Supervisors reject proposal to give voters say over AI data centers
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday rejected a proposed ordinance that would have allowed voters to have a say when companies want to build AI data centers in the unincorporated parts of the county.
Board Chair Monica Martinez, along with supervisors Manu...
Photo story: Celebrating independence
Jaime Espinoza, lead singer of the popular Mexican band Los Fugitivos, welcomes 5-year-old Kimberlyn Hernandez to the stage Sunday during the annual Mexican Independence Day celebration in downtown Watsonville. Kimberlyn brought two of the band's CDs to get them autographed. The free, six-hour event—held...
PVUSD teachers ratify labor agreement
Members of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers have ratified a three-year labor agreement with Pajaro Valley Unified School District, moving the contract one step closer to final approval.
The agreement now heads to the PVUSD Board of Trustees for consideration. PVFT President Brandon Diniz...
25 years later: Reflection and respect on Sept. 11
A quarter-century ago, our world changed drastically.
The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were a coordinated operation in which terrorists seized control of four commercial airliners. Two were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, while a third struck the Pentagon in...
Mexican Independence Day celebration set for Sunday
The annual Mexican Independence Day Festival is set for Sunday in downtown Watsonville Sunday. Put on by Fiestas Patrias, the free event will feature live music, food booths, arts and crafts and information tables spread out around Watsonville Plaza and surrounding streets.
This year the...
Rainbow Conference brings LGBTQ+ youth, families together
Hundreds of LGBTQ+ students, their families, educators and allies from throughout the Central Coast will gather at Watsonville High School Sept. 26 for the Rainbow Conference, a day organizers say is designed to build community, share resources and celebrate young people.
For Katherine Figueroa, 15,...
Council approves $2.8 million Measure Q spending plan
The Watsonville City Council on Sept. 8 unanimously approved a five-year plan for spending roughly $2.8 million in Measure Q funds, but rejected a proposal to spend $40,000 on another study of water quality problems at Pinto Lake.
Instead, council members directed the money toward...
Measure N brings new equipment to Watsonville Community Hospital
On Tuesday, Watsonville Community Hospital announced the installation of new MRI and CT imaging systems, purchased with funding from the Measure N bond, both of which will be available for patient use later this month.
The new equipment replaces the aging equipment that was increasingly...
From the fields to Silicon Valley
Some of Martin Vargas-Vega’s earliest memories are of waking up in the strawberry and raspberry fields around Watsonville.
His immigrant parents picked berries, and when Vargas-Vega was young, the fields essentially served as daycare. His relatives worked nearby, as did the families of other children...
Capitola Art & Wine Festival returns this weekend
The Capitola Art & Wine Festival returns to Capitola Village this weekend, bringing two days of art, wine, food and entertainment to the seaside community.
Hosted by the Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce, the free annual festival will run from 10am-6pm Saturday and 10am-5pm Sunday.
Thousands of...
Battery fire no longer a threat, officials say
Monterey County officials said at noon Friday that the latest fire at the Vistra battery energy storage facility in Moss Landing was no longer...
