Local News

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez had a grim prediction Wednesday night for the district’s Board of Trustees. The wide-ranging financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic–which economists say will likely cause a recession–will have serious impacts for the next school year, Rodriguez said.  “It’s...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Housing Matters (HM), a local organization that aims to resolve homelessness, announced Feb. 24 that it is teaming up with the County of Santa Cruz to house 90 of the region’s most vulnerable residents. Housing Now is a new program that hopes to...

WATSONVILLE—Cecilia Gonzalez spent a day hollowing out a piece of plastic foam, creating a perfect spot in which to cradle an egg. She wrapped this in cardboard and topped her invention with several balloons. The test came on Wednesday, when it was dropped off the...

WATSONVILLE—The Covid-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for Santa Cruz County renters, property managers and landlords alike. With renters suddenly out of work and unable to pay most, or even the entirety of their rent, threats of evictions have been looming. For some landlords,...

Johanna Miller Food: Savory crepes from Mr. Z’s Mr. Z’s Crepes and Teas is one of a handful of businesses to recently arrive at The Hanger, a new complex near Watsonville Airport. I’ve already been out to grab one of their tasty bubble teas. This week...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville High School junior with a bright future in professional landscaping has earned top honors for his intimate knowledge of turfgrass management. Juan Herrera, 17, works for Watsonville-based K&D Landscaping as a turfgrass expert and manager.  A member of the Watsonville FFA chapter, Herrera is...

Tarmo Hannula Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and Beach Boardwalk While the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the Municipal Wharf are mainstays of summer fun and typically mobbed with tourists and locals during the hot months, I'm drawn to them with equal fervor when storms come through....

A census of Santa Cruz County’s homeless population taken in February shows a 21.5% decline since the last count in 2021. Still, one in every 146 Santa Cruz County residents still do not have access to housing, according to the 2023 Homeless Count and Survey,...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—At least nine Santa Cruz County Jail correctional officers have tested positive for Covid-19, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office announced in a press release Monday. All nine are now off work, and six officers have been quarantined based on contact with infected...