Local News

The 20th Annual César E. Chávez Community Awards, which honors community members and businesses that empower Watsonville youth, will be held virtually on March 28. This year’s special guest speaker will be Dolores Huerta, legendary leader and celebrated Latina activist. Huerta worked alongside César...

WATSONVILLE—In a brief ceremony in Community Bridges’ sunny outdoor atrium Friday, the organization held a groundbreaking ceremony for what will eventually be Elderday’s new, expanded adult day health care center. When complete, the center at 521 Main St. will provide services for Santa Cruz County’s...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) on Friday announced it has named Michael Tree its new CEO/General Manager. Tree has nearly three decades of experience in the public transit industry and city management, most recently as Executive Director of the Livermore Amador Valley...

WATSONVILLE—On April 7, businesses from across the region will come together for the first time in three years at the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture’s annual Business Expo and Job Fair. This year’s theme is “Spring Fling,” celebrating the return of not only...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved an agreement that increases every teacher’s yearly salary by $4,000, retroactive to July 1, 2021. Teachers were not the only ones that benefited from the agreement, which was passed tentatively on Feb. 16. Nurses,...

WATSONVILLE—Buried in the wall of an old shed in Santa Cruz for decades, an early-day sign from the historic Hotel Resetar in downtown Watsonville recently resurfaced during a demolition job. “I knew of the Hotel Resetar for a long time, so when I saw my...

WATSONVILLE—For decades the Pajaro Valley Historical Association (PVHA) has been collecting clothing, shoes, hats and other accessories to include in its extensive historical archive. Volunteers work to preserve, research and document every item that comes through the organization’s historic headquarters on East Beach Street, each...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police Department officers arrested a 15-year-old who they say was seen near Watsonville High School with a loaded handgun on Monday. A Watsonville High campus supervisor notified the school’s resource officer who then relayed the call to nearby officers, WPD spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said. The...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the use of $500,000 in emergency rental assistance funds to help county renters facing eviction pay back rent. The funds—which come from the Planning and the Housing for Health departments and the...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council promoted longtime Assistant City Clerk Irwin Ortiz to the municipality’s top clerical position at Tuesday night’s meeting. Ortiz has been with the City of Watsonville since 2010. He started as an intern for the city manager’s office before moving into the...