City Council approves budget as calls for cuts to WPD continue
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a biennial budget that will keep Watsonville Police Department’s staffing at current levels, and invest roughly $7.5 million into a rebuild of Ramsay Park.
The decision came after two dozen people at the virtual meeting echoed a...
Community Bridges trades pints for vaccines at Watsonville pop-up clinic
WATSONVILLE—According to Santa Cruz County’s Health Services Agency, as of June 22, more than 146,500 county residents (that is, about 53%) have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. And more than 172,000 residents (62%) have received at least one shot.
The numbers are promising. However, rates...
Carey-Davis Community Garden reopens
WATSONVILLE—Community members joined city officials, business folks and a team from the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust to reopen the Carey-Davis Community Garden on June 19.
With a table loaded up with fresh pastries and coffee to fuel the gathering, Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra joined...
El Pájaro CDC’s Regional Women’s Business Center officially opens
WATSONVILLE—More than 100 people convened on Zoom on June 18 for the grand opening of a new center dedicated to women in business.
The El Pájaro Community Development Corporation (El Pájaro CDC) has launched a Regional Women’s Business Center (RWBC) in Watsonville, with plans to...
Motorcyclist seriously injured in crash
WATSONVILLE—A man was seriously injured Saturday afternoon when his motorcycle plowed into a jeep SUV on Harkins Slough Road in Watsonville.
Watsonville Police Sgt. Mike Ridgway said the man was riding a Suzuki motorcycle southbound on Harkins Slough road around 3:30pm. A man driving a...
Firefighters battling Big Sur blaze
A wildland fire southeast of Big Sur in Los Padres National Forest that has charred around 200 acres in steep, rugged terrain has led to mandatory evacuations.
‘A lifetime commitment’: Father, son leaders in fire, police departments
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Fire Chief Rudy Lopez still remembers the day he and his son, Watsonville Police Sgt. Rudy Lopez Jr., responded to an emergency call together—a vehicle collision at Main Street and Green Valley Road.
“My emotions overcame me,” Lopez Sr. said. “I was very touched.”
After...
Police spending in Watsonville’s proposed budget draws criticism
WATSONVILLE—Over the next two years, the city of Watsonville plans to invest roughly $7.5 million to give Sotomayor Soccer Field at Ramsay Park a complete makeover and get several other projects at the city’s largest park “shovel ready.”
It also hopes to increase the funding...
New PV Arts exhibit features local artists
WATSONVILLE—For the past year, a group of five local artists has held a series of virtual pop-up art sessions, where participants learned about the artists’ process and were given guidance on how to create their own work.
Now, Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) is displaying the...
Kmart in Watsonville closing doors in August
WATSONVILLE—The Kmart store at 1702 Freedom Blvd. in Watsonville will permanently close its doors on Aug. 22, the company announced through a publicity agency on Tuesday.
The store will begin to wrap up business beginning Thursday.
The announcement did not contain any further information. Transformco, the...
Pajaro Valley Collaborative’s ‘call to action’
If cuts to food assistance programs proposed under President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” are approved by the U.S. Senate, it would cripple the...
