Local News

WATSONVILLE—No communities in Santa Cruz County qualify for the California Department of Public Health’s vaccine equity plan, which Gov. Gavin Newsom last week pitched as a way for the state to prioritize disadvantaged and Latinx communities that have seen a disproportionate impact from the...

Watsonville Fire Capt. Rick Pettigrew (left) assists his crew in knocking down a wild land fire Tuesday that broke out in the Watsonville Slough brush-lands near the corner of Main Street at Ohlone Parkway. Firefighters tackled the 3pm blaze within 20 minutes after multiple...

The year 2020 will go down as one of the most challenging in modern history. The pandemic affected everyone in one way or another; some of us lost loved ones, and everyone dealt with isolation and stress. Racial unrest tore through the country following the...

WATSONVILLE—Work continues on the new Ramsay Park Pumptrack, including the addition of a layer of asphalt to the lumpy bicycle course. Being built by Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC), crews are currently installing new split rail fencing. When completed the park will provide an...

APTOS—New Leaf Community Market in Aptos reopened Tuesday morning after a store-wide deep cleaning, spokeswoman Lindsay Gizdich said. The store closed on April 21 after seven employees tested positive for COVID-19. All employees currently working have been tested for the virus, and are cleared to work,...

A man who shot his ex-wife and her friend multiple times in a December 2016 attack was found guilty Friday after a jury trial, Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell announced.

With Watsonville's Measure G sunsetting in 2021 and an uncertain economic landscape in the near future, city officials are hoping voters will once again jump on board if the measure is placed on a future ballot for renewal.

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday approved an additional $207,445 charge from Harris & Associates, Inc. for design services on the Rail Trail Lee Road to Walker Street Project. In total, the city will now pay the Concord-based company $329,110 to design its stretch of...

Chef Jesse Plasencia, executive chef of The Pacheco Club in Monterey, and past board member of Pajaro Valley Loaves & Fishes, will host a pop-up dinner to benefit the nonprofit food pantry and kitchen at El Alteño Restaurant, 323 Main St. in Watsonville,

A viewing party in a Watsonville restaurant Tuesday night for President Donald Trump’s public address drew public attention, with more than 100 Trump supporters gathering inside for the private event, and dozens gathering outside for a counter-protest. The event in Ella’s at the Airport was...