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Watsonville
July 6, 2025

Downtown apartment complex seeks Planning Commission approval

the residence at 558 Main Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Planning Commission at its Monday meeting will look over plans for a proposed mixed-use apartment complex in downtown. A project from local developers Bill and Neva Hansen, The Residence at 558 Main is a proposed four-story, 50-unit apartment building that, if approved, will...

County still weeks away from opening restaurants for dine-in service

santa cruz county business covid-19
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Though some rural counties are allowing restaurants to open for dine-in service, Santa Cruz County officials are still several days away from giving their restaurateurs the green light. That’s according to county spokesman Jason Hoppin, who on Tuesday said testing and contact tracing...

Local Christmas tree farm celebrates 60 years

ROYAL OAKS—It was the early 1920s when Glenn Church’s great-grandfather, Clinton King, purchased a piece of land in a heavily-wooded area of North Monterey County. Nearly 70 years old at the time, King cleared out the plot—chock full of oak trees—by hand. “Whenever I’m out here...

Owners of La Perla in Watsonville living their ‘American dream’

La Perla del pacifico Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—It has been three decades since Gabino Torres and Anna Martinez opened a small Mexican seafood restaurant on Main Street, a business they launched as a way to pair their love of their native cuisine with a drive to support their family. La Perla del...

West Marine sold to equity fund

A New York-based equity fund will acquire West Marine, the company announced recently.

Miches and Ceviches grows from humble, online beginnings

Miches and Ceviches Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—A little more than a year ago, Perla Pineda said she had a thought in the back of her mind that would not let her get a good night’s rest. “I felt like something else was calling me,” she said. She remembers waking up in the...

Watsonville Prep gains approval to move into Gottschalks building

Watsonville prep Gottschalks building
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Prep School has found a home in downtown Watsonville. The Watsonville Planning Commission on Tuesday approved plans to remodel a portion of the long-vacant Gottschalks Building on Main Street into a 41,000-square-foot school. Navigator Schools, the parent organization of the charter school, and the Hansen...

Cannabis dispensary opens in Watsonville

catalyst cannabis
Watsonville has gotten its newest retail cannabis dispensary. Catalyst Cannabis, which has 17 other locations statewide, is the city’s third pot shop. The store opened on June 2, and plans a grand opening for the end of July. General Manager Jon Kolodinski has roots in Santa Cruz...

City touting equity program as boon for small cannabis business owners

cannabis
By Abigail Acosta, Special to the Pajaronian WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville is hoping recent additions to its Cannabis Equity Program will spark a time of opportunity for the city’s minority cannabis business owners. First approved by the City Council in 2019, the equity program was put...

Drive-throughs a deal-breaker in proposed business park

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously voted against granting a special use permit for a proposed business park at Main Street and Auto Center Drive. Boos Development Group, Inc. was seeking the permit so that it could construct two drive-throughs alongside roughly 20,000 square...
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Santa Cruz County celebrates with parades

Thousands of people attended Fourth of July parades in Watsonville and Aptos Friday, lining sidewalks aliog main streets to see hundreds of participants. Below...