Local News

WATSONVILLE—A group of students at MacQuiddy Elementary School got a special holiday treat last week.  Thanks to the efforts of instructor Amy McGee and others, 15 kids—all members of Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s Safe Spots program—were handed an armload of gifts Friday, including a...

Editor's note: To view the study visit https://bit.ly/2oGogtL ...This is the third entry in a multi-part series concerning housing in the Pajaro Valley. For the first part see the Sept. 20 edition of The Pajaronian or click HERE. WATSONVILLE—State Assemblyman Robert Rivas is forever grateful for the time...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A large group of workers rallied at the Santa Cruz County building Tuesday morning, before telling the County Board of Supervisors they are prepared to strike if ongoing contract negotiations do not go their way. Officials for SEIU Local 521, the union representing...

WATSONVILLE—Working as an Environmental Services Aide at Watsonville Community Hospital, Benjamin Lamsen cleans rooms in the Emergency Department and the Intensive Care Unit. That work has been challenging, he says, since the Covid-19 pandemic began its spread across the globe. In addition to increased...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting voted to move the George Washington statue from the City Plaza to the Watsonville Public Library. The motion, put forth by councilwoman Rebecca Garcia, passed 5-2 with council members Ari Parker and Lowell Hurst dissenting. Parker and...

WATSONVILLE—Thanks to helping hands at the Watsonville Public Library, free library service at your home is a phone call, or email away.  LibraryLink is a long-standing outreach service designed to bring the trove of library materials to the homes of those who cannot easily leave...

WATSONVILLE—At their core, Veterans of Foreign Wars halls and American Legion centers are places where former military members can gather to find camaraderie and a shared bond unique to their life experiences. “It’s a big part of what they consider their mental health treatment,” said...

Since the housing market rebounded in 2013, median home prices and rents have risen exponentially at the state and local levels, outpacing wage increases and housing production by a wide margin. The state identified an annual housing need of 180,000 units between 2015 and 2025, yet California has produced less than half of that number each year.

Last March, film director Melissa Elizondo was about to board a plane from Mexico bound for the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) when she got a call from Executive Director Consuelo Alba. The festival had been canceled due to the pandemic, and international travel was...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A new Covid-19 booster vaccine is now available throughout Santa Cruz County. Following recent approval by the FDA and CDC, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup also recommends either the Pfizer or Moderna bivalent booster to be given two months after the...