Local News

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police Department officers arrested a 15-year-old who they say was seen near Watsonville High School with a loaded handgun on Monday. A Watsonville High campus supervisor notified the school’s resource officer who then relayed the call to nearby officers, WPD spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said. The...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the use of $500,000 in emergency rental assistance funds to help county renters facing eviction pay back rent. The funds—which come from the Planning and the Housing for Health departments and the...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council promoted longtime Assistant City Clerk Irwin Ortiz to the municipality’s top clerical position at Tuesday night’s meeting. Ortiz has been with the City of Watsonville since 2010. He started as an intern for the city manager’s office before moving into the...

WATSONVILLE—A 28-year-old man was shot on March 19 on the 100 block of Marin Street. Watsonville Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said the man was shot around 4:30am. No arrests have been made. Pulido said the victim is in stable condition and is expected to survive the...

WATSONVILLE—Two people, including a 16-year-old Watsonville boy, were killed on March 19 in a three-vehicle collision at the intersection of Green Valley Road and Pennsylvania Drive. Watsonville Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said the 20-year-old driver, identified by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office as...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—In a busy but brisk Tuesday morning session, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved several items which could change the county’s Transient Occupancy Tax and the rules regarding the sale of flavored tobacco. The board also heard the first reading of...

PAJARO VALLEY—The Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency (PRFMA) recently released a draft of its engineer’s report for an assessment related to the long-awaited reconstruction of the Pajaro River levee, giving the public a chance to submit comments in advance of the agency’s Board of...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Trustees on Tuesday appointed the first board of directors for the newly formed Pajaro Valley Healthcare District (PVHCD), the group that will have oversight of Watsonville Community Hospital. The board is made up of John Friel, Katherine...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District is set to receive roughly $4.1 million from the federal government to help its students connect to the internet. The district is one of 18 institutions throughout the Central Coast that received a portion of the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police Department officers on Saturday arrested two teens who they believe took part in a stabbing on March 15. The arrests mark the third and fourth in the case. Two other teens were taken into custody on Thursday. No additional information has been released about...