Local News

WATSONVILLE—Residents who reported a strong odor in parts of Watsonville recently helped county officials create an “odor map” and track down the source of the smell, Santa Cruz County spokesman Jason Hoppin said. According to Hoppin, the odor that some likened to sewage and others...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—All of the county’s four city police agencies—and the Sheriff’s Office—have similar policies when it comes to use of force and releasing of information to the public, according to a report released in November by the Criminal Justice Council of Santa Cruz...

In partnership with the city of Watsonville and the “Trash Talkers” volunteer group, Santa Cruz County on Dec. 17 hosted a cleanup along Corralitos Creek near Airport Boulevard and Pajaro Lane to highlight the expansion of the Community Action Board’s Watsonville Works program. Volunteers helped...

WATSONVILLE—Some 80 people gathered in the Watsonville Civic Plaza Monday evening to welcome in Jorge Zamora as Watsonville Police Department’s new chief. A homegrown officer who started with the department as a cadet at the age of 15, Zamora said in a speech before being...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to hire an independent auditor for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office who would investigate such issues as citizen complaints and use of force. The move followed a report by...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—In early November 2021, Meals on Wheels’ (MOW) congregate meal sites reopened to older adults across Santa Cruz County for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Staff and volunteers from MOW, a program of umbrella organization Community Bridges, combined their...

SANTA CRUZ—Service Employees International Union Local 521, the union representing the majority of Santa Cruz County workers, has called for a strike after a majority of employees voted in favor of the action. While saying that they are still willing to negotiate, union officials say...

AROMAS—In June of 2020, a horse named Rooster arrived at The BackStretch, a nonprofit ranch in Aromas that aims to provide a haven for abandoned, abused and neglected horses. The 16-year-old Quarter Horse had finally found his “forever home” after years of being a workhorse,...

WATSONVILLE—This Sunday the Tobera Project, a local initiative aiming to preserve and celebrate Watsonville’s Filipino history, will host a virtual film screening in commemoration of the anniversary of the 1930 Anti-Filipino Watsonville Race Riots. “A Dollar a Day, Ten Cents a Dance” is a portrait...

WATSONVILLE—A musical duo who also teaches in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District has been selected by an international competition to perform at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. Amalia Diaz and Camilo Ortiz have been playing together as “Camilo y Amalia” for...