Local News

When Vanessa Quiroz-Carter and Maria Orozco were sworn in Tuesday as Watsonville’s mayor and vice mayor, it marked the second time in the city’s history that women held both top spots. The last time was in 2019, when Rebecca Garcia and Trina Coffman-Gomez served in...

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...

LARKIN VALLEY—A  woman was shot Monday afternoon in the area of Highway 1 and Mar Monte, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ashley Keehn. When Sheriff’s deputies arrived around 3pm, they learned the victim self-transported to a local hospital and was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The...

On the steps of the dilapidated jailhouse in which Cesar Chavez was held 47 years ago, a group of pesticide activists held a rally Friday to both celebrate his birthday and to draw attention to an issue that was close to the labor leader’s heart.

A woman who was found dead in a stand of bushes along Harkins Slough Friday morning suffered multiple stings by either bees or yellowjackets before her death, Watsonville Police Sgt. Brian Ridgway said.

MOSS LANDING—The Elkhorn Slough Foundation recently acquired a key wetland property along Moro Cojo Slough, a major tributary of the larger Elkhorn Slough.  The 34-acre tract expands the foundation’s holdings in that area to 450 acres. The foundation has protected more than 4,200 acres of...

By Aiyana Moya SANTA CRUZ—A soft chorus of voices, coming from the Santa Cruz Threshold Singers, welcomes guests as they walk into the Santa Cruz County Vets building Dec. 21 where the annual Homeless Memorial is taking place.  This year marks the first year since the...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Since it was launched in December of last year, the County of Santa Cruz’s Neighborhood Courts Program (NCP) has rerouted 45 misdemeanor criminal cases away from the traditional justice system and out into the community.  A restorative justice-based program of the County District...

SANTA CRUZ—A federal judge on Jan. 20 granted a preliminary injunction stopping the city of Santa Cruz from closing a homeless camp in San Lorenzo Park that has swelled to nearly 200 residents since people started moving there in July. The order, signed by Magistrate...

County Fair seeks theme The Santa Cruz County Fair announced the return of the annual fair theme contest. The fair invites the community to submit theme ideas that would reflect the spirit of the County Fair in a few words. The theme should reflect the spirit...