Local News

WATSONVILLE—Five candidates have pulled papers to possibly run for Watsonville City Council in the upcoming Nov. 8 election, a key decision day that will see major turnover in South County leadership. Current Watsonville Mayor Ari Parker is running for reelection in District 7, which encompasses...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Rotary welcomed a special guest to its regular meeting Wednesday: John Laird, state senator for California’s District 17. Laird, who was sworn in December 2020, was previously elected for the 27th District in 2002-06. He has served as California Secretary for Natural Resources, as...

WATSONVILLE—Dozens of City of Watsonville employees, Watsonville residents, community organizers, elected leaders and nonprofit chiefs cycled through the Community Room at the Civic Plaza to welcome new city manager Rene Mendez on Wednesday evening. Mendez, who took over as the city’s chief executive on July...

WATSONVILLE—A new arts and culture hub will soon open in downtown Watsonville, acting as a home base for a number of longstanding organizations, education programs and more. Watsonville Center for the Arts, 375 Main St., is the culmination of decades of work by local groups...

WATSONVILLE—Guy George has been selected as the 2022 Farmer of the Year by the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau. The annual award is presented to farmer(s) who have contributed “beyond their normal farming duties to help the community,” according to SCFB.  George has been farming in...

WATSONVILLE—A man was arrested Tuesday for an array of charges after, officers say, he drove recklessly through multiple counties and rammed into a California Highway Patrol vehicle during a pursuit. CHP officer Alyssa Gutierrez said Hugo Alberto Cedillos Garcia, 28, is now in custody on...

WATSONVILLE—When thousands of attendees file into the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in September for the annual county fair, they can expect the east end of the grounds to look much different than years prior. If all goes according to plan—and government agencies work at hyper-speed...

WATSONVILLE—This Saturday, Watsonville’s Arte del Corazon and Turtle Heart Events & Productions will bring a lineup of local and nationally-known Chicano and Latin musicians to perform at Romo Park in downtown Watsonville. The lineup includes Momotombo SF, featuring former members of Malo and Santana;...

WATSONVILLE—The spark for Kristopher Neil Bayog’s award-winning invention occurred when his grandmother—who suffered from dementia—got briefly separated from the family at a crowded graduation ceremony. The Bradley Elementary School third-grader’s idea was cemented when he saw his father locate his car using the remote key...