Local News

The Watsonville City Council on Feb. 10 reviewed a draft Vision Zero Corridor Study aimed at reducing traffic deaths and serious injuries, particularly among pedestrians and bicyclists. The proposal calls for several changes along Freedom Boulevard, including lane reductions, a traffic circle at Lincoln Street,...

When the end of the Santa Cruz Municipal wharf was smashed by surging waves during storms in December 2024, representatives from Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s office called the city’s Parks and Recreation director Tony Elliot to offer help within about an hour. Elliot said the speed...

Watsonville Certified Farmer’s Market manager Jesus Madrigal was recognized at a Feb. 10 City Council meeting with a framed proclamation handed to him by Mayor Kristal Salcedo.  In addition to his work at the market, Madrigal also oversees the operation at Pinto Lake City Park...

The Watsonville Veterans Memorial Building serves as a meeting place for people who have served in the U.S. military and as a hub for medical, housing and social services. But at 88 years old, the building is showing its age. The elevator is out of...

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla announced Tuesday that he and Sen. Adam Schiff secured $54 million in federal funding for the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project, aimed at strengthening flood protection for Watsonville and Pajaro. The funding will go toward reconstructing failing levees along the...

Tony Nuñez is a Watsonville High School graduate who became a reporter and then editor of The Pajaronian and Good Times, and moved on to work with the nonprofit Community Bridges.  He later became an inaugural member of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD),...

The City of Watsonville officially welcomed its new Fire and Police chiefs at the City Council meeting Tuesday. With the chambers swarmed with family, friends and city staff,  Brian Shab—with more than 27 years of public safety experience and fresh from his role as assistant...

The folks at the Santa Cruz County Fair have chosen a theme for the 2026 fair: “Apple Pies and Starry Skies!” “This winning theme for the 2026 Santa Cruz County Fair, set for September 16-20, evokes both nostalgia and hopefulness for the future, a classic...

Pajaro Valley Trustee Gabe Medina will be prohibited from entering the PV High campus for two weeks.  In a tense Wednesday meeting characterized by arguments amongst board members, callouts from the audience and multiple calls for recess, Medina’s fellow board members agreed to issue him...