Local News

For years, Rose Ann Woolpert heard stories from her mother-in-law about a remarkable woman in the family’s history. The woman was Mary Catherine “Molly” McIntyre Pacheco, a playwright and novelist who married Romualdo Pacheco, the only Latino to serve as governor of California. But while Romualdo...

Contract negotiations between the Pajaro Valley Unified School District and the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers have reached another impasse, with both sides now entering the formal fact-finding process after mediation failed to produce an agreement. Fact-finding is a dispute resolution process used after a...

Tony Nuñez will be the next Santa Cruz County Supervisor representing the 4th District after final election results certified Friday showed he secured an outright victory in the June primary. Final results released by Santa Cruz County Clerk Tricia Webber show Nuñez received 50.07% of...

Santa Cruz County supervisors on Tuesday postponed until June 30 a decision on proposed cuts to local arts funding after hearing from dozens of residents who urged them to preserve grants for arts organizations. Under the proposal, funding for the Santa Cruz Museum of Art...

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday declined to place a $192 million school facilities bond measure on the November ballot, instead signaling they would revisit the proposal in a future election, possibly in 2026 or 2028. The measure would not...

Watsonville may soon draw out designated “no encampment zones” which would bar unhoused individuals from setting up tents, parking RVs or using cooking supplies in certain areas.  Signs would be posted showing a map of the zones.  These areas would be subject to immediate cleanup, and...

Every year, nonprofits set up firework stands throughout the city of Watsonville, with the proceeds going to fund their activities. Sales rubn July 1-4. Their use is only permitted within the cities of Watsonville and Capitola. People using them outside of those places face...

More than 150 law officials—from police and deputies to state park rangers and the Highway Patrol—were joined by 80 firefighters and paramedics over a five-day span in an annual training for active shooter scenarios. Put on by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office at Soquel...

Less than one year after the Pajaro Valley Unified School District approved his $229,000 contract, Chief Business Officer Gerardo Castillo is leaving the district. In an email to teachers and staff Friday morning, PVUSD spokesman Alejandro Chavez said Castillo had resigned and accepted a “new...

Watsonville Community Hospital has appointed veteran healthcare executive Tim Moran as its interim chief executive officer as the community-owned hospital begins a search for a permanent leader. The Pajaro Valley Health Care District Board of Directors unanimously approved Moran's appointment during its June 24 meeting....