Community sensors provide Pajaro Valley with air quality info
Agricultural emissions, industry in Watsonville, heavy machinery and semi-trucks that transport produce from across the country: there are countless pollutants in the Pajaro Valley that can affect air quality. But for many years, residents of the Pajaro Valley have lacked access to timely, accurate...
Photo Story: Cars and Coffee
Rob and Jolynn Diepenbroek, with their dog, Loki, check out rows of early-day cars at the weekly Cars and Coffee event in East Lake Village Shopping Center. The free Saturday gathering, from 9-11am at 936 E. Lake Ave. in Watsonville, is a place for...
Capitola celebrates new Park at Rispin Mansion
In the early 1980s, when her eponymous bakery was in its infancy, Gayle Ortiz learned that a developer planned to turn the land surrounding the Rispin Mansion in Capitola into a senior living complex and several private homes.
That plan did not sit well with...
Countywide Ripple Effect Art Festival runs through April 26
A countywide celebration of visual and performing arts kicked off April 16 and will run through April 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...
Public defenders plan April 23 protest over caseloads, funding gaps
Public defenders in Santa Cruz County will join colleagues across California and the nation April 23 in a coordinated protest highlighting what they describe as chronic underfunding and unmanageable caseloads that threaten defendants’ constitutional right to counsel.
Chief Public Defender Heather Rogers is urging community...
Graniterock polluted the Pajaro River, lawsuit alleges
Two environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday accusing Graniterock of violating the Clean Water Act for more than 1,000 days at its A.R. Wilson Quarry in Aromas.
Environment California and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance allege the Watsonville-based company has for years discharged excessive...
PVUSD Sustainable Schools Advisory team launches
Facing years of declining enrollment likely to take a multimillion-dollar bite out of its budget—coupled with federal education cuts and an impending recession—Pajaro Valley Unified School District has taken the first step toward possibly closing some schools.
District officials this week announced the creation of...
Candidates vying for Supervisor District 4 seat square off
The three candidates vying to be the next District 4 Supervisor met at a public forum Wednesday night, each ready to discuss where they want to lead Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley.
Felipe Hernandez is the current supervisor for District 4. He is challenged by...
Fruition Brewing wins top honors
Fruition Brewing and Kitchen in Watsonville has been named Small Brewery of the Year at the 2026 Best of Craft Beer Awards, a national competition that drew nearly 1,400 entries from breweries around the world.
The Watsonville-based brewery in the East Lake Village Shopping Center...
First organic artichokes growing in Watsonville
Anyone rolling along Riverside Drive into Watsonville from Highway 1 lately must have noticed the new, healthy welcome mat—20 acres of organic artichokes popping their thistle heads up at the Sadie Ranch. The organic crop is a first for the Pajaro Valley.
The crop, known...
Queer Youth Leadership Awards approaching
The Queer Youth Leadership Awards (QYLA) has, in the decades since its inception, honored young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ+) whose...
