Holiday Lights returns to Fairgrounds Nov. 25
WATSONVILLE—Work is underway at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in preparation for the annual Holiday Lights drive-thru light show.
Born out of the 2020 Covid lockdowns as a way for the community to celebrate the season safely, the event invites families to drive though colorful...
CHP grant targets pedestrian and bike safety
APTOS—The California Highway Patrol in the Santa Cruz Area is implementing a 12-month enforcement and education campaign to reduce the number of fatal and injury traffic crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists in the unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County.
The Santa Cruz Pedestrian and Bicycle...
Cabrillo College trustees approve name change
APTOS—Cabrillo College’s governing board voted Monday to change the institution’s name after a two-hour discussion that included comments from dozens of community members.
The trustees voted 6-1 in favor of renaming the college, with trustee Rachel Spencer dissenting.
The decision followed the Nov. 10 release of...
Thousands of University of California teaching assistants strike
SANTA CRUZ—Hundreds of Academic Researchers, Postdoctoral Scholars, Graduate Student Researchers and Academic Student Employees went on strike Monday at UC Santa Cruz, joining thousands of their colleagues in the University of California system’s 10 institutions to demand a substantial pay increase, as well as...
Red-footed booby makes rare appearance in Santa Cruz
Note: Reporter Erin Malsbury contributed to this report.
After hearing about the arrival of an extremely rare tropical bird in Santa Cruz last week, I immediately texted an out-of-state birder friend.
“I’m so jealous I want to vomit,” they replied.
When avid birdwatchers see a species for...
Food bank eyes 5 million meals for those in need
APTOS—Second Harvest Food Bank well surpassed its goal of 4.5 million meals during its 2021 holiday drive. But when it came time to organize the 2022 effort, organizers floated the idea of lowering the goal, given the rising costs of groceries due to inflation,...
PVUSD: Updated results show Flores still ahead of Schacher
WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Jennifer Schacher, who has held the Trustee Area 5 seat since she was elected in 2018, has closed the gap between herself and opponent Olivia Flores since early returns began to come in Tuesday night.
Flores is ahead by...
Hernandez extends lead on Dutra in race for 4th District
WATSONVILLE—Felipe Hernandez has increased his lead on Jimmy Dutra in the race for the 4th District seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, according to updated results released by the County Elections Department on Friday evening.
Hernandez, the former mayor of Watsonville, now...
Duty, Honor, Country: Watsonville celebrates its veterans
WATSONVILLE—With police vehicles leading the way—their emergency lights flashing bright in the late-morning sun—a squad of Boy Scouts, U.S. Naval Sea Cadets and military veterans marched down East Lake Avenue Friday to kick off Watsonville’s annual Veterans Day ceremony.
The parade ended at the Henry...
Watsonville native leads San Jose mayoral race
Watsonville-raised Matt Mahan is favored to become the next mayor of America’s 10th largest city.
The San Jose city councilman’s lead over Santa Clara County supervisor Cindy Chavez grew slightly Wednesday, to 4,766 votes, as ballot counting at the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters...
Man arrested in levee death
Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies on Friday arrested a Pajaro man for the murder of Watsonville resident Jesús Alfonso Duarte Figueroa, whose body was found...
