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Watsonville
February 15, 2026

Watsonville cracks down on food trucks as officials weigh changes to rules

Watsonville food trucks
WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville is cracking down on unpermitted food trucks and weighing whether to rework its rules regarding the mobile food vendors in the coming year. The City Manager’s office has received numerous complaints about food trucks from several brick-and-mortar restaurant owners over the...

Dentistry, clinics hope to bounce back after closure

dientes watsonville
SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on April 22 announced plans to allow hospitals to resume surgeries and other procedures that were delayed while the state grapples with the novel coronavirus pandemic. These procedures include heart valve replacements, angioplasty and tumor removals, and key preventive care services, such...

Welcome sign gets major update

WATSONVILLE—New metal signs were installed Wednesday on the “Welcome to Watsonville” signboard on Main Street.  The move, headed up by the Sons of Italy, the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and the Watsonville Woman’s Club, was designed to update the large wood signboard...

Food service industry faces unprecedented labor shortage

Two weeks ago, Amelia Loftus, owner of Hidden Fortress Coffee Roasting, was on the brink of closing her cafe in Watsonville just shy of its five-year anniversary. The shop, located at the end of a sleepy business complex on Hangar Way, had been struggling to...

K&D Landscaping honored with statewide award

WATSONVILLE—The California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) recently presented various awards to K&D Landscaping, Inc., a Central Coast landscape contractor, during its annual convention.   “The awards represent peak excellence within the landscaping industry and aim to shine a light on the talent and hard work...

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...

Five Star Catering offering holiday gift boxes

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville’s Five Star Catering is currently offering a curated gift box for the holidays. The Holiday Local’s Box supports eight Santa Cruz County businesses that have been negatively affected by the pandemic.  Products include handmade Pecan Snowballs from Edith Meyer Wedding Cakes, fair trade organic...

Giving music stores a chance

For almost a century, Jansen Music has been a staple in the music community, offering instruments, equipment, lessons and repair services.

Sweet Earth Foods plant to close, 104 to lose jobs

Sweet Earth Foods
MOSS LANDING—A Moss Landing company that has produced a variety of vegan foods since its inception in 2017 will close by May 6, laying off 104 employees. In a March 4 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice to employees, Sweet Earth Foods said it...

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...
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Photo story: Early morning crash causes power outage

Police and first responders responded to a crash on the 100 block of Airport Boulevard at 7:55am Sunday that toppled a power pole and...