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Watsonville
October 8, 2025

Watsonville man gets 25 years for sex crimes, human trafficking

A Watsonville man was sentenced to 25 years and 8 months in state prison for human trafficking, sexual assault and drug crimes, Santa Cruz County District Attorney, Jeffrey Rosell announced Monday. Luis Alberto Salas pleaded no contest on Aug. 29 to multiple counts of human...

Cabrillo, UC Santa Cruz launch first-of-its-kind joint student housing project

In about two years, UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College officials plan to open a student housing complex that is expected to revolutionize the way local students live and attend school, and how they pay for their living space. A group of educators, elected officials...

Ditch your car for ‘Week Without Driving’

Every day, roughly 100,000 vehicles travel along Highway 1 through Santa Cruz County, a staggering number that is evidenced by daily rush-hour backups that can last for hours. That’s to say nothing of the often packed surface roads. That contributes to air pollution and global warming,...

Watsonville City Council passes homelessness act

The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed the city’s Homelessness Action Plan, a 46-page list of ways in which the city hopes to address an issue that is plaguing communities throughout the U.S.  Deputy City Manager Nick Calubaquib said that many of the items...

The illuminated forests at Roaring Camp

A lighted stroll beneath giant old-growth redwoods is now on the list of things to do at Roaring Camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  In addition to the lengthy list of events such as their Father’s Day Barbecue, Mother’s Day Brunch, the Moonlight Dinner Train...

Honoring cannery workers on 40th anniversary of strike

Four decades ago, a group of stalwart cannery workers—mostly women—staged a 18-month strike against two companies they believed were exploiting them.  In doing so, they cemented their place in history as having led the largest strike in U.S. history, a successful David-and-Goliath standoff that is...

County earns Clean California Community designation

About three years ago, the Pitch-In Initiative was created with a singular mission: to make Santa Cruz the cleanest county in California. That mission was realized Tuesday, when the County of Santa Cruz announced its designation as a Clean California Community, a recognition that “highlights...

Community clean-up targets trash one neighborhood at a time

City and county officials teamed up with community volunteers Thursday morning on a two-hour trash roundup along Westridge Drive as part of ongoing community clean-up efforts by the office of Supervisor Felipe Hernandez. Armed with trash pinchers, buckets and bags, about two dozen people, including...

Man arrested for sexual assault of a child

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A Santa Cruz man known for coaching Pop Warner football in Santa Cruz was arrested Tuesday for an alleged sexual assault involving a minor. Christopher John Weekes, 32, was charged with lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14, oral copulation with a minor...

KION News shutters after 56 years

KION News abruptly shut down its news department Tuesday after 56 years on the air, an employee told The Pajaronian. According to Managing Editor & Anchor Jeanette Bent, the news team had just wrapped up their morning editorial meeting in their Salinas office when corporate...
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County taps Nicole Coburn as new CEO

The County of Santa Cruz on Wednesday named Nicole Coburn as its new Chief Executive Officer, just over three-months after Carlos Palacios announced his...