Local News

CENTRAL COAST—The first strong rain since May ventured into the Monterey Bay Tuesday afternoon and is expected to soak the Central Coast on and off over the next several days. Anna Schneider, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of Monterey, said the moisture is...

More than 200 people gathered Monday for the Third Annual Harvey Milk Day/Progress Flag Raising event at the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Office. The event took place on Harvey Milk Day. Milk was a prominent gay rights activist who was assassinated on May 22,...

In the first months of the pandemic, Dientes Community Dental Care was forced to close its clinics throughout  Santa Cruz County. The nonprofit organization, which aims to give people access to high-quality, affordable oral healthcare, had initially not been considered essential. For more than two...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture handed out six awards at its 59th annual dinner on July 31, recognizing local businesses, people and organizations that helped the community during a trying 2020. Held outdoors at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, the gala brought...

WATSONVILLE—The mass vaccination site in downtown Watsonville for most of March will solely administer second doses of the Covid-19 vaccines, slowing a distribution chain that has at times moved at a sporadic pace because of limited supply and changing state guidance. Since opening on Feb....

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz Police on Sunday arrested three suspected gang members after one of them fired a shot into a residence on Blaine Street. Gustavo Garcia, 19, and Jose Lopez, 28, were charged with attempted homicide. Both face weapons and gang charges. They were booked...

WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville is planning to follow through on a plan to clean out a homeless encampment on Bridge Street early Wednesday morning. The decision to stick to the ultimatum given to the 25 or so people staying in the parking lot on Sunday—the...

WATSONVILLE—A year after it was canceled because of the pandemic, the Watsonville Strawberry Festival drew more than 5,000 people to downtown Sunday to eat, shop, dance and celebrate the Pajaro Valley’s top crop and the continued slow return to normalcy. Watsonville Parks and Community Services...

SOQUEL—More than 1,000 Soquel residents are trapped in their neighborhood after raging waters tore away a huge chunk of Main Street early Thursday morning. According to Santa Cruz County spokesman Jason Hoppin, the damage began around 3am, as Bates Creek, which flows under North Main...