Local News

By Jacob Pierce, Good Times News Editor SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A countywide transportation commission voted on Thursday to move forward with in-depth analysis of four possible options for the future of Santa Cruz County’s rail trail corridor. The leading options before the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) include bus rapid transit,...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday night meeting will take its first look at the proposed restructured budget for the 2020/21 fiscal year, which includes seven layoffs and the elimination of all sports programs. The council is also expected to make major changes to...

WATSONVILLE—Givonni Garcia had a passion for history and laws as a young child. He also enjoyed arguing. “I loved arguing,” he said. That love has only grown over the years. His dreams have too. Garcia is one of St. Francis High School’s valedictorians for the graduating class...

FELTON—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy killed Saturday afternoon when he was ambushed by a gunman has been identified as Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38. Gutzwiller was a father of a young child, and was expecting a new child soon, said Sheriff Jim Hart. The death has...

Update at 7:18pm: The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputy who was shot while trying to arrest a man suspected in Saturday afternoon's double-carjacking in Felton has died, a law enforcement source confirmed. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed...

Parts of Watsonville changed into a plywood canyon early Thursday after a bizarre poster started circulating on social media threatening "barbaric" protests in the Overlook Shopping Center. Though Watsonville Police took the threat seriously, no violence erupted over the night. However, scores of businesses...

SANTA CRUZ—Class of 2020 Salutatorian Michelle Soriano says she has come out of Pacific Coast Charter School a changed individual. “I’m leaving as a different person—but in a good way,” Soriano said. “I feel like I’m better at looking out for myself, and not just...

WATSONVILLE—At Renaissance High School 56 students graduated this year and took part in an unorthodox drive-through ceremony June 3 to pick up their diplomas. First-year principal Deanna Young said dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, especially as graduation approached, called for tremendous resources at her...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police Chief David Honda has contacted the FBI for help in tracing the origin of a heavily-circulated social media post calling for a “barbaric protest” in Watsonville on Thursday. The flier circulated throughout the Bay Area, Honda said, and caused a stir locally. Dozens...

APTOS—When Oscar Cisneros was a sophomore at Aptos High School he and his friends felt their school was not celebrating its large cultural diversity. “This is a diverse campus,” he said. “There are so many cultures that should be celebrated.” Together, they created the Migrant Student...