Local News

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday narrowly rejected a contract for an assistant superintendent position to oversee the district’s 16 elementary schools.  The move sparked tension among board members who earlier in the evening approved a timeline and salary range...

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took a close look at an upcoming update to the housing element of the county’s general plan, a move required of jurisdictions every eight years. Central to the update is the state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation...

This is the second installment highlighting the candidates running for the Second District seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. Tony Crane is an Aptos mortgage broker who is battling against what he sees as county corruption for decisions on a residential mental...

Watsonville Film Festival is partnering with Cabrillo College’s “Hispanic Serving Institution Week” to celebrate Mexican Independence Day at the Watsonville Plaza on Friday from 5-7:30pm.  This free family event will feature live music by Mariachi Juvenil Corazón Jaliscience from Hollister and Laura Rebolloso, a singer,...

Polka band to perform at Oktoberfest Oktoberfest returns to Messiah Lutheran Church, 801 High St. in Santa Cruz, on Sept. 30 from noon to 4pm. The event will feature German food, beer and wine, along with various activities for children and families. The Thirsty Nine polka band...

The Cabrillo College Board of Trustees voted Monday to defer renaming the college until 2028.  The 6-1 decision, with Trustee Steve Trujillo dissenting, ends a three-year process to replace the name Cabrillo with one unassociated with colonization. The Name Exploration Subcommittee that wrote the recommendation—whose members...

Thanks to the efforts of a group of local students and artist Jaime Sanchez, a new colorful mural has been added to an outdoor wall of the Family Center in Ramsay Park. The 65-by-15-foot work, titled "The Bigger Picture,” stems from the Teen Artes program...

Watsonville Police arrested a man they suspected of shooting a 41-year-old Watsonville man in Struve Slough early Tuesday morning. Randi Rodriguez, 27, was taken into custody just hours after the 5:30am incident near the 1500 block of Main Street in the slough area behind Panda...

A longtime Pajaro Valley Unified School District substitute teacher is no longer working with the district after an expletive-laden, racist rant following a fender-bender was posted to TikTok on Monday. PVUSD interim Superintendent Murry Schekman did not name the teacher, and did not confirm that...

Scores of emergency workers from around the Central Coast trudged up and down a lengthy staircase at Seacliff State Beach Monday during the annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. The event is designed to pay tribute to those who died or were hurt in the...