Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—After nearly three decades running the county’s elections department, Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin will retire at the end of the year. Pellerin made the announcement Thursday, a little more than a week after what many are calling the most significant election...

After 12 years of running Watsonville’s only bookstore, Kelly Pleskunas will hang up her closed sign at Kelly’s Books for the last time Nov. 4. “I want to send a heartfelt thank you to all the customers who have supported me these past 12 years,”...

WATSONVILLE—A lawsuit against the city of Watsonville and the municipal airport will move forward after a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge on Thursday denied a motion to dismiss it. The plaintiff in the case is United Flight Services (UFS), which sued the city in...

The Watsonville Strawberry Festival will return Sunday to downtown, bringing with it a full day of strawberry delicacies, live entertainment, artisan vendors and more. Like most events in 2020, South County’s premier festival was canceled in response to the pandemic. And for a while, the...

The half-trillion-dollar loan program advertised as a lifesaver for the country’s struggling small businesses is again under fire after the Small Business Administration on Monday released a list containing hundreds of recipients of the program, revealing that several private equity-backed chains owned by members...

Standing in front of a large audience at Santa Cruz County’s first human trafficking symposium, Deborah Pembrook said that, when she was a young girl, a trusted family friend brought her to truck stops and seedy motels to sell her for sex.

A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge on Friday rejected a legal challenge to an earlier decision by the Regional Transportation Commission to enter an agreement with a rail operator to operate on the tracks that run from Watsonville to Davenport.

Preparations are underway for the 125th anniversary celebration of the Watsonville Woman’s Club. Woman’s Club President Gina Gallucci said the Aug. 29 free event will be the centerpiece of a mixer hosted by the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. The organization was founded in...

WATSONVILLE—The County of Santa Cruz Department of Public Works has announced that Green Valley Road in Watsonville, from Celia Drive to Paulsen Road, will be subject to daily closure between 8:30am and 4:30pm, starting Wednesday and running through April 14, weather permitting. The road will...