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Watsonville
January 24, 2026

Watsonville High joins national Free America Walkout

Watsonville High School senior Nayeli Lopez is about a year away from being old enough to vote, but that hasn’t stopped her from getting involved in local activism. Lopez, 17, is president of the school’s Education, Community, Humanitarian, Outreach (ECHO) Leadership Academy. She and other...

Thousands march for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Thousands of people amassed in the streets of downtown Santa Cruz on Monday morning for the annual People’s March for the Dream, an event held to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The crowd included representatives from religious organizations and nonprofits, several elected leaders and...

ICE agents detain man in Watsonville

At least one person was detained in Watsonville on Sunday morning by armed men who appeared to be U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, according to community members who posted video on social media. The video appeared to show an unidentified man being handcuffed by...

RTC cuts ties with Progressive Rail

After months of stalled negotiations, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has moved to end its operating agreement with Progressive Rail Incorporated on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, a step the agency says will help advance the Coastal Rail Trail and preserve...

Locally-made film ‘They Know Not What They Do’ ready to be aired

Two years after a group of independent filmmakers hit the streets of Watsonville with a car rigged with cameras and an assemblage of audio and lighting equipment, the movie that came from it is ready to be aired. Oscar Ramos, who wrote and directed the...

County opposes offshore drilling proposal

Santa Cruz County on Tuesday formally opposed a federal proposal that could allow new offshore oil and gas leasing off the California coast. The Board of Supervisors submitted comments to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management objecting to...

Water main work heads down Union Street

A major water main replacement project in Watsonville is now moving along Union Street as part of the ongoing citywide Water Main Replacement Program. The project, which began on West Beach between Rodriuez and Main streets in October, continued eastward across Main Street, up East...

Supervisors approve draft BESS ordinance

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday moved forward with proposed rules aimed at regulating large-scale battery energy storage systems, which if approved in November would allow the controversial facilities in unincorporated areas while giving county officials some oversight when they are...

City Council approves draft parking ordinance

The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance that largely prohibits oversized vehicles from parking on city streets, while adding several exceptions at the request of council members. As originally written, the ordinance would have barred vehicles more than 7 feet tall, 7 1/2...

Cabrillo board approves new $306K president contract

The Cabrillo College Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved a contract for Jenn Capps to be its new President and Superintendent.  Capps’ 3 1/2-year contract—which includes an option to renew—includes a $306,000 salary, a $4,885 yearly doctoral stipend and a $667 monthly car allowance, along...
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Letters to the Editor, Jan. 23–29

Passenger rail price estimates too high One can never convince  me that restoring the Santa Cruz Branch rail line for passenger rail would cost an...

Alliances in turmoil

Boys To Men