Sen. Padilla handcuffed at DHS press conference
Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security press conference in Los Angeles Thursday.
Padilla, a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, released the following statement after he was taken out of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s press...
Mayor for the Day teams students with Watsonville’s top official
WATSONVILLE—While trying to recap the first half of their day with Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra, high school students Jennifer Fernandez and Maurice Moreno both thought back to their stop at Watsonville Fire Department headquarters and a conversation they had with Fire Capt. Almita Schaefer.
Her...
Two arrested for weapons, drug charges
RIO DEL MAR—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Monday arrested two men for drug and gun charges after one of them pointed a loaded gun at another driver in a road rage incident.
Damian Hernandez, 20, and Israel Ibarra, 18, both Morgan Hill residents, were...
One killed in big rig vs car collision
WATSONVILLE—A man died Tuesday evening after a big rig and small car collided on San Juan Road on the outskirts of Watsonville.
Monterey County Sheriff/Coroner’s Office Cmdr. Derrel Simpson identified the victim as Jose Avila Rios, 36, of Salinas.
California Highway Patrol officer Jessica Madueño said...
County observes Juneteenth | About Town
Friday was Juneteenth, a day celebrated with events around the country, including a peaceful march in Santa Cruz to commemorate the historic day. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
Senator Elizabeth Warren stacked up the right...
Pajaro neighborhood questions proposed farmworker housing
PAJARO—The Monterey County Planning Commission on Wednesday delayed adopting a mitigated negative declaration (MND) for a 60-unit housing project in Pajaro, to give County staff time to provide notice to the people who live near the proposed site.
Residents have expressed alarm about the project,...
St. Patrick’s Parish is on the mend
As part of major renovations and improvements at St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish in downtown Watsonville, the historic brick structure, at Main Street and Freedom Boulevard, was wrapped up in dramatic black and yellow material Tuesday to allow for termite control.
A crew from Best Care...
City Council approves revenue bonds to fund Ramsay, Plaza work
On Tuesday, 7-year-old Vincent Robles was playing in Callaghan Park in downtown Watsonville, clambering over the play structures and going up and down the slide.
But what he really wanted, his mother Jessica said, was to go back to Ramsay Park, with its big slide.
“He...
New landfill ‘a major milestone’ for city
Watsonville city on Tuesday reopened its landfill after a seven-year closure, unveiling two new areas that will give the city its own waste facility for about 75 years.
City officials hailed the opening of Cell 4—located at 730 San Andreas Road—as “a major milestone in...
How Are Watsonville’s Late-Night Businesses Adapting to Changing Entertainment Habits?
Published in cooperation between Cardplayer and Pajaronian
Evening routines in Watsonville look different than a decade ago. Where late nights once revolved around a narrow...





















