By LOWELL HURST, Watsonville Mayor
Happy Father’s Day: On behalf of the City of Watsonville, I want wish all the dads out there a fantastic Father’s Day!
Movie Night – Disney’s “Big Hero 6:” The Watsonville Police Department’s Neighborhood Services Division is excited to kick-off the long awaited summer movie night season by featuring “Big Hero 6” on Friday, June 29 at the City Plaza. The movie will start about 15 minutes after sunset. Bring your family, blanket, lawn chairs and enjoy the movie on our giant inflatable screen.
Fire in the Sky & Spirit of Watsonville Fourth of July Parade: Join us for our traditional Spirit of Watsonville Fourth of July Parade starting at 12 p.m. on Main Street and then end the night at our second annual Fire In the Sky Open House at the Airport. Doors open at 5 p.m. There will be great music, food, and an amazing fireworks display to close the night’s festivities.
Music in the Plaza: Summer is here and we have an amazing lineup of bands for you to enjoy during our Music in the Plaza summer concert series. The concerts will run every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. June 21-Sept. 20 in the Plaza.
• June 21: Tributo a Selena Impacto 5 and Selena Singers Brianna, Sahira and Yemi
• Aug. 23: Back to the 70’s/Disco — Heart and Soul Band
• July 12: Latin Rock — Chicano All Stars and Guest Band
• Sept. 6: Motown, R&B, Oldies — Backyard Blues Band (ft. Mario Valens)
• July 26: Latin Tropical/Salsa — Aktual Cumbia Tropical
• Sept. 20: Banda — La Renovada Banda Guerreros (from Mexico)
• Aug. 9: Jazz Night/Rhythms and Blues — 7th Street Big Band
Your electricity service is about to get a lot greener! Starting July 1, Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) will be your official electricity provider, bringing you 100 percent carbon-free electricity. PG&E will continue to deliver the electricity from the grid to your home or business, maintain the power lines, read your meter, and send you a single, consolidated bill. The only change is an opportunity to choose between different energy options. If your home or business is in Monterey, San Benito or Santa Cruz County, you are automatically enrolled. You can choose to opt out and return to PG&E “bundled service” during the enrollment period by calling (888) 909-6227 or at mbcommunitypower.org. There is no fee to opt out before enrollment or within 60 days after MBCP service starts.
Parks and Community Services Recreation Activity Guide: Our Summer/Fall Recreation Activity Guide is out now! The guide is jam-packed with fun programs and activities for the whole family. Visit our website at watsonvillerec.com to view the guide for more information on all of our upcoming activities.
The Quality of Water: The City of Watsonville is proud to provide safe drinking water to our customers at the lowest rates in the region. You are paying less than a penny per gallon of clean potable water. Our water is regulated by the state and federal government to ensure that your potable water meets all the standards for drinking water safety. You can request a water quality report by calling 768-3133 or by email at
cu*************@ci***************.org
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Terrific Tuesdays Summer Program: The Nature Center’s Terrific Tuesday Summer Program begins on July 10! The Nature Center is located at 30 Harkins Slough Road (behind Ramsay Park). The program is free and no registration is required. Every Tuesday from 1-3 p.m. beginning July 10-Aug. 7:
• July 10: Wetland Trail Adventures
• July 17: Geocache Treasure
• July 24: Science Workshop
• July 31: All You Can do in Nature
• Aug. 7: Recycled Art
Are you Flushing Your Money Away? Check your toilet, if it’s pre-1992 or uses more than 1.6 gallons per flush then you can apply for a free toilet replacement. Visit our website at www.cityofwatsonville.org for more information.
Summer Reading Program — Reading Takes You Everywhere: Our annual Summer Reading Program will run from: June 9-July 31. Come into the library or sign up online at any time to participate in this year’s Summer Reading Program. Visit our website for all the amazing activities lined-up for the summer at www.cityofwatsonville.org/1448/Summer-Reading-Program.
Watsonville Public Library Receives California Humanities Grant: Our library was one of 12 in California chosen to receive support from California Humanities as part of their Library Innovation Lab program. The program is designed to explore new ways of engaging immigrant communities through public humanities programming. Please visit the library’s website to take a short survey and provide feedback that will help them develop services and programming ideas to engage local immigrants.
It can happen in a second — One distraction can be fatal: The Watsonville Police & Public Works Departments are implementing traffic safety measures to keep our community safe. You can help! Do your part, pay attention and be safe: please don’t text and drive; obey traffic signals and use crosswalks. We have several traffic safety measures in place such as: special enforcements on speeding and distracted driving; a public education campaign, and we’re also working on updating our crosswalks. Visit our website to learn more about our traffic safety measures such as: Vision Zero, Complete Streets Plan and the Neighborhood Traffic Plans.
I love to hear from our community, so please feel free to email me directly at
lo**********@ci***************.org
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Lowell Hurst is the mayor of Watsonville. His opinions are his own and not necessarily those of the Pajaronian.
