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Watsonville
November 6, 2026

Supervisors to weigh emergency tax measure

The Santa Cruz County government building on Ocean Street. (Tarmo Hannula/Pajaronian file)
In a special meeting Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors will consider declaring a state of fiscal distress and asking voters to approve a temporary half-cent sales tax that county officials say is needed to offset steep federal funding cuts and protect...

Thousands fill Watsonville for Strawberry Festival

The annual Strawberry Festival drew scores of people Saturday, who browsed among merchandise sales booths, sampled from dozens of food vendors, rode rides, played games and watched live entertainment. 

 Stuff the Bus volunteers pack 2,500 backpacks for students

More than 150 volunteers gathered Saturday at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz with a simple mission: make sure thousands of Santa Cruz County students are ready to begin the school year. Working assembly-line style during the 17th annual Stuff the Bus Stuff-A-Thon, volunteers filled...

Three arrested in July 13 shooting

Three people have been arrested in connection with a July 13 shooting in Santa Cruz that investigators believe may be gang-related. The Santa Cruz Police Department announced Friday that detectives with its Investigations Bureau served search warrants in Santa Cruz and Watsonville as part of...

PVUSD school board race heats up

Several candidates running for a seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees for the November election met July 25 at a forum hosted by the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers.  Roughly 30 teachers attended, alongside several candidates for school board, including...

Exhibit on body art comes to PV Arts

Roberta Valdez shows a ceramic work by Britton McFetridge. Valdez is the curator of the current exhibit at PV Arts in Watsonville. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)
A new art exhibit is going up at PV Arts at the Porter Building in downtown Watsonville and runs from Aug. 4 through Sept. 19.  “Body Marking: Art, Ritual & Story” explores global practice of marking the body as a form of personal expression, cultural...

Pajaro Valley Golf Club celebrates 100th year

Alexander Wigginton (left) and Michael Kirihara work through a round of golf Wednesday at the Pajaro Valley Golf Club.(Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)
Eddie Duino was 8 years old the first time his father brought him to what was then the Watsonville Country Club. Nearly eight decades later, he still walks the fairways of the same Royal Oaks course, now known as Pajaro Valley Golf Club, teaching the...

Graniterock’s Algebra Academy welcomes 165

Algebra Academy teacher Nick Bugayong teaches the intricacies of math.
As a fifth-grader, Sofia Vasquez found math intimidating. That changed when her older sister began tutoring her. Her sister, now 15, had previously attended the Bruce W. Woolpert Algebra Academy, a free weeklong summer program that prepares students entering eighth grade for advanced math courses. This...

Rookie lifeguard who rescued 10-year-old boy to be honored at White House

Ryder Williams and another lifeguard help rescue a 10-year-old boy from the waves at Seabright Beach on July 25. (Scott Vander Dussen/@santacruznow)
A 16-year-old rookie California State Parks lifeguard who helped rescue a 10-year-old boy swept under by a wave at Seabright State Beach on July 25, has been invited to the White house to be honored. In a post on X, President Donald Trump praised Ryder...

Aztecas Youth Soccer Club unveils new clubhouse

Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeff Rosell, left, joins Aztecas Youth Soccer Academy founder Gina Castañeda, Chief Probation Officer Sandra Mendez, 1440 Multiversity co-creator Joanie Kriens, Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah, Ramon Gomez from Santa Cruz County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez’s office and Watsonville Police Chief Brian Shab in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Aztecas new clubhouse.
Christian Chavez was struggling with anxiety while attending Pajaro Valley High School and frequently refused to go. “I was just staying home,” he said. Christian, 15, was eventually placed at Sequoia High School, a smaller campus tailored for students struggling academically and emotionally. He also joined Aztecas...
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Mariner girls’ volleyball advances to D-III semifinals | CCS postseason roundup

The Aptos High girls’ volleyball team survived to play another day in the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs after getting past No. 6...