Business

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A recent reduction to employees in the Kaiser Permanente corporation—about 200 positions—will not reach Santa Cruz County, a spokesman said Tuesday. One of the largest private employers in California, the company has more than 149,000 employees and 16,000 physicians in the state. In addition,...

WATSONVILLE—Two Watsonville area charter schools received funds through the federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP), the $660 billion initiative created to use taxpayer dollars to help keep small business and nonprofit organizations afloat. Watsonville Prep School, which received more than $1.7 million, and Ceiba College Preparatory...

WATSONVILLE—Cilantro’s Parrilla Y Cantina recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, and the Mexican restaurant is not slowing down even with shelter-in-place orders in effect. The business remains open seven days a week, albeit with a limited staff, and is still offering takeout orders of about 90...

WATSONVILLE—The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, together with the Martinelli and Silliman families, have protected the Silliman Ranch on Highway 129 from development.  Under the agreement signed the week before Thanksgiving, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County purchased the development rights to the...

Kelly-Moore Paints, a household word for the past 78 years in residential and commercial paint, has abruptly closed. With a Watsonville, Aptos and Santa Cruz location, and 61 stores sprinkled around the San Francisco Bay Area, the paint giant officially announced last week that it...

If you’ve ever strolled through Pioneer Cemetery in Watsonville, you might have come across the final resting place of Charley Darkey Parkhurst, a stagecoach driver, farmer and rancher who has become a local legend since their death in 1879. Born Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst, Charley was...

The Apple City Cider Tasting Room, located at 65 Hangar Way (next to Elkhorn Slough Brewing Co.), will officially open to the public with a special grand opening event.

WATSONVILLE—A new business featuring a meat counter, a taqueria, fresh produce, a dairy section and a wide range of groceries recently opened on East Lake Avenue near Holohan Road. The store, called Farmers Market, also boasts a panaderia—or bakery— that features freshly baked Mexican pastries...