Council split on city’s deal for Measure U extension, asks for own measure
WATSONVILLE—In a special meeting as unpredictable as it was tense, Watsonville City Council could not come to a consensus on a deal that would have made a minor alteration to a critical ballot measure for the Nov. 8 election.
The elected leaders on Thursday neither...
Artists, galleries utilize social media during closures
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Every spring, Cabrillo Gallery’s Student Exhibition highlights the work being done within the college’s art departments. Teachers and classmates choose who will be featured in the show, which is meant as a send-off at the end of the school year.
But with the...
Watsonville Film Festival plans Day of the Dead events
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) will present its fourth annual Día de los Muertos event at Watsonville City Plaza on Oct. 29, featuring a screening of the animated Disney/Pixar movie “Coco” as well as music, dance and art.
The free event, which brought thousands of...
Lost & found
A woman who lost her wallet in 1962 was reunited with it 58 years later this week when construction workers found the red leather folding wallet during a refurbishing project of a movie theater.
It was discovered in a framing and sheetrock cavity inside...
Pajaro River levee project on track for summer start
On Jan. 22, as heavy overnight rains drenched the region, Pajaro Regional Flood Control Management Agency (PRFMA) Manager Mark Strudley got up in the middle of the night to make sure that the rivers and streams could handle the surge of water.
They did, and...
Photo: Brush fire quickly tamed
Watsonville firefighters chase back a brush fire that opened up around 1:35pm at the edge of Watsonville Sough near the corner of Santa Catalina and Santa Victoria avenues Tuesday. Battalion Chief Jon Goulding said firefighters got a quick handle of the blaze that had...
Fireworks seizure the largest in Watsonville history
Watsonville police arrested two men on July 3 after they were found with more than 4,500 pounds of illegal fireworks.
The bust is the largest in Watsonville Police history, and the biggest on the Central Coast this year, police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said.
Luis Martinez and...
Rail-trail controversy continues: Greenway says 10,000 signatures show support for trail plan
On Tuesday, a group of Greenway supporters handed a stack of petitions with more than 10,000 signatures to Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s new director Guy Preston.
With increasing need, food banks worry about ‘food insecurity’
WATSONVILLE—One year ago, a report by UC Santa Cruz’s Blum Center on Poverty, Social Enterprise and Participatory Governance and Second Harvest Food Bank painted a grim picture of hunger in Santa Cruz County.
According to the report, some 83,000 residents were living in households earning...
Watsonville City Manager Rene Mendez leaving
Watsonville City Manager Rene Mendez has been named as the new City Manager for the City of Salinas, just two years after starting his position.
The Salinas City Council on March 19 approved his contract.
He will begin on May 28 and receive a base salary...
Photo story: La Rama celebration set for today
Musicians, dancers and the public take part in a Mexican holiday tradition called La Rama in 2023 in Watsonville Plaza. The first-ever such event...






















