Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—As the news broke on June 24 that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, local health care activists and politicians reflected the general sentiment that reverberated across Santa Cruz County: anger, sadness and shock. But in the midst of the...

SANTA CRUZ—The man who shot a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s sergeant to death—days after killing a federal building security guard in Oakland during a crime spree two years ago—pleaded guilty Monday to the local charges. Steven Carrillo, 33, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant, will...

SANTA CRUZ—An 11-year-old girl died on June 24 after she reportedly fell down a cliff while on a walk with a group of people. Mike DeMars, Fire Marshal and public information officer with Central Fire, said Central Fire responded at 2:20pm to a report of...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Beginning July 1, anyone purchasing a beverage in the unincorporated parts of Santa Cruz County—and who didn’t bring their own reusable cup—will notice a 25-cent fee tacked onto the price. That is due to the county’s new disposable cup fee, which was created...

APTOS—Sitting in the cab of a 25-ton Caterpillar excavator, Stephanie Siqueiros works the levers of the dinosaur-like beast to swivel the mechanical arm to reach across the pavement and attach a large scoop bucket. Nimbly, she attaches the bucket, its steel teeth facing skyward,...

After a two-year hiatus, the Spirit of Watsonville Fourth of July Parade will finally be returning to the Pajaro Valley. Parade goers can expect all the usual favorites, from the mayor riding in a vintage convertible, new and antique fire engines, nonprofit and community groups,...

WATSONVILLE—Near the tail end of a largely uneventful first read-through of the proposed budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year on June 14, Watsonville City Council members gave themselves a nominal pay increase that sparked a discussion about how their compensation limits who runs for...

WATSONVILLE—A deal between the City of Watsonville and Pajaro Valley Arts for the sale of the historic Porter Building cleared one of the few remaining hurdles on Monday afternoon. The city approved a minor land division that will allow the century-old building at 280 Main...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday kicked off its annual budget hearings, a four-day marathon in which the board approves the county’s budget priorities for the coming fiscal year. During the hearings, each of the county’s departments present their individual...

WATSONVILLE—Mas Hashimoto, a devout defender of civil rights whose name became synonymous with his hometown after decades of service in education, community volunteerism and historic preservation, and whose unrelenting willingness to speak, write and teach about the plight of Japanese Americans during World War...