good on paper, but housing working people can afford to live in.
He is pushing to keep our housing dollars local, investing in solutions that serve Santa Cruz families.
He is calling for an Office of Housing Stability, because no family should be left alone when they are at risk of losing everything.
He understands that growth must respect the people who are already here.
That means water. That means traffic. That means safety.
That means building a city that works for the people who live in it.
He is fighting to protect what we love.
Our culture.
Our small businesses.
Our community spaces.
He helped bring together over 11,000 people to protect the Catalyst.
That is not theory. That is action.
He has stood with workers as a union organizer, fighting for dignity, fair wages, and respect.
So when he says he will fight for working families, understand this clearly,
He already has.
Now let me ask you,
What kind of city do we want to be?
One where families are pushed out, or one where they are rooted and supported?
One where young people are ignored, or one where they are leading?
One where decisions are made behind closed doors, or one where the community has a voice?
Because this moment is not about one person.
It is about all of us.
It is about whether the Beach Flats are heard.
It is about whether working families are seen.
It is about whether our community finally has a seat at the table.
So I will ask you the question that every movement must answer,
If not now, then when?
If not him, then who?
Because change does not come from waiting.
It comes from courage.
From people who are willing to stand up and say enough.
Hector Marin is that courage.
He is that voice.
He is that change.
And I am proud to stand with him.