Local News

WATSONVILLE—Voters who live in proximity to the Pajaro River levee system will soon decide on adding a special assessment to their property tax bill that would help fund the long-awaited Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project. The Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency (PRFMA) on Wednesday...

Emergency workers struggle to extricate a female juvenile from a smashed-in car Wednesday on Freedom Boulevard

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 14 released an updated state budget that calls for a 10 percent cut to school districts across the state. Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez said that the district is looking at a $19.18 million slash. Watsonville/Aptos/Santa...

Monte Vista Christian School varsity basketball coach Hasan Houston was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of domestic battery, police records show.

Watsonville Police on Tuesday arrested a murder suspect after an hours-long standoff in a strawberry field near Trafton and McGowan roads, just outside Pájaro. Hector Rocha, 44, of Watsonville, has been charged with first-degree murder. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail, where he...

A wood pile along Quarry Road in Aromas that caught fire early Tuesday morning led to power lines down and road closures. Monterey County Sheriff’s Office reported that the fire broke out around 2am on the 200 block of Quarry Road. Cal Fire Battalion Chief David...

Work continues on roadway and signal improvements at the intersection of Holohan Road and East Lake Avenue (Hwy 152). The job is part of a $4.3 million project that will rearrange the heavily traveled intersection, including  a left-turn lane and a merge lane from...

County supervisors will work toward in-person help, a smoother online platform, and an efficient process, especially for smaller projects.

Leaders from the federal, state and local levels teamed up Friday to tour homeless camps in Santa Cruz in hopes of getting a better grasp of homelessness and to develop a plan to deal with the crisis. The two dozen officials, including Congressman Jimmy Panetta,...

On Friday, about 150 high school juniors from across Santa Cruz County cast their first ballots on three issues that, if passed, would dramatically affect their lives. Measure A would lower the statewide voting age to 16. Measure B would prohibit the redrawing of state...