Business brief: Matthew Jones Agency hosts mixer
Farmers Insurance Matthew Jones Agency, 106 Airport Blvd. Suite 101 in Watsonville will host a Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture mixer on Aug. 9 from 5-7 p.m.
Capitola Mall redesign to house hundreds
CAPITOLA—Too many housing units. Not in line with Capitola’s “unique” feel and community. A fiscal “wash.”
These critiques and concerns—and several others—came to light at the Capitola City Council’s Nov. 14 meeting concerning the planned redevelopment of the hollowed Capitola Mall.
The council took no action...
Pajaro Valley Pride, Fruition Brewing team up for drag show fundraiser
WATSONVILLE—On Sunday Pajaro Valley Pride (PVP), a local nonprofit aiming to support and advocate for South County’s LGBTQ+ community, will hold its first in-person fundraiser since the start of the pandemic.
“Raise a Pint to the Qmmunity” will feature a drag show, with local and...
Hidden Fortress opens second Watsonville shop
WATSONVILLE—Hidden Fortress Coffee Roasting has opened a new branch in the Cabrillo College Watsonville Center at 318 Union St.
They started roasting coffee in 2012 and have one location in Watsonville and another in Seaside. Their first store opened three years ago at 125 Hangar...
Construction of new Watsonville dialysis clinic sells for $6.7M
WATSONVILLE—Meridian, a Walnut Creek-based real estate developer, operator, and owner of medical properties, announced Monday that it has closed escrow on the sale of its new construction, a 11,424-square-foot outpatient dialysis clinic in Watsonville.
The purchase price for the project was $6.7 million.
The outpatient clinic...
Nonprofit coalition working for pay equity
APTOS—Nonprofit workers in Santa Cruz County are two times more likely than the general public to require the very social services they help provide.
That’s according to a recent survey conducted by the Human Care Alliance (HCA), a coalition of nonprofit agencies from around the...
First business opens in Aptos Village
Sereno Group, a commercial and residential realtor, was the first business to open its doors in the Aptos Village Project.
Healthy grapes, less regulations spell good news for local wineries
After a year of ups and downs, things are looking good for wineries in the Pajaro Valley. That is according to two long-standing wineries, both nestled in the Pleasant Valley area between Watsonville and Aptos.
Alfaro Family Vineyard-Winery was first established in 1997 by Richard...
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,...
‘McLaren’ of racing bikes manufacturing in Pajaro
PAJARO—In a factory centered in a rural stretch of Pajaro, a small team of workers and engineers was busy one Tuesday afternoon hand-building a new line of cross-country racing bicycles they hope one day will be used by Olympic athletes.
The work was happening in...
Watsonville City Council to mull plastic bag, oversize vehicle parking ordinances
The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday is set to consider two ordinances aimed at reducing plastic waste at retail checkouts and tightening rules on...






















