PHOTOS: Dia de los Muertos in Watsonville Plaza
Live music, dance performances, community altars and family activities filled the afternoon in Watsonville Plaza Friday during the annual Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration.
Watsonville Film Festival partnered with Santa Cruz County Office of Education, Hospice of Santa Cruz County and Watsonville...
Cannabis licensing manager resigns
Daniel Peterson, who was hired as the county’s first cannabis licensing manager in September, announced Wednesday that he is resigning from the position.
United Way receives major grant for youth programs
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Two youth programs of United Way of Santa Cruz County (UWSCC) will get a boost of funding in the new year after receiving a grant from Elevate Youth California, a statewide program aiming at addressing substance use disorder.
Youth Action Network (YAN) is...
Photo: Man arrested after armed police operation
Police from multiple agencies surround a home at Freedom Mobile Home Park in Watsonville Wednesday as they serve an arrest warrant for a suspect. Police called over a loudspeaker several times for a man to come out around 1pm. Special Agent Casey Rettig of...
2021 County Fair was best one yet, manager says
WATSONVILLE—Although Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Manager Dave Kegebein had not yet sat down and pored over the attendance numbers from the weekend’s County Fair, he was confident in saying Tuesday that this year’s event was “absolutely the best Fair ever.”
“Everything went really smoothly and...
Car stop uncovers loaded gun
WATSONVILLE — A routine car stop led to an important break and a recovery of a loaded gun for Watsonville Police Friday.
Sgt. Juan Trujillo of the Watsonville Police Investigations Unit said officer Aaron Chavarria pulled over a maroon Mercedes Benz E320 just after 10...
Chances of thunderstorms loom after triple-digit heat hits Pajaro Valley
CENTRAL COAST—Summer came out swinging on its first day Tuesday, dishing out a high in Watsonville of 99 degrees and a whopping 104 in Corralitos.
“We had a high-pressure system over our area and much of the state, bringing very high temperatures,” said National Weather...
Carrillo pleads guilty to federal murder charges
SAN FRANCISCO—The Ben Lomond man who used a homemade assault rifle to kill a federal law enforcement officer outside an Oakland courthouse nearly two years ago pleaded guilty on Feb. 11 to the charges in Northern District Court in San Francisco.
Steven Carrillo, who formerly...
Stop signs coming for Larkin Valley
The County of Santa Cruz Department of Public Works will install new stop signs at the intersection of Larkin Valley and White roads and Larkin Valley Road and Mar Monte Avenue that will convert the intersections to all-way stop-controlled intersections.
The County will install the...
Lowell and Wendy Hurst receive Chamber’s Lifetime Achievement Award
WATSONVILLE—A husband and wife duo, who together spent more than six decades in education and several more years in public service and volunteerism, has been given this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.
Lowell Hurst, who has served...
Queer Youth Leadership Awards approaching
The Queer Youth Leadership Awards (QYLA) has, in the decades since its inception, honored young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ+) whose...



















