News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Between June 1 and Aug. 15, law enforcement officers throughout Santa Cruz County responded to 577 calls involving mental health crises, according to a report released Dec. 14 by the Criminal Justice Council of Santa Cruz County (CJC). The report delves into the...

SANTA CRUZ—Meals on Wheels of Santa Cruz County (MOW) has received a temporary reprieve, seven months after receiving an eviction notice from Live Oak School District. The organization has been operating out of the Live Oak Senior Center—which the school district owns—since 1977. While the eviction...

WATSONVILLE—Chevrolet of Watsonville took a giant step up in the world of auto mechanics last week as one of their mechanics, Richard Shephard, was awarded a World Class Technician status award by officials from General Motors and Chevrolet. “There’s a lot of time, a lot...

PAJARO—Scores of volunteers were on hand Monday morning at Marinovich Cold Storage in Pajaro, preparing to hand out gifts to hundreds of local families at Casa de la Cultura’s annual Christmas giveaway. The Casa de la Cultura organization aims to support low-income residents, especially farmworkers,...

WATSONVILLE—A 23-year-old man was arrested late Saturday night after he led police from multiple agencies on a low-speed chase around Watsonville and Pajaro. The string of events started around 7:35pm when Watsonville Police got a call regarding a possible carjacking at gunpoint in the McDonald’s...

ABOVE: Silvia Ignacio is joined by Regina Acosta, 6, and Mateo Acosta, 8, on Carey Street Wednesday during the City of Watsonville Santa Tour. Riding abroad a 1967 Crown fire truck driven by former Watsonville Fire Capt. Matt Ryan, Santa and several leaves and...

In 2017, Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW) and the City of Watsonville received a joint grant from the California Department of Fire and Forestry and the California Climate Investment Program. This boost of funding helped form WWW’s Forest and Climate Resiliency program, kickstarting a citywide...

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville bade goodbye to three outgoing members on Tuesday, two of them longtime leaders with decades of combined experience between them.  Lowell Hurst and Rebecca Garcia served for years on the council, including stints as mayor. Francisco “Paco” Estrada was elected in...

WATSONVILLE—A new wood-fired pizza restaurant recently opened in the East Lake Village Shopping Center. Sandwiched between the Villager bar and Carmona’s BBQ and Catering, Uncie Ro’s is the latest addition to the busy center. “We’re just happy to be able to open our doors to...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees closed its year Wednesday by swearing in four trustees, three existing members and one of them freshly elected in November. Olivia Flores took her seat after she and Daniel Dodge Jr. were sworn in by former...