Local News

SEACLIFF—The tidal surge that ravaged Seacliff State Beach on Jan. 5 destroyed much of the park’s protective sea wall, all but destroyed the campground and ravaged the pier so severely that the entire structure is “actively failing” and likely beyond repair. That was the message...

WATSONVILLE—After more than 30 meetings over the past eight months, the Watsonville Ad Hoc Committee on Policing and Social Equity on Aug. 4 released its final report to the public before its final meeting on Aug. 21. For Watsonville City Councilman Francisco “Paco” Estrada a...

The world’s largest social media company announced Tuesday that it has declared the Boogaloo movement a dangerous organization, and is banning it from its platform. In a post dated June 30, a Facebook spokesperson said that the company began to remove Boogaloo content last year...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The union that represents some 1,600 County of Santa Cruz employees has averted a strike after hammering out a tentative agreement during all-day negotiations Monday. The agreement between Service Employees International Union Local 521 and the County came just before demonstrations that were...

A little more than seven decades ago, as the nation recovered from World War II and Main Street America flourished, Taylor’s Office City opened its doors in Watsonville and henceforth became the city’s preferred destination for all manner of office supplies. On June 30, the...

WATSONVILLE—For the past 33 years, the Toys for Tots program has delivered tons of toys to children in the Pajaro Valley and around the nation, for Christmas. This year is no exception, despite a host of limitations from the ongoing pandemic. On Nov. 12, the...

Members of the community continued to push back against the introduction of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to Santa Cruz County at a community workshop on July 30.  The workshop—which more than 30 people attended–was held by the Santa Cruz County Commission on the Environment...

Framing construction is underway on The Hideout restaurant that sustained massive damage in a fire in May 2019. Workers from Costa Bella Builders are continuing work on the exterior walls of the eatery, which is nestled beneath a canopy of redwoods at 9051 Soquel...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville City Councilman Lowell Hurst is being criticized for taunting a community member during a Sept. 8 virtual meeting. Hurst in the video recording of the meeting could be seen patting himself on the back, mocking comments made by a Watsonville resident during public comment....