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Watsonville
November 6, 2025

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...

Staff of Life closes for cleaning after employee contracts Covid-19

Staff of Life Covid-19
SANTA CRUZ—Staff of Life, a popular natural foods market in Santa Cruz for more than 50 years, announced Monday that an employee tested positive for Covid-19. “We have made the decision to temporarily close after learning a member of our staff has been diagnosed with...

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore moving to downtown Watsonville

Habitat For Humanity watsonville
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Planning Commission at its Tuesday meeting unanimously approved an application from Habitat For Humanity to fill a vacant portion of a large building on the 500 block of Main Street.  Formerly home to a bounce house business, the 555 Main St. location adjacent...

Local paint company restores iconic Pajaro Valley buildings

watsonville house
They’ve painted over 1,000 houses in Watsonville. Now the Hernandez father and sons company are on a roll, tackling a massive paint job for one of the most prominent historical homes in Watsonville, the 1901 Porter-Pista home on the corner of East Beach and...

Consent agenda: City sells lot to Ow family

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday sold the Resetar Parking Lot in downtown to the Ow family for $542,850. The 40-space lot at 535 Main St., also known as Parking Lot No. 4, is used daily by multiple businesses in downtown, including county-wide nonprofit Community...

Plant nursery prepares for springtime rush

Spring is here, and with it comes warmer temperatures, more outdoor activities and a surge in home gardening.  But with unpredictable weather patterns increasing, as well as the ongoing drought in California, there is plenty more to think about now when choosing what to plant...

Paycheck Protection Program again under scrutiny after list of recipients released

paycheck protection program watsonville
The half-trillion-dollar loan program advertised as a lifesaver for the country’s struggling small businesses is again under fire after the Small Business Administration on Monday released a list containing hundreds of recipients of the program, revealing that several private equity-backed chains owned by members...

City readies for renewed negotiations with PV Arts for Porter Building

Porter Building
WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville is expected to resume negotiations with the Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) Council for the sale of the Porter Building after no affordable housing developers showed serious interest in the historic landmark. Watsonville and PVA earlier this year had begun early discussions...

Monterey Mushrooms awards $226K in scholarships

Monterey Mushrooms presented 167 children of its employees with $226,500 in scholarship awards for the 2017-18 academic year.

Local nursery buzzing amidst pandemic, winter months

With most people staying close to home during the pandemic, looking for things to do and ways to stay safe, local nurseries have seen an uptick in customers. Stay-at-home orders have prompted many to find new hobbies—and gardening has been a popular choice. Sierra Azul...
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Proposition 50 starts strong, with 64% of the statewide vote

This story has been updated with new results and with a statement from the Santa Cruz County Republican party chair. Statewide voting results Wednesday morning...