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Watsonville
November 4, 2025

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...

Santa Cruz County health officer again limits access to beaches

COVID-19 orders
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel on Wednesday issued new restrictions on the county’s beaches, restricting their use between 11am and 5 pm starting on Saturday. The new restrictions came after hordes of people crowded the beaches and ignored social distancing rules...

WPD aims to recruit more women

Nationwide, less than 15 percent of police officers are women, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and in Watsonville, that number is even lower.

Cabrillo offering free tuition for first-time students

Known as the "Cabrillo College Promise," the college is offering, for the first time, a free year of tuition for any graduating senior from a Santa Cruz County high school.

Teacher arrested for child sex crimes

SAN LORENZO VALLEY—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday arrested a Felton man for several counts of lewd acts with children. Michael Henderson, 51, was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail. Henderson is a teacher at San Lorenzo Valley High School...

Man killed in suspected drive-by shooting in Santa Cruz

SANTA CRUZ—A man was shot and killed as he sat in a car on the westside of Santa Cruz Tuesday afternoon. He has been identified as Juan Antonio Ruiz, 28, according to the Santa Cruz County Coroner’s Office.  The initial call to emergency dispatchers reported a...

PVUSD Student Trustee files complaint against fellow board member

Pajaro Valley Unified School District Student Trustee Daniel Esqueda filed a formal complaint against Trustee Oscar Soto on Oct. 25 for remarks the latter made at recent board meetings. The Uniform Complaint Procedure is in place in cases of “unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation or bullying...

Watsonville forms tie with Mexican city

While the majority of Watsonville's population is either from Mexico or has ties to it, the city did not, until Tuesday, have a sister city relationship within the country.

Poki Bowl now open in Aptos

Franchise specializes in Asian rice and salad bowls Rancho Del Mar shopping center in Aptos is celebrating the opening of a new restaurant. Poki Bowl, which originated in San Jose, offers an extensive menu of Asian rice and salad bowls, with a plethora of raw fish...

Monterey Bay Caterers up for sale as owner rides into retirement

Monterey Bay Caterers ken schwan
WATSONVILLE—Monterey Bay Caterers, a long-standing business in the Pajaro Valley which operated as a catering business and a restaurant, is for sale. Owner Ken Schwan said a combination of things led to his decision. He’ll be 64 next month, and his recent motorcycle crash that...
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Photo story: Proposition 50 on ballot, polls open for election day

A group of abut a dozen people wave their signs advocating for YES of Proposition 50 Monday on the Rio Del Mar over-crossing to...