Local News

By Jazmine Juarez, Special to the Pajaronian WATSONVILLE—Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) is calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to take urgent steps to protect farmworkers and the food supply chain in the wake of COVID-19.  Following reports of 41 agricultural workers being diagnosed with COVID-19 in...

Local artist Kathleen Crocetti is no stranger to working from home. Having her own art studio at home, she is used to working there, creating pieces and developing community art projects. But Crocetti admits that shelter-in-place has taken a bit of a toll. “Honestly, it’s been...

Do you have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to [email protected] or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 14, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the...

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday is expected to announce the closure of all beaches and state parks starting Friday, multiple national news agencies reported late Wednesday night. The news comes days after Gov. Newsom expressed concern over numerous photos of people crowding beaches throughout the...

The number of COVID-19 cases has now passed 1,018,000 in the U.S. Now, 58,671 have died in the U.S. roughly equalling the number of people that died in the Vietnam War. The U.S. has four times more cases than any other country. Dr. Ashish...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel on Wednesday issued new restrictions on the county’s beaches, restricting their use between 11am and 5 pm starting on Saturday. The new restrictions came after hordes of people crowded the beaches and ignored social distancing rules...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) has launched its first-ever virtual exhibition. “Queer Santa Cruz: Stories of the LGBTQ+ Community in Santa Cruz County” was created with local organization Diversity Center Santa Cruz County. It includes photographs, videos, early queer...

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a body that was found over the weekend. Spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said the body was discovered outdoors in a rural setting by someone checking on property lines on Redwood Drive near Glen Canyon Road Saturday afternoon. The...

SANTA CRUZ—The Wharf to Wharf race winds six miles from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to Capitola Village, and since its inception in 1973 has drawn thousands of participants and spectators from around the world.  This year’s event on July 26 would have featured 16,000...

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville will use a little more than half a million dollars of federal funding to bolster the community’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. The City will dish $200,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County to support its county-wide efforts during...