News

WATSONVILLE—After three closed session meetings the Watsonville City Council has not yet decided on who will lead the municipality in the interim after outgoing city manager Matt Huffaker leaves later this year. But Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra says that a decision could be near. “I think...

Guests at the annual Evening of Wine & Roses, a benefit for the Community Health Trust of the Pajaro Valley, check out auction items Saturday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. The three-hour event featured wine and beer tasting on top of finger foods...

WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville has taken its biggest step yet in making a commitment to address climate change locally. On Oct. 26, the City Council unanimously approved the 2030 Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP), aiming to make policy changes in order to cut emissions,...

WATSONVILLE—A man was arrested on Oct. 9 on suspicion of multiple counts of assault, including several counts against a peace officer. Watsonville Police Department Sgt. Mike Ridgway said a group of people experiencing homelessness aided police in tracking down Oscar Partido, 26, around 8am. He...

SOUTH COUNTY—Saying that the outages South Santa Cruz County’s rural residents have experienced “are not acceptable,” Pacific, Gas and Electric Company representatives told the public Thursday that they are currently adjusting equipment throughout the area in hopes of lessening the length and occurrence of...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville fire engine 4415—with lights flashing and sirens blaring—pulled up to a two-story building on Airport Boulevard Thursday afternoon, which had smoke pouring from an upper window. A group of firefighters quickly jumped out and got to work, donning breathing gear, unspooling hoses and releasing...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—About 80% of the roughly 75,000 Santa Cruz County voters who cast their ballots in Tuesday’s Gubernatorial Recall Election voted to keep Gov. Gavin Newsom in office, joining a loud statewide rebuke of what the governor called a “Republican power grab.” Though results...

APTOS—Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said during a community forum Thursday night that the two suspects who stabbed their 17-year-old classmate to death on Tuesday at Aptos High School were “gang-involved,” and that they will likely face gang enhancement charges from the District...

WATSONVILLE—The annual Summer Fun in Watsonville Outback Cutting competition is unfolding at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Around 280 horses arrived mid-week for the five-day event that drew folks from around California, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Cutting is a western-style equestrian competition where a horse and...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District high school and middle school students are encouraged to submit essays for the Mayor For The Day contest, which will give one student the chance to spend the day with Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra. In 2019, Yocelyn Gonzalez, then a...