News

WATSONVILLE—“It’s been a crazy, crazy, crazy crazy year,” Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Daniel Dodge, Jr. said Wednesday, just before the board appointed trustees Kim De Serpa and Maria Orozco as President and Vice-President, respectively. They will hold the positions until December 2022. In addition...

WATSONVILLE—On an emotion-packed night that featured warm sendoffs for several city staffers, Ari Parker stepped in as Watsonville’s mayor during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. A lifelong Watsonville resident and an educator for more than three decades, Parker was sworn in by Assistant City Clerk Irwin...

WATSONVILLE—Scores of kids were treated to a free visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus Wednesday during the first of a three-day Santa Tour. “It felt so good to see Santa,” said Maria Navarro of Watsonville who showed up with her son, Christian Ramos. “This is...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville police officer who began his career with the agency as a cadet three decades ago has become the department’s newest police chief. Jorge Zamora was chosen after an extensive national search. “Through the process, Jorge demonstrated his in-depth knowledge and understanding of our community...

WATSONVILLE—About a dozen nonprofit leaders and community advocates asked the Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday meeting to address the city’s mounting homelessness issues that have been further compounded by a recent rainstorm. Among the concerns brought forth to the elected leaders: an increase in...

MONTEREY COUNTY—School districts across the U.S. were on alert Thursday after a challenge posted on the social media application TikTok urged followers to call in shooting and bomb threats to their schools on Friday. Students at North Monterey County High School were ordered to shelter...

WATSONVILLE—Santa Claus will be making an early appearance in Watsonville this week, visiting neighborhoods to spread some holiday cheer. The second annual Santa Tour, which began last year during the height of the pandemic, kicks off tonight and will make its way through more neighborhoods...

WATSONVILLE—“The Apple King,” a novel inspired by Watsonville’s Croatian community and its historic role in the region’s apple industry, recently won the Connecticut Author Project Award and will be featured in an issue of the national Library Journal publication. Author Barbara Anne King was born...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to send a letter to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission demanding it not split Watsonville from its fellow Santa Cruz County cities in the upcoming congressional redistricting. The letter, penned by outgoing Mayor Jimmy Dutra,...

In a unanimous decision, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) approved Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency’s (PV Water) water right application for the College Lake Integrated Resources Management Project. The approval, coming nearly four years after application submittal, means that PV Water will have...