Local News

New Leaf Energy will bypass Santa Cruz County’s permitting process and instead seek state approval for its proposed battery energy storage system near Watsonville, a move county officials long anticipated as local regulations tightened. In a May 1 letter to County Executive Officer Nicole Coburn,...

Josephine Vidal (from left), Esther Herrera, Ignacia Gonzalez and Maria Cornejo join in folkloric dancing during Cinco de Mary celebration at the Watsonville Senior Center.  Older Adult Services Supervisor Katie Nuñez said about 73 regulars to the center were present for food, fun and dancing. (Tarmo...

The annual Cinco De Mayo Festival drew thousands of people to downtown Watsonville Sunday with live music, food booths, arts and crafts and information tables.  The free five-and-a-half-hour event was put on by Fiestas Patrias. It drew to the stage the popular singer Graciela Beltran,...

Watsonville city officials have ended a short-lived paid parking pilot along Aviation Way after pushback from local businesses, removing meters just days after the program launched. The 30-day pilot, which began earlier this week along the busy commercial strip at 45 Aviation Way, was intended...

Protesters gathered in the Overlook Center in Watsonville Friday to highlight worker’s rights, condemn Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) round ups of immigrants, the use of Flock surveillance camera systems on city streets and other issues. More than 120 people gathered and waved signs...

Students in Watsonville High School’s Hope Club unveiled a “Peace Pole” Friday during a community-wide peace ceremony at the campus library. The permanent monument, engraved with the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight languages, was created to serve as a cornerstone of the...

A Santa Cruz County-based science education group took top honors in a regional underwater robotics competition April 25, earning a return trip to an international contest in Newfoundland, Canada. The Hephaestus Robotics Team, part of the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s X Academy Robotics...

Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Misty Navarro was appointed to the board in October 2024, joining at a time when five of the seven members were new to elected office. What followed was a steep learning curve, often marked by volatility, as members worked...

Construction work has been completed on a major sidewalk and road repair project along Main Street (Highway 152) in Watsonville, where a chunk of land collapsed at Struve Slough.  The rupture—between Clifford Avenue and Watsonville Square where Nob Hill is located—took out a length of...

Watsonville is testing a pay-to-park program along parts of Aviation Way, a 30-day pilot that City Manager Tamara Vides said will be used to gauge the feasibility of future metered parking. Customers who recently visited the strip of restaurants at 45 Aviation Way—including Honeylux Coffee,...