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Watsonville
December 3, 2025

Briefs: Meetings to discuss proposed fire district assessment; healthcare program deadline nears

pajaro valley fire logo
Meetings to discuss proposed fire district assessment Property owners in the Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District are being asked to vote on a new assessment to maintain the Fire District’s current services and operations. According to the district, this measure will help to ensure adequate staffing...

Abandoned structure catches fire on Freedom Blvd.

Watsonville firefighter Aaron Netzel sprays water on a fire in an abandoned structure on the 1900 block of Freedom Boulevard at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Second Harvest calls in National Guard to help with distribution

WATSONVILLE—Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County has a message for the community: the California National Guard members stationed there are not there to protect food supplies, and they are not there to enforce the statewide shelter-in-pace order. And they are not there for...

Watsonville’s Crystal Bay Farm opens annual pumpkin patch

For more than 20 years, Crystal Bay Farm owners Lori and Jeff Fiorovich have offered the Pajaro Valley community a homegrown harvest tradition. Every October, the couple transforms their farm into a family-friendly pumpkin patch, where people can come and pick out the perfect pumpkin,...

PV trustees approve evaluation tool, superintendent contract

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a plan to use a specialized assessment tool to help teachers better focus their math lessons where students need it.

Community Bridges worried about funding reductions

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors will consider allocating some $5.8 million to dozens of social services and programs countywide over the next three years. This includes just over $770,000 for United Way’s Cradle to Career, $436,221 for Meals on Wheels and $241,680...

County supervisors move to streamline rebuilding process

czu august lightning complex fire
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday set the stage for a streamlined process for rebuilding the homes and other structures damaged in the CZU August Lightning Complex fire. The item was part of the consent agenda and therefore garnered no...

Educator, leader, friend: Willie Yahiro dies at 84

Willie Yahiro was a Watsonville High School graduate whose love for his community inspired him to make his life and career here. He spent nearly three decades as a Pajaro Valley Unified School District trustee and ran his successful eponymous insurance company for years. Yahiro...

Watsonville Community Hospital CEO leaves post

Steven Salyer watsonville hospital
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Community Hospital CEO Steven Salyer has left his post, and the board that oversees the hospital will meet on March 22 to discuss how his replacement will be chosen. In a letter to employees on Monday, Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Board President John Friel...

Students help spruce up Struve Slough

The organization responsible for keeping Watsonville’s wetlands healthy joined forces with city officials  and a herd of volunteers Saturday to spruce up the Struve Slough trail. Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW) Director Jonathan Pilch said the effort included planting 15 coast live oak trees and bringing...
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K9 officer helps find loaded handgun; man arrested

A man was arrested late last month on multiple felony charges after he ditched a loaded gun and ran from Capitola Police. The incident began...