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Watsonville
February 11, 2025

Second Harvest food distributions to run through August

Second Harvest Food Bank
SANTA CRUZ—Second Harvest Food Bank hosted a drive-thru community food distribution Friday at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Supported by numerous volunteers and members of the California National Guard, the distribution unfolded under overcast skies as part of ongoing county-wide distributions that alternate between the...

Wetlands Watch marches forward through Covid-19 restrictions

watsonville wetlands watch
WATSONVILLE—Like other nonprofits in Santa Cruz County, Watsonville Wetlands Watch has had to adapt to a new normal amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. When shelter-in-place restrictions went into effect in mid-March, the organization immediately started working on putting all of its programs and field trips...

METRO buses maintain regular schedules

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz METRO bus system is maintaining regular schedules during the coronavirus crisis but discussions are now underway, based on the county’s shelter-in-place order Monday, that could lead to limiting some service.  In addition, the METRO Pacific Station Transit Center lobby and...

Officers balancing enforcement, education of COVID-19 orders

COVID-19 orders
Additional reporting by Todd Guild SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—With the onset of warmer, sunny days, droves of people have been showing up at area beaches and parks, especially on weekends, even as the shelter-in-place order has hit day 41.  And beginning April 25, Santa Cruz County also...

Some businesses allowed to reopen as County moves to less restrictive tier

santa cruz county covid-19
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County on Tuesday moved into a less restrictive tier of the state’s new Covid-19 reopening plan, allowing some businesses to reopen their indoor services with capacity limits and other modifications. Personal care services such as waxing, nails and massage therapy, restaurants, places...

All Santa Cruz County schools to close March 16-20

Santa Cruz County schools coronavirus
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Office of Education on Thursday evening announced that all schools in the county will be closed from March 16-20. The announcement was emailed to parents throughout the county one day after a case was confirmed in a person with...

Charter schools reap millions from public payroll program

paycheck protection program watsonville
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...

CHP calling on drivers to follow speed limits during Covid-19 crisis

CHP covid-19
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Though there is far less traffic nowadays with the stay-at-home order, the California Highway Patrol is reminding people it doesn’t mean there are now fewer laws.  “We are experiencing people traveling at higher speeds, but we are out there patrolling,” said CHP officer...

City trying to keep clean as pandemic adds masks, gloves to street litter

Watsonville cleanup crew
WATSONVILLE—Keeping area streets and sidewalks tidy has become more of a chore since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.  An uptick in disposable rubber gloves and all types of masks dumped on the streets has been commonplace since early March. And they’re building up. These items,...

County still weeks away from opening restaurants for dine-in service

santa cruz county business covid-19
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Though some rural counties are allowing restaurants to open for dine-in service, Santa Cruz County officials are still several days away from giving their restaurateurs the green light. That’s according to county spokesman Jason Hoppin, who on Tuesday said testing and contact tracing...
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Bonnie Plants pays $114K to settle unfair labor practice

An Alabama-based company with more than 70 greenhouse growing facilities across the U.S. has agreed to pay back lost wages and other payments to...