Local News

Editor's note: This story has been updated from a previous version. The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees rejected a move to censure Trustee Gabriel Medina during a clamorous public board meeting on May 7 that included public outcry and bickering among board...

APTOS—A Watsonville man was arrested Friday and charged with driving under the influence of drugs after allegedly striking an 88-year-old man, California Highway Patrol Officer Sam Courtney said. Joseph Granados, 29, was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail, jail records...

WATSONVILLE—It took roughly a decade for Watsonville to fully recover from the Great Recession, and officials fear the Covid-19 pandemic’s mass closures could send the city into a similar financial quagmire. As restaurants and shops have closed, and auto sales—Watsonville’s top sales tax generator—have slumped,...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council unanimously approved the use of roughly $2.5 million to offset increased budgetary demands in various departments and special funds, some of which city staff says are fueled by surging inflation on everyday goods. The largest budget allocation approved by the elected...

Watsonville firefighter Nate Tapiz douses hot spots in a car fire that erupted on the 100 block of Wagner Avenue Wednesday.

Preparations are underway for the 125th anniversary celebration of the Watsonville Woman’s Club. Woman’s Club President Gina Gallucci said the Aug. 29 free event will be the centerpiece of a mixer hosted by the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. The organization was founded in...

WATSONVILLE—Gov. Gavin Newsom on July 24 revealed a new temporary housing program that aims to help agricultural workers across the state better protect themselves and their families during the Covid-19 pandemic. Housing for the Harvest will offer temporary hotel housing to workers who need to...

SANTA CRUZ—A man hoping a new set of California laws would ease his lengthy prison sentence will have to wait a while longer while his case is appealed. Vincent Marquez, now 65, was in court on Aug. 26 for his resentencing hearing. He is one...

WATSONVILLE—Two people were seriously injured in a dramatic three-vehicle crash early Thursday on Freedom Boulevard. Watsonville Police Sgt. Donny Thul said the male driver of a white SUV was traveling north on Freedom Boulevard north of Stanford Street around 6:30 a.m. when he attempted a...

Watsonville police are looking for a man who fled a traffic stop in the 500 block of Auto Center Drive at about 2:30 p.m. today.