Local News

MONTEREY BAY—Connected in Pride 2.0, a free virtual Pride celebration hosted by Monterey and Santa Cruz counties’ leading LGBTQ+ organizations, will take place on July 24th via various virtual platforms. Participating groups include Pajaro Valley Pride, Monterey Peninsula Pride, Salinas Valley Pride and Santa Cruz...

About three years ago, the Pitch-In Initiative was created with a singular mission: to make Santa Cruz the cleanest county in California. That mission was realized Tuesday, when the County of Santa Cruz announced its designation as a Clean California Community, a recognition that “highlights...

WATSONVILLE—Francisco Elcanto schleps a five-gallon bucket into the back seat of his car. A peek under the lid reveals an assortment of neatly packed cleaning supplies. Today, all he needs is some cleaning supplies, which he is borrowing from the Santa Cruz Volunteer Center.  The...

Open Streets Santa Cruz returns to West Cliff Drive on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., creating a pop-up street park along Santa Cruz’s iconic coastline.

NOTE: Part of this story was written by reporter Tarmo Hannula. While some Watsonville restaurants have remained open since the countywide shelter-in-place order went into effect over two months ago, many have taken their time adjusting to the industry’s changing landscape. This includes two Watsonville mainstays:...

A Watsonville man was shot and killed Thursday in Stanislaus National Forest at Deadman’s Campground.

Watsonville-raised Matt Mahan is favored to become the next mayor of America’s 10th largest city. The San Jose city councilman’s lead over Santa Clara County supervisor Cindy Chavez grew slightly Wednesday, to 4,766 votes, as ballot counting at the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Mónica Morales was 2 years old when her family immigrated from Mexico to Watsonville. She grew up attending local elementary schools, graduating from Watsonville High School while her mother worked in nearby agriculture fields and canneries. This background, she said, is sure to...

Santa Cruz County Public Health this week announced three additional deaths related to Covid-19. The three victims—a woman in her mid-60s who died on Sept. 3, another woman in her early 70s who died on Sept. 24 and a man in his early 90s who...

Kokoro no Gako—or “School with a Heart”—is a two-week program held every summer at the temple. Students from Kindergarten to 6th grade learn about traditional Japanese customs and practices.