Local News

Work moves forward on the new Costa Vista Student Housing project at Cabrillo College in Aptos. The $181 million development will be the first student housing collaboration between a California community college and the University of California. The 257,000 square-foot project will span three...

Questions on the human and environmental effects from the Moss Landing Battery Plant fire on the Jan. 17, 2025 are still being explored.  The March 17 Monterey County Board of Supervisors’ meeting contained an update on the progress of the cleanup, what some of the...

Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County has purchased property next to its current Watsonville-area facility, a move officials say will allow the organization to expand operations and better respond to rising demand for food assistance. The acquisition, announced March 31, was made through what...

The Watsonville City Council voted in December to allow workers to clear a homeless encampment on Airport Boulevard and to bill the property owner approximately $300,000 in cleanup costs — $150,000 already spent and another $150,000 estimated for further work. But the encampment remains, home...

Santa Cruz County residents are being encouraged to apply for the next Civil Grand Jury, a volunteer watchdog panel that investigates local government operations and issues public reports aimed at improving transparency and accountability. The 2026–27 term begins July 1, with the Superior Court expected...

Editor's note: This story was updated on April 9 at 4pm with information about upcoming community meetings. The cities of Watsonville and Santa Cruz are opposing the proposed placement of a man deemed a sexually violent predator, and are urging residents to contact Santa Cruz...

About a dozen people march March 29 in downtown Santa Cruz to garner awareness and support for homeless people. Put on by Food Not Bombs and the Homeless Union, their message to the people along Pacific Avenue was to stop the sweeps of homeless...

Dozens of artworks from all grades within the Pajaro Valley Unified School District are now on display at the Watsonville Civic Plaza Building.  From portraits to abstracts and still lifes, the 2026 Annual Art Exhibition fans out through both floors of the Watsonville Public Library,...

Watsonville High School senior Acuzena Sandoval had her pick of colleges — from several UC campuses to the Ivy League. She chose Stanford. The decision capped years of academic work rooted in a clear goal: using science and engineering to address the environmental challenges she has...