Local News

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville voters will have yet another enormous decision before them in what will likely be a critical election and moment in the city’s history. The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday night meeting placed a half-cent general sales tax measure on the Nov. 8 ballot...

Tarmo Hannula Wet weather will return to the Central Coast as early as Friday night. Scattered showers are expected to pass through Saturday and then heavy rain with the chance of thunderstorms are expected Sunday. Showers could linger through Tuesday. • A task force has leased 26...

SACRAMENTO—Outdoor dining and other services can resume after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ended the state’s regional stay-at-home order based on intensive care unit (ICU) capacity.  In its place, the state has returned to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and the color-coded tier system...

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel on Friday issued a health order requiring all people to wear a face-covering when indoors in public spaces and when visiting or hosting people from outside of their households, regardless of vaccination status.  The order goes...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Forecasters are predicting a cooling trend and possible rain for the weekend, with possible snow in the mountains, bringing a small measure of much-needed moisture to an already parched Central Coast. But that weather will not last long, says Rick Canepa, a meteorologist...

A man was taken to the hospital late Tuesday morning after a fight with two suspects.

WATSONVILLE—In early February of 2020, the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture held its Annual Awards Dinner. It was one of the last major events in South County before the pandemic shut things down six weeks later. The dinner returns this year on July...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—About 80% of the roughly 75,000 Santa Cruz County voters who cast their ballots in Tuesday’s Gubernatorial Recall Election voted to keep Gov. Gavin Newsom in office, joining a loud statewide rebuke of what the governor called a “Republican power grab.” Though results...

WATSONVILLE—A huge program is underway in Watsonville to help keep students finely tuned and focused on education through the summer. Jen Bruno, a curriculum coach, said the Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s Extended Learning Programs (ELP) over the past few weeks has loaded more than...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council unanimously approved the use of roughly $2.5 million to offset increased budgetary demands in various departments and special funds, some of which city staff says are fueled by surging inflation on everyday goods. The largest budget allocation approved by the elected...