Local News

WATSONVILLE—It has been three decades since Gabino Torres and Anna Martinez opened a small Mexican seafood restaurant on Main Street, a business they launched as a way to pair their love of their native cuisine with a drive to support their family. La Perla del...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday virtual meeting approved utility rate increases that will raise a typical single-family household’s bill by about $40 per month by 2026. The increases were recommended through a rate study conducted by consultant Raftelis Financial Inc. that said they...

F.L.Y.E.R.S (Fun Loving Youth En Route to Success) is the City of Watsonville’s own after-school program, created from need and housed downtown through the Parks and Community Services Department.

WATSONVILLE—A woman suffered major injuries Monday when she was struck by a vehicle as she walked on Green Valley Road, California Highway Patrol Officer Jessica Madueño said. According to Madueño, the woman was walking in the eastbound lane of Green Valley Road just east of...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has released 93 people from its jail system since March 20, when county Health Officer Gail Newel imposed a series of restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Of the 93 that were released,...

A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge on Friday rejected a legal challenge to an earlier decision by the Regional Transportation Commission to enter an agreement with a rail operator to operate on the tracks that run from Watsonville to Davenport.

Monterey County Sheriff’s investigators are searching for a 38-year-old man accused of sexually abusing and impregnating his teenage daughter, who is herself wanted on suspicion of murdering the newborn baby she gave birth to earlier this month. Investigators say Sergio Galvez Perez is the biological...

Since November, local business leaders have grown concerned about the impacts that offshore oil drilling may have on the region’s economy, after the Trump administration released a plan proposing two sites off California’s central coast. In reaction, advocates of local industries that rely on a...

Early results giving Monterey County District 2 Supervisor incumbent Glenn Church a commanding 71% lead over challenger Ramon Gomez were enough for Gomez to concede the race late Tuesday. In a text message to The Pajaronian, Gomez thanked his family, supporters, volunteers, donors and community...

A jury on Tuesday found that Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra committed sexual battery and lewd and lascivious acts on a minor in his Los Angeles apartment 19 years ago. The jury also found that Dutra is liable for damages from the emotional and mental...