Watsonville Prep gains approval to move into 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...
City budget buoyed by sales tax revenue ‘bubble’
WATSONVILLE—Despite the economic shutdowns resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, the city of Watsonville’s overall sales tax revenues have held steady thanks to a myriad of reasons, including a sharp rise in online and local shopping.
That’s according to Administrative Services Director Cindy Czerwin who at...
Rancho Del Mar center continues to fill with shops
With final detail touches underway in the major overhaul of the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center, several businesses are now open and others are on deck.
Try This | Sept. 27, 2019
"Try This" is a weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like.
Johanna Miller
Food: Ambrosia India Bistro
Even though it’s been many years since Little India left the East Lake Village Shopping Center, I still miss having such a great,...
Watsonville City Council sets study session for food trucks
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council will hold a study session on food trucks near the end of its Tuesday evening virtual meeting.
The item was included in the meeting’s agenda released Thursday evening, but there was no staff report attached to it, causing confusion and worry...
Volunteers boost Camphill Communities
Workers from K&D Landscaping of Watsonville volunteer their efforts last week to fortify a stone patio with fresh grout at Camphill Communities, a life-sharing community for adults with developmental disabilities near Santa Cruz.
County closes on purchase of West Marine building
WATSONVILLE—The County of Santa Cruz announced Wednesday it has closed escrow on the purchase of the former West Marine building at 500 Westridge Drive in Watsonville.
In a press release, the County called the purchase “a major step forward in improving the delivery of services...
Small businesses holding steady through pandemic, local fires
WATSONVILLE—First came the coronavirus in March and then the fires and smoke in August. While the CZU August Lightning Complex fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains is 100% contained, the Covid-19 pandemic continues.
What have the dual disasters meant for Watsonville’s local businesses? So far,...
Farm store and cafe opens at historic Five Mile House
CORRALITOS—Late Monday morning the Five Mile House in Corralitos was bustling with activity for the first time in 12 years.
Blossom’s Farmstore & Coffee Shop now occupies the landmark Spanish-style building on the corner of Freedom Boulevard and Corralitos Road, which has housed various businesses...
Tight market, recent disasters put strain on local home buyers
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—For the past few years, local real estate agents have seen a drastic dip in inventory of homes in Santa Cruz County. And with the ongoing pandemic and recent wildfires that destroyed close to 1,000 homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the...






















