Business

SANTA CRUZ—A recent clash between a Santa Cruz restaurant owner and a mobile hot dog vendor has drawn countywide attention, forcing one restaurant to close its doors and prompting demonstrations that have drawn hundreds of supporters. According to Santa Cruz Police spokeswoman Joyce Blaschke, the...

WATSONVILLE—Cafe Ella, 734 E Lake Ave., will soon be rebranding itself with a new name and design. Owners Jennifer DeVault and Erika Conrad will rename the business “Strawberry Patch Cafe” this month. The twin sister team bought the popular cafe in 2019 from founder and...

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,...

SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced that the state will provide temporary tax relief for eligible businesses that have been impacted by Covid-19 restrictions. Under the plan, taxpayers filing less than $1 million in sales tax receive an automatic three-month income tax extension. It also...

WATSONVILLE—A long-neglected garden at Rolling Hills Middle School was brought back to life Thursday thanks to the volunteer efforts of the Watsonville company K&D Landscaping.  Armed with a host of tools and dozens of starter plants, the crew tore into the hard-packed soil as part...

After nine years, Wargin Wines will be moving its production and tasting room out of Watsonville—at least for the time being. The winery, which was established in December of 2012, was one of the first wineries to settle in the Pajaro Valley in recent years....

Hilltop Mini Mart, 1007 Salinas Road, has remained family-owned since 1956.

APTOS—Sometime in the summer, Mid-County will have a new ice cream shop, a walk-up establishment near the heart of Aptos Village. Bruster’s Real Ice Cream—headquartered in Pennsylvania with 200 locations throughout the U.S. and in South Korea—features 24 flavors that are hand-made on-site daily, says...

WATSONVILLE—Couch Distributing Company, Inc. announced to its employees Tuesday that after nearly a half-century of service it is selling its distribution business to Fresno-based Donaghy Sales, LLC. Established in 1973 Couch Distributing Company has been the leading beer and beverage distributor in Santa Cruz, Monterey...

Founded in 2008, Monsbey College specializes in affordable training in healthcare careers, such as Certified Nursing Assistant, Home Health Aide, Pharmacy Technician, Clinical Medical Assistant, EKG Technician, NCLEX Exam preparation and CPR and First Aid.