State announces new pesticide rule
The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) on Dec. 19 announced a new rule that will provide notice to the public in advance of applications of certain hazardous and drift-prone agricultural pesticides.
The move was broadly welcomed in the farmworker communities of the San Joaquin Valley...
Judge: Watsonville must pay airport business’ legal costs
WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville must pay attorney fees and court costs to a business at Watsonville Municipal Airport after losing in a civil case earlier this year, a Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge ruled Monday.
In the Dec. 6 ruling, Judge Timothy Volkmann ordered...
Voters opt for smaller, streamlined system
For decades, voters on election day went to their respective polling places—roughly 160 in Santa Cruz County—where they would be handed a ballot for the candidates and races specific to their districts.
It was a time-honored tradition, and—for one day—a community gathering spot, with many...
Aptos’ SeaBreeze Tavern burns in Sunday night blaze
By JAKE PIERCE, Good Times
APTOS—The site of the old SeaBreeze Tavern caught fire Sunday night after 9pm, and the blaze quickly grew out of control.
Watsonville Fire Battalion Chief Corey Schaefer said units responded to a reported fire on the Esplanade in Aptos. When they...
Father-son duo quietly lead Fairgrounds
The Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds are more than the annual one-week autumnal event, which itself undoubtedly takes a Herculean amount of work. There are also numerous events throughout the year including horse shows, conventions and celebrations such as quinceañeras and the Evening of Wine...
Cabrillo engineering class conducts survey for former department chair
WATSONVILLE—In 1961, two years after Cabrillo College in Aptos was established, Rich Hart was hired by the school to start its brand new Engineering department.
Hart would go on to be chair of the department as well as its sole instructor for 34 years, teaching...
2025 Farmer of the Year announced
Larry Jacobs and Sandra Belin, co-owners of Jacobs Farm del Cabo, have been named 2025 Farmer of the Year by the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau.
The award is presented annually to farmer(s) who have contributed “beyond their normal farming duties to help the community.”...
Santa Cruz, Monterey join other counties in recommending return of masks
With more people contracting Covid-19 locally and increased reports of the Delta variant, Monterey, Napa, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties in a joint statement Monday recommend that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places.
This includes places such as grocery...
Car crash cuts utility pole in half
A driver shot off of Casserly Road Monday in Watsonville and slammed into a utility pole, splitting it in two.
The California Highway Patrol said the driver, who fled the scene on foot, shot off the pavement around 1pm while traveling north on Casserly just...
Santa Cruz County Fair opens
WATSONVILLE—Carol Vides walked away from a food booth at the Santa Cruz County Fair on Wednesday, her arms loaded with corn dogs and other fried food for her family. The bacchanalia of battered and breaded, along with roasted and sweet, lined the main avenue...
Walgreen to pay $6 million in price scanner and expired products...
Walgreens has agreed to pay $6 million to settle allegations it overcharged customers and sold expired products in California, including violations identified in Santa...




















