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Watsonville
October 14, 2026

From Our Archives: Holiday Prep

Members of Native Daughters prepare for a Christmas party in Watsonville on Oct. 26, 1959. (Sam Vestal/Pajaronian file)

Nonprofits, community groups celebrate farmworkers as lawmakers call for more support

watsonville farmworkers covid-19
WATSONVILLE—After working a long shift picking strawberries and greens, dozens of farmworkers and their families received the royal treatment thanks to a new program from El Pájaro Community Development Corporation. Called the Farmworker’s Family Dinner, the initiative treated 38 families—roughly 230 people—to meals from El...

County to explore steam as alternative to pesticides

Santa Cruz County will test steam as an alternative to chemical soil fumigation on about 25 acres of Pajaro Valley farmland under a $175,000 state-funded pilot project set to begin this fall. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation is funding the project, which will be...

USDA announces new feeding program

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced March 17 a collaboration with the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, McLane Global, PepsiCo and others to deliver nearly a million meals per week to students in a limited number of rural schools closed due...

Valentine Queens honored at Beta Sigma Phi Luncheon

Three Beta Sigma Phi sisters were honored as Valentine Queens at a luncheon which took place on Feb. 21 at IHOP in Capitola. Beta Sigma Phi is an International sorority founded by Walter Ross. There are three active chapters which belong to the Santa Cruz...

National Agriculture Day to be observed March 23

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Agriculture, like most industries across the U.S., has faced numerous challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic this past year. From worker safety to supply chain shortages, everyone from large corporations to small family farms have felt the effects.  Which is why this year’s National Agriculture Day...

Year of the Rat in S.F. | Travel

Editor’s note: This is the last entry of a two-part series on San Francisco. For the first, see the Feb. 7 edition of the Pajaronian. I left off in the first half of this series about San Francisco as I departed North Beach, said goodbye to...

From Our Archives: Extra Help

Girl Scouts lend a hand keeping book shelves tidy at the hospital on Dec. 20, 1956.

Taking in a slice of Half Moon Bay

While our travels have taken us to far away spots like Finland, Mexico City,  China and Quebec, the road trips my wife Sarah and I have taken over the last several years have also proven to be tremendously fulfilling and loaded with surprises.  In April...

Community Mosaic Projects Move Forward

Four young people standing behind a round mosaic artwork
Work continues on two art projects that are part of an upgrade for Ramsay Park, thanks to the efforts unfolding at the Muzzio Mosaic Art.
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Alvaro Melendrez

Melendrez pleads not guilty in Larkin Valley Road death

A Watsonville man pleaded not guilty in Santa Cruz Superior Court Wednesday to the slaying of 39-year-old Christopher Fagon. Alvaro Melendrez, 42, remains in County...