UC system admits record number of Latinx students
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville High School graduate Kayla Cabrera will be attending virtual classes at UC Berkeley when the fall semester begins on Oct. 1, where she will double major in legal and ethnic studies for a pre-law track.
Inspired by social justice issues she encountered while growing...
Washington bust under microscope as city asks for community input on monument
WATSONVILLE—The national debate over monuments of historic figures in public places has reached Watsonville.
A group of local activists has gathered more than 1,100 virtual signatures in support of removing the George Washington bust in the City Plaza. But not all Watsonville residents want the bust removed.
On...
Watsonville police seize $80K in heroin, illegal weapon
WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was arrested Tuesday after police found a kilo of heroin worth at least $80,000 and an assault rifle while executing a search warrant.
Gerardo R. Valencia, 29, was arrested on suspicion of possessing narcotics for sale and an illegal weapon, jail records...
Cabrillo College mulling name change
APTOS—In the not-too-distant future, Cabrillo College could bear a different name.
Before that happens, however, a subcommittee of three of the college’s governing board will explore the issue in-depth, for a process that is likely to last far into the future and involve numerous people...
Late-night blaze razes World War II-era building near Watsonville
LA SELVA BEACH—Fire ripped through an historic building on the Monterey Bay Academy campus Saturday night.
By Sunday morning all that remained of the former auditorium on the coastal outskirts of Watsonville were a few remnants of framework that protruded through a bed of ash.
Firefighters...
Suspect arrested after running from officers during car stop
Editor's note: This story has been updated from a previous version.
Four people were taken into custody Tuesday following a high risk car stop where one teen ran from police.
Around 1 pm Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies received reports of shots fired on Eureka Canyon...
Second Harvest food distributions to run through August
SANTA CRUZ—Second Harvest Food Bank hosted a drive-thru community food distribution Friday at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Supported by numerous volunteers and members of the California National Guard, the distribution unfolded under overcast skies as part of ongoing county-wide distributions that alternate between the...
Salvation Army Shelter temporarily closes after 8 Covid-19 cases arise
WATSONVILLE—Eight people at the Salvation Army Shelter in Watsonville tested positive for Covid-19 last week, forcing the site to temporarily close for cleaning Friday.
Santa Cruz County health officials were notified that a resident of the Salvation Army Shelter on Union Street tested positive for...
Man arrested after taking daughter, leading officers on day-long chase
Watsonville Police crisis negotiators are speaking with a man who allegedly took his daughter from her mother’s Watsonville residence after an argument Sunday night.
Newcomer Quiroz-Carter to challenge Councilman Gonzalez in District 2
WATSONVILLE—When Vanessa Quiroz-Carter returned home from college after earning her master’s at Cal State East Bay, she saw that Watsonville had undergone some serious changes.
“Which was really exciting,” she said.
But she also noticed a lot of stagnation.
“Which was disappointing,” she added.
If elected into Watsonville...
Santa Cruz County celebrates with parades
Thousands of people attended Fourth of July parades in Watsonville and Aptos Friday, lining sidewalks aliog main streets to see hundreds of participants. Below...
