Local News

WATSONVILLE—Less than four days before the County of Santa Cruz was set to inoculate 1,000 people in a mass Covid-19 vaccination clinic at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, county health officials canceled every appointment on the docket. They did so because about two-thirds of those...

SOUTH COUNTY—The first rainstorms of winter brought more than just moisture. With them came a chance to raise local water levels in alarmingly low aquifers and reservoirs. They also allowed water agencies across the county to put new sustainability projects—like injecting stormwater into underground...

A man suffered serious injuries early Wednesday when he was struck by an SUV in Soquel Village.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 27 released his revision of the California budget, and through it proposed to eliminate funding for Community Based Adult Services (CBAS) no sooner than July 1. CBAS programs aim to provide seniors alternatives to nursing facilities and other...

WATSONVILLE—After seeing declining enrollment in the lower grades of its Virtual Academy, Pajaro Valley Unified School District has canceled that portion of the online school. But the District will keep the school’s 7-12 grades, since that portion has more robust student numbers. The District Board of...

Santana lead singer Andy Vargas visited Watsonville High School to announce a Dec. 8 benefit concert in the Henry J. Mello Center, which will raise money for scholarships for WHS students.

Cabrillo College’s Board of Trustees on Monday appointed Francisco “Paco” Estrada to fill the Trustee Area V seat. The seat—which includes the City of Watsonville and the southern portion of Freedom—was left vacant last month when former trustee Manuel Bersamin died. Watsonville Mayor Maria Orozco swore...

WATSONVILLE—After years of waiting, advocating, fighting and fretting, people who live near the Pajaro River – and in the community around it – can breathe a sigh of relief. That’s after a feasibility report released Thursday by the Army Corps of Engineers, and a separate...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The shelter-in-place order imposed on March 31 by Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel allows activities such as walking, hiking, bicycling and running. Anyone participating in those activities must comply with social distancing requirements, and large gatherings are prohibited. Health officials say...

Hannah Rodriguez and Ryan Barton of the California Conservation Corps team up to set support stakes around a young cork oak tree April 20 behind Ramsay Park as part of the Watsonville Community Forest program. Watsonville Wetlands Watch and the City of Watsonville received...