Watsonville gears up for annual Strawberry Festival
The annual Watsonville Strawberry Festival will be held Aug. 5 and 6 downtown.
Assemblymember Rivas urges Gov. Newsom for more farmworker relief
By Jazmine Juarez, Special to the Pajaronian
WATSONVILLE—Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) is calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to take urgent steps to protect farmworkers and the food supply chain in the wake of COVID-19.
Following reports of 41 agricultural workers being diagnosed with COVID-19 in...
Suspect nabbed in school burglary
A man was arrested Feb. 21 for stealing thousands of dollars worth of electronic equipment from Bradley Elementary School.
Travis Clarke, 33, was charged with burglary, possession of a controlled substance and a probation violation. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu...
Countryside Art Festival includes Watsonville
A countywide celebration of visual and performing arts is set to run April 16–26. The Ripple Effect Santa Cruz County Arts Festival is the County’s effort to highlight the creative community during California’s Arts, Culture and Creativity Month.
Organizers said the event brings together local...
Paso Robles farm stand to stay open until Oct. 1
San Luis Obispo 1st District Supervisor John Peschong said May 9 that the local farm stand that has been the centerpiece of a large grassroots rescue effort has been given until Oct. 1, the end of the growing season, to find a new and lawful location.
Kindergarteners visit Watsonville’s Crystal Bay Farm
WATSONVILLE—Thick fog rolled in and blanketed Crystal Bay Farm Wednesday morning, but the fields of the farm were teeming with life.
A group of kindergarteners from Valencia Elementary School in Aptos, along with parents and teacher Karen Richmond, were visiting the organic farm just off...
Watsonville's Whiskey Hill Soils offers organic worm castings
With the growing demand for organic alternatives in every aspect of agriculture, it is no surprise that worm castings have grown so popular with growers in recent years.
Watsonville clearing homeless camps along Pajaro River Levee
Watsonville city officials on Monday began clearing a sprawling unsanctioned homeless encampment along the Pajaro River that runs from Sakata Lane to Loughead Avenue.
The work, which includes mowing tall grasses and removing some trees, is expected to last through Aug. 2, Watsonville City spokeswoman...
Native American art exhibit at Aptos Library
In celebration of National Native American Heritage Month, a new art exhibit has gone up on the walls of the Aptos Branch Library.Aptos artist Becky Olvera Schultz, who is part of the Kickapoo/Shawnee tribe, is sharing the exhibit with fellow artist Karen Whitaker. The...
Land Trust conserves 178-acre farmland
WATSONVILLE—The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County recently announced that it secured a conservation easement for the 178-acre Tynan Ranch, located one-half mile from the current urban growth line of the City of Watsonville off of Lakeview Road.
Tynan Ranch has been in production for...
Victor E. Rugh III
Feb. 28, 1942 - July 28, 2026Watsonville, CAVictor E. Rugh III, age 84, of Elgin, Illinois, passed on to his eternal home on July...





















