Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY —Strawberries remain the county’s biggest crop, with an estimated value of $220,653,000 on approximately 2,578 planted acres. That’s according to the 2018 crop report released Thursday by Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo. The report showed an overall production value of more...

Two Watsonville men were arrested Thursday after detectives searching their residence found “tens of thousands of dollars” worth of stolen items, Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said.

The Santa Cruz County Fair begins Wednesday, and volunteers at the Historic Rodgers House are gearing up for visitors to come tour a piece of Watsonville history.

WATSONVILLE—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has identified the second man that died in a head-on crash on Highway 129 on June 22 as Nestor Emmanuel Beltran Quiroa, 20, of Los Banos. Quiroa, one of three passengers in a 2008 Honda Ridgeline pickup, died at...

WATSONVILLE—In a vote that was largely ceremonial, the Watsonville City Council unanimously approved giving $130,000 to the newly-formed Pajaro Valley Healthcare District to help the nonprofit purchase Watsonville Community Hospital’s operations. The contribution from the cash-strapped municipality pales in comparison with those of other jurisdictions...

Driscoll’s announced Tuesday that Brie Reiter Smith has been named chief executive officer of the Watsonville-based berry company, succeeding Soren Bjorn. The company made the announcement in a press release, but stated there would be no further information released on the decision. Smith, who has served...

Watsonville Community Hospital and the Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD) announced Friday that the building–and the property that surrounds it–once again belongs to the community. The $40 million purchase of the 27-acre site from Alabama-based Medical Properties Trust was possible thanks to Measure N—the...

It was 17 years ago that a group of volunteers began to restore the Rancho San Andreas Castro Adobe, a structure whose endurance over its 176-year lifespan helps paint a picture of California history. Now fully restored and equipped with interpretative displays, touchable exhibits and...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel on Tuesday revised her shelter-in-place order to align most of the county’s restrictions with that of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order. The new county order will open places of worship, in-store retail, outdoor museums and limited...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—O’Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO), a local nonprofit which usually hosts hundreds of schoolchildren per year on its 65-foot catamaran on the Monterey Bay, has switched gears to bring education into people’s homes. On Nov. 19, the organization will co-host a virtual event along...