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Watsonville
November 28, 2025

Motorcyclist dies in Highway 17 crash

A San Jose man died in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 17 early Sunday morning. The California Highway Patrol said an unknown person was driving a gray 2012 Nissan 370Z at an undetermined speed northbound on Hwy. 17, north of Santa’s Village Road at 5:20am.  For...

PVUSD hires new public information officer

Pajaro Valley Unified School District has hired a new public information officer. Alejandro Chávez will serve as the intermediary between the public and media, and the district. According to a Facebook post, Chávez brings more than two decades of experience in public service, nonprofit management and...

Letters to the editor: Sept. 12-18

Thoughts on “The Cult of Trump” The political chaos is increasing and it's hard to make sense of, so I thought I would give you my perception of what’s happening. Ever since Bernie lost the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, I have been following...

Back to the Land: Open Farm Tours approaching

Twelve years ago, the first Open Farms Tours event was literally a washout. Held in early November at the Corralitos Women’s Center, the debut coincided with the heaviest rainstorm of the year. The 4-H animal zoo zone was mired in mud, music was canceled, and...

County supervisors wrap-up: nitrous oxide, changes at the Health Services Agency

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed an ordinance that would prohibit the sale of recreational nitrous oxide, and also made changes to lab services in the Health Services Agency. The supervisors agreed to outsource the Health Services Agency’s (HSA) laboratory services...

City Council approves contract for license plate reader cameras, adds 17 more

A close-up image of a Flock license plate reader.
The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday renewed the contract for 20 license plate reader cameras—and despite community opposition added 17 additional ones—for a $251,000, two-year contract. Council members voted 5-2 in favor of the new contract, with Mayor Maria Orozco and Councilwoman Vanessa Quiroz-Carter dissenting. The...

PVUSD trustees approve new CBO, $229K contract

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved the contract for a new Chief Business Officer. Gerardo Castillo will make $229,000 annually, along with a yearly $5,806 stipend for his Certified Public Accountant certification. In addition, he will get a 2.5%...

New shipping racks ease local rail

On Tuesday, a small group of railroad and warehouse officials from Chicago—and one from Felton—gathered in the S. Martinelli & Co. warehouse in Watsonville to watch as workers loaded a rail car with pallets full of apple juice and other products for an 8-day...

Briefs 9/11/25

Mexican Independence Day celebration The annual Mexican Independence Day Festival will take place in  downtown Watsonville Sunday from 11:30am-5pm Hosted by Fiestas Patrias, the festival will be opened by a traditional grito from the Consul General Neftali Said Perez Gonzalez, representing the Mexican Consulate in San...

County Fair swings open its doors

The Santa Cruz County Fair welcomed the public through its gates Wednesday at noon for the traditional mix of food, entertainment, arts and crafts, livestock shows, floriculture exhibits, collections, colorful home arts, food, agricultural and historical displays. Under cloudy skies and cool, breezy conditions, members...
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Man arrested for agriculture-related crimes

A Prunedale man was arrested Nov. 26 on suspicion of a lengthy list of agriculture-related crimes including theft of a tractor. On Oct. 22, deputies...