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Watsonville
March 28, 2024

Mid-County fire agency consolidation plan advances

aptos/la selva fire central fire
MID-COUNTY—A plan to consolidate two Mid-County fire districts took a step forward Wednesday when nobody from the community registered a complaint. Efforts to consolidate Aptos-La Selva Fire Protection District and Central Fire Protection District began in 2019. Fire officials say the move will help departments...

Workplace outbreaks to be public information starting this month

ramsay park testing Covid-19
WATSONVILLE—Starting this month, most employers will be required by law to report workplace Covid-19 outbreaks to county health departments thanks to Assembly Bill 685. Reported outbreaks, defined as three or more cases at one address over a 14-day period, will then be public information published...

Local leaders denounce unprecedented attack on Capitol Building

Jimmy Panetta coup
Tweeting that the “shameful attack” would not prevent Congress from carrying out its duties, Jimmy Panetta and his peers were back on the floor of the House of Representatives late Wednesday, following an unprecedented onslaught on the Capitol Building from a mob of supporters...

City postpones levee clean-up after homeless advocates raise concerns

watsonville cleanup Pajaro river levee
WATSONVILLE—Scheduled clean-ups of the Pajaro River Levee have been postponed indefinitely after homeless advocates raised concerns about displacing people living there, according to Watsonville City Manager Matt Huffaker. Huffaker said a regularly scheduled clean-up of the levee was set for Tuesday and Wednesday. That was...

Iconic Santa Cruz florist expands into East Lake Village

Ferrari Florist Brian Marilyn Piazza
WATSONVILLE—On Dec. 1, the East Lake Shopping Center in Watsonville welcomed its newest addition. Ferrari Florist, located at 928 East Lake Ave., is now the third store for the 74-year-old business in Santa Cruz County.  Five years ago, Brian and Marilyn Piazza noticed that a...

Santa Cruz Gives campaign sees major growth in 2020

Santa Cruz gives youth NOW
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—For the past six years, the annual holiday fundraising campaign Santa Cruz Gives (SCG) has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local nonprofits, by creating a network of donors and shining a spotlight on the organizations. And in 2021, fundraising has...

Locals join efforts to recall Gavin Newsom

recall Gavin Newsom
CAPITOLA—Efforts to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom are picking up steam, with proponents having gathered 911,000 signatures since June 10. The all volunteer, grassroots group behind the drive—Recall Gavin 2020—has until March 17 to gather about 1.5 million signatures to qualify for a special election. Another group,...

Man arrested for burglarizing Watsonville High

Michael Mortimer
WATSONVILLE—A man was arrested on New Year’s Eve after he allegedly stole more than $2,000 worth of equipment from Watsonville High School.  Michael Mortimer, 27, was charged with felony burglary, possession of stolen property, a probation violation and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was already on...

Local emergency extended, Koenig sworn in to Board of Supervisors

Manu Koenig Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to extend the emergency declarations that came in the wake of the CZU August Lightning Complex fires. The County first proclaimed a local emergency related to the fires on Aug. 19...

Man seriously injured after crashing into patrol car

high-speed chase Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—A man was seriously injured late Saturday night after he crashed his vehicle on Beach Road and was hurled into an agriculture field. The bizarre chain of events started around 10:30pm when the man, who has not been named, was involved in a hit-and-run crash...
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PVUSD trustees approve new superintendent contract

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a three-year contract for its new superintendent. Heather Contreras’ contract shows her...