Local News

WATSONVILLE—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office deputies dismantled a homeless encampment on Riverside Road set up by a group that last month battled with the city of Watsonville over another camp on Bridge Street. Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ashley Keehn said that the department posted a 72-hour...

APTOS—Last fall, Cabrillo Gallery opened its doors to the public for the first time in 17 months. The annual “12x12: An Open Invitational” exhibit was a return to in-person viewing after a string of virtual shows. But with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 surging and...

WATSONVILLE—Some 80 people gathered in the Watsonville Civic Plaza Monday evening to welcome in Jorge Zamora as Watsonville Police Department’s new chief. A homegrown officer who started with the department as a cadet at the age of 15, Zamora said in a speech before being...

WATSONVILLE—Plans by a local grower to transform a small plot of land owned by Watsonville Municipal Airport into an organic farm have come to an abrupt end. Adrian Mondragon, who owns Urban Organics, says he was evicted from the property in September after he and...

North Monterey County firefighters search for possible victims in a solo vehicle rollover crash Monday on Trafton Road in Watsonville. Lt. Carlos Gonzalez with North Monterey County Fire said no one was found inside the Honda Civic that ended up in a drainage ditch around...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—School districts throughout Santa Cruz County have passed out some 80,000 rapid-result Covid-19 test kits to families, as kids return to in-person instruction from winter break and officials try to prevent a surge via school campuses. As of Tuesday, officials have reported a...

WATSONVILLE—Work continues on a new business complex on the 900 block of Main Street at Auto Center Drive in Watsonville. Santa Cruz Seaside Company spokesperson Kris Reyes said the three-building project includes two restaurants, Chipotle Mexican Grill and The Habit Burger Grill. Reyes has also...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Recycling is an idea that has become deeply embedded in modern culture, so much so that many don’t think twice before placing cans, bottles and cardboard into the appropriate bins. Beginning this year, a new law will let California residents do the same...

CALIFORNIA—Every year, state lawmakers send hundreds of bills to the governor in hopes they will be signed into law. Many do not make the cut, and fall victim to the state’s lengthy legislative process. But last year 770 bills became law, and many became effective...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) on Monday unanimously approved a plan to continue with virtual meetings for the coming year, as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spreads and governing agencies across the state make similar moves. Agencies that are continuing to...