Public Works Department

Hoi Yu

Associate Engineer

I came to Public Works straight out of college—over seven years ago now. One of the reasons I wanted to work in the public sector was because I didn't want to dress up and go to work every day in an uncomfortable suit and even more uncomfortable shoes (!) But seriously, working for the citizens of Santa Cruz is important to me. It means being part of a progressive community that, despite differing opinions at times, wants what’s best for the City.

My work primarily focuses on engineering and regulatory compliance for the City landfill, but lately, I've had the opportunity to work on some paving and bridge projects.

The best part of my job is my co-workers. And I have to mention the delicious cakes one of our administrators bakes and shares with everyone.

I listen to a lot of Taiwanese pop in my spare time. And I really like playing board games with my friends. I also watch a lot of TV—which is how I learned languages and a bunch of useless, random facts.

I am moved when I see strangers being kind to one another. Like anger, kindness is contagious, so when we start being kinder to each other, maybe we can edge out the anger and aggression we see every day.