Flooding causes widespread damage in Watsonville, countywide
WATSONVILLE—Santa Cruz County is considering making a disaster declaration in the wake of the massive rainstorm that brought flooding to several parts of the county, according to Santa Cruz County spokesman Jason Hoppin.
The County is still waiting on responses from State and federal officials.
“Yesterday...
Entrepreneur takes gamble on new career
The Hiccuping Dragon is a small hot dog stand nestled in Rio Del Mar Esplanade. With a beachside real estate, ocean views and a steady crowd of hungry beachgoers, Hammond couldn’t have picked a better spot for his four-month-old stand.
Watsonville’s Earliest Schools—The Pajaro School and the School for Black Children
In 1853, the Methodist Church housed the first group of school children taught by Seneca Carroll in the village of Pajaro (later known as Watsonville).
The church was on the corner of Main and East Fourth (now East Lake).
Ten years later in 1863, the first...
Year in Review: 2020 was a year like no other
I started working for the Pajaronian in February 1997. As a news gatherer, that translates to a lot of blank pages being filled over the years with news and photos of what’s going on. Of those 23 years as a journalist, 2020 most assuredly...
County seeking independent sheriff’s inspector
SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County will send out a request for proposals (RFP) for an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that would have independent oversight of the Sheriff’s Office, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday.
Assembly Bill 1185, a state law passed in 2020,...
PVUSD Trustees pass religious holiday policy
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a change to district policy that will add several holidays to the calendar, during which events will not be scheduled, whenever possible.
This includes exams, sporting events, assemblies, field trips and back-to-school...
RTC cuts ties with Progressive Rail
After months of stalled negotiations, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has moved to end its operating agreement with Progressive Rail Incorporated on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, a step the agency says will help advance the Coastal Rail Trail and preserve...
Feds raid Santa Cruz residence
Agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security conducted a raid on a Santa Cruz residence early Friday morning as part of an “ongoing criminal investigation,” DHS spokesman Richard Rocha said.
Motorcade honors late SC firefighter
The Santa Cruz Fire Department announced the line-of-duty death of Santa Cruz Firefighter/Paramedic Clayton Ogden recently.
Thousands attend Spirit of Watsonville parade
Thousands of people lined Main Street in downtown Watsonville to take in the Spirit of Watsonville Fourth of July parade Tuesday.
Under warm and sunny skies, 69 entries in the parade filed along the closed-off street offering live music, cheerleaders, dazzling hydraulic lifted cars, classic...
New leadership, shared priorities: Investing in the future of public safety
As we begin a new year, I want to reflect on the direction of public safety in Watsonville and the leadership helping guide that...






















