Local News

WATSONVILLE—A bust of U.S. President George Washington was removed from Watsonville Plaza on Thursday. In February Watsonville City Council voted 5-2 to move the statue to the Main Branch of the Watsonville Public Library. The decision stemmed from national social unrest during the uprising...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to require all of 2,400 County employees to either take the Covid-19 vaccine or submit to weekly testing. Employees who refuse both risk termination, or being put on leave without...

WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville has reinvented its Bulky Items Collection Program. Abandoned years ago, the program now offers Watsonville residents a free chance to unload mattresses, appliances, some furniture, tires, carpeting and more. Gabe Gordo, Solid Waste Division Manager, said the program is available to residents...

LIVE OAK—A 17-year-old Aptos High School student died Tuesday after he was stabbed multiple times, and two other students—14 and 17—are facing murder charges for the attack, which occurred on the school’s campus. Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart made the announcement during a press...

WATSONVILLE—This weekend residents will have the opportunity to ride on a clean-energy, accessible streetcar along a section of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line in Watsonville. Members of Coast Futura, an alliance of people from various other county organizations, organized the demonstration with Roaring Camp...

Update (1pm, Oct. 16) The Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit (CZU) announced that the evacuation orders put in place Friday evening in response to the Estrada Fire have been changed to evacuation warnings. It also announced that the fire was 25% contained. ORIGINAL STORY WATSONVILLE—Firefighters battling a...

WATSONVILLE—Residents flocked to the corner of Beach and Walker streets this weekend to experience an electric light rail streetcar that could one day be implemented in Santa Cruz County. Coast Futura (CF), an alliance of people from various county organizations, scheduled the demonstration with Roaring...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Pilots Association (WPA) has filed a lawsuit against the city of Watsonville over the City Council’s recent approval of a proposed 21-condo development across the street from Watsonville Municipal Airport. The lawsuit (case number 21CV02343) claims the City undercut California Environmental Quality Act...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday heard the results of a roughly year-long endeavor sparked by the calls for police reform and social equity stemming from last year’s slaying of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The Ad-Hoc Committee on Policing and Social...

Elvira Villacaña (from right) and her daughters, Daisy Nuñez and Nancy Reyes don tradition; clothing and costume in celebration of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, in the Watsonville City Plaza Friday. Sponsored by the Watsonville Film Festival and the Santa...