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Watsonville
November 7, 2025

Watsonville sales tax measure campaign kicks off

WATSONVILLE—Around 70 people gathered at Jalisco Restaurant on Wednesday to kick off the campaign for the proposed half-cent sales tax measure that will go before voters in the Nov. 8 midterm election. Measure R—placed on the ballot by Watsonville City Council in June—would raise the...

PHOTOS: World’s Shortest Parade returns in Aptos

aptos world's shortest parade fourth of july
The World’s Shortest Parade made its way through Aptos on Tuesday for the Fourth of July. Put on by the Aptos Chamber of Commerce, the parade started at State Park Drive and traveled a short section of Soquel Drive to Aptos Village County Park. The theme...

Housing projects taking shape in Pajaro, Watsonville

Just across the Pajaro River from Watsonville in Monterey County, hundreds of seasonal farmworkers are now living in a recently completed housing complex created for them at the end of Susan Street. Buses take them to their job sites, and return them to the gated...

Donation caps off Aptos library rebuild

aptos branch library
The Aptos branch of the Santa Cruz County Public Library system—which is nearing the end of a complete rebuild—is set to reopen by the end of the year.  On Tuesday, the popular library got a boost when the Board of Supervisors accepted a $394,000 check...

County seeking independent sheriff’s inspector

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County will send out a request for proposals (RFP) for an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that would have independent oversight of the Sheriff’s Office, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday. Assembly Bill 1185, a state law passed in 2020,...

Officials maintain ‘zero tolerance’ for illegal fireworks

watsonville fireworks
“Safe and sane” fireworks are now on sale in Watsonville, but the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) is reminding everyone to do their part to have a safe holiday and help prevent fires and injuries caused by fireworks.  So-called “safe and sane”...

Motorcyclist dies in Highway 129 crash

sirens
A Hollister man died Sunday evening in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 129. California Highway Patrol officer Israel Murillo said emergency crews were dispatched to a report of the crash just past 7:30pm on Highway 129 east of Murphy Road in Watsonville. A 54-year-old Hollister...

Gunfire breaks out after crash on Highway 1 in Aptos

sirens
A man and his juvenile passenger were injured in a two-vehicle crash that led to gunfire Friday night on Highway 1 in Aptos. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said that around 8:40pm, deputies and California Highway Patrol officers responded to a report of a...

Watsonville murder suspect pleads not guilty

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A Watsonville murder suspect who surrendered after an hours-long standoff last week pleaded not guilty to numerous charges on Aug. 11, and will remain jailed without bail. Hector Rocha, 44, reportedly shot a 42-year-old man on the 100 block of West Beach Street on Aug....

Briefs: Annieglass workshop; Filipino American History Month festival

annieglass plate workshop
Festival celebrates Filipino American History Month The Tobera Project will hold its second annual Filipino American History Month festival Saturday at the Watsonville City Plaza from noon to 5pm.  The free event will celebrate and honor Filipino history in the Pajaro Valley since the 1920s. The...
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St. Francis, Aptos ousted from CCS playoffs | Girls volleyball

St. Francis saw its historical season come to a close after an early exit in the Central Coast Section playoffs on Tuesday evening.  The No....