Local News

WATSONVILLE—After spending more than a decade as a tattoo artist in Silicon Valley, Pepe Nunez has returned home.  Classic Calavera Tattoo is set to open soon in a location near the intersection of Freedom Boulevard and Green Valley Road that previously housed a bike shop.  Even...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The OptumServe Covid-19 testing site at Ramsay Park will be moving to the county facility at 500 Westridge Drive in Watsonville on Wednesday.   “I’d like to thank the City of Watsonville Parks and Rec for their partnership the last 21 months, allowing us...

SAN FRANCISCO—The man accused of shooting and killing a federal officer in Oakland two years ago—and wounding a second officer—is scheduled to plead guilty to the charges Friday in Northern District Court in San Francisco, court documents show. Steven Carrillo, a former U.S. Air Force...

SANTA CRUZ—About 100 people called for an increase in accessible and sustainable transit choices across Santa Cruz County during a miles-long march across the westside of Santa Cruz on Feb. 4 as part of a national movement named National Transit Equity Day. Toting signs such...

WATSONVILLE—Two people were arrested after a lengthy probe from Watsonville Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit helped seize more than three dozen Fentanyl pills that officers believe were being sold throughout the region. WPD spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said members from the agency’s SIU and neighboring law...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) on Thursday discussed the future of the county’s rail line, and possibly setting it aside for future use while first focusing on building a bicycle and pedestrian path. In a report to the commission, RTC...

SANTA CRUZ—The man accused of multiple sexual crimes against minors will remain in jail after a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge on Thursday ordered him held without bail. Carlos Gomez Velasco, 39, has been charged with several felonies, including assault with intent to rape,...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—In June, Santa Cruz County voters might be able to state their preference on what has become one of the region’s most contentious issues in the past decade: the future of the county’s 32-mile rail line. On the ballot, voters will be asked...

SOUTH COUNTY—The first rainstorms of winter brought more than just moisture. With them came a chance to raise local water levels in alarmingly low aquifers and reservoirs. They also allowed water agencies across the county to put new sustainability projects—like injecting stormwater into underground...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to integrate the Planning and Public Works departments, a move officials say will streamline services and improve customer service. Officials will immediately begin creating the new department, called Community Development...