Local News

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Community Redistricting Advisory Committee at its penultimate meeting on Tuesday advanced two proposed redistricting plans to its final meeting later this month. Both would keep the current seven districts mostly intact, a key goal of the committee because of a possible undercount in...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville native Lou Arbanas was considered by many to be a living encyclopedia for his knowledge of the history of the Pajaro Valley. A longtime fixture at the Pajaro Valley Historical Association, Arbanas died Nov. 14 after a brief illness. He was 78. “He was...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) Board of Directors on Thursday approved a spending plan for $11.2 million in state and federal funding, which will be allocated over a wide range of transportation-related projects countywide. The funding includes $4.5 million from...

WATSONVILLE—Local author Jaime Cortez always had nicknames, and now one of them has become his first book. “Gordo,” a paperback collection of stories, is quickly gathering praise after its release by a national publisher in August. And while “Gordo” is Cortez’s first widely distributed work,...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Mónica Morales was 2 years old when her family immigrated from Mexico to Watsonville. She grew up attending local elementary schools, graduating from Watsonville High School while her mother worked in nearby agriculture fields and canneries. This background, she said, is sure to...

MONTEREY COUNTY—A federal magistrate has declined to issue a preliminary injunction that would have temporarily stopped Monterey County from evicting a group of people from an unsanctioned campsite along the Pajaro River Levee. In her ruling, Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen said that the plaintiffs...

The Tobera Project, a local initiative aiming to preserve, honor and celebrate the Filipino immigrant experience in the Pajaro Valley, is continuing to grow in scope. From the ongoing “Watsonville is in the Heart” exhibit and subsequent calendar chronicling the history of local Filipino-American heritage,...

WATSONVILLE—A pickup truck driver sheared a utility pole on South Green Valley Road at Main Street Wednesday, causing a major traffic jam and power outages. Watsonville Police Department Sgt. Donny Thul said the male driver of a white pickup, towing a large soil disking tool,...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council appointed Tamara Vides to serve as the interim city manager in a special meeting on Tuesday night. Vides, an employee of the city of Watsonville for 23 years, will step into the role on Dec. 15, the day after outgoing City...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was arrested Saturday after fatally striking a man on a bicycle with his vehicle and fleeing the scene, California Highway Patrol Officer Sam Courtney said. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Juan Diaz, 25. Steven Kay, 55, was charged...