Gov. Newsom beats recall bid in landslide
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—About 80% of the roughly 75,000 Santa Cruz County voters who cast their ballots in Tuesday’s Gubernatorial Recall Election voted to keep Gov. Gavin Newsom in office, joining a loud statewide rebuke of what the governor called a “Republican power grab.”
Though results...
Grace Harbor Women’s Center opens
WATSONVILLE—A seven-year-long project has come to fruition for Teen Challenge Monterey Bay (TCMB) and the Pajaro Rescue Mission with the opening of the Grace Harbor Women’s Center in Watsonville.
The new center and shelter at 55 Brennan St. provide 50 beds for women with issues...
Santa Cruz County Fair opens
WATSONVILLE—Carol Vides walked away from a food booth at the Santa Cruz County Fair on Wednesday, her arms loaded with corn dogs and other fried food for her family. The bacchanalia of battered and breaded, along with roasted and sweet, lined the main avenue...
PVUSD Trustees place officers back on high school campuses
WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District will return School Resource Officers (SROs) to Watsonville and Aptos high school campuses, and pair them with mental health workers.
The district’s Board of Trustees approved the plan after a late-night special meeting with hours of impassioned public testimony inside...
County Supervisors ban ‘discriminatory reports’ to law enforcement
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance that prohibits so-called “discriminatory reports” to law enforcement, and allows victims to seek financial compensation when it happens to them.
Discriminatory reporting was brought to public light in 2020, when...
Cabrillo unveils new mural at community celebration in Aptos
APTOS—Cabrillo College’s Aptos campus came alive Tuesday evening as the community celebrated the installation of a new mural designed by Watsonville artist Francisco Alonso.
The event drew scores of dignitaries and representatives from Cabrillo, local governments and arts organizations, as well as everyday residents from...
Covid-19 relief funding will help Ramsay Park get major overhaul
WATSONVILLE—If all goes according to plan, Watsonville’s Ramsay Park over the next five years will become the “community space that it really needs to be,” says city of Watsonville Administrative Services Director Cindy Czerwin.
The City plans to pump roughly $22 million in local, state...
County supervisors pass moratorium on new cannabis cultivation
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a temporary ordinance prohibiting new cannabis cultivation licenses within 500 feet of residential structures.
The moratorium stemmed from the supervisor’s Aug. 24 meeting, during which they discussed potential conflicts between residential parcels and...
Watsonville City Councilman Aurelio Gonzalez resigns
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville City Councilman Aurelio Gonzalez on Tuesday announced his resignation from his District 2 seat because of a family emergency.
In a letter emailed to reporters, Gonzalez said that because of “family circumstances” he would no longer “be able to perform my duties in representing...
