Watsonville Residents Sound Off on Safety Issues

Watsonville, CA - Summer’s nearly here and with each walk in the park, day at the pool and backyard BBQ comes the risk of snakebites, drowning and fires, but don’t worry! There’s no reason to stay cooped up inside all season.

Patch put together a list of summer safety tips to keep you safe and having fun while the weather’s warm. Make sure to give snakes their distance and always swim with a buddy to stay carefree during the dog days.

Keeping these tips in mind, there are other possible dangers that affect Watsonville residents year round.

We asked Patch Readers what they thought the biggest safety issues were in their town. Here’s a list of the most pressing problems, from break-ins to traffic jams:

• "Gangs and youth thinking they are proving themselves by shooting other youth or robbing local stores and people."

• "Watsonville is becoming Salinas...and that's a huge safety issue."

• "Gangs, armed robberies. Shootings."

• "...moms and dads not raising their children due to drugs, gangs and/or abuse!"

• "...nowhere for the kids to put their time and energy into something....I would love to see the city take those kids that don't have the chance to be in sports or cheer etc. due to finance and give them a chance at doing something instead of roaming the streets."

Is there a problem that wasn’t mentioned? Share it with us in the comments below or on our Watsonville Patch Facebook page.