News

WATSONVILLE—Heavy-duty earth-moving equipment rumbled into gear at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds over the past week, reshaping a chunk of land at the Agricultural History Project to make way for the expansion of the Living History Farm. Situated near the entrance of the fairgrounds, the...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday meeting declared the vacant Kmart property a public nuisance, citing “illegal camping, lack of sanitation, inoperable or abandoned vehicles, excessive noise,” and a “violation of the City’s zoning laws.” The declaration gives the City the right to remove...

WATSONVILLE—This weekend residents will have the opportunity to ride on a clean-energy, accessible streetcar along a section of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line in Watsonville. Members of Coast Futura, an alliance of people from various other county organizations, organized the demonstration with Roaring Camp...

SANTA CRUZ—The four men who investigators say kidnapped and murdered a Pleasure Point man two years ago appeared in court Tuesday for the first day of their preliminary hearing. Stephen Lindsay, 28, Joshua Camps, 25, and brothers Kaleb and Kurtis Charters, 20 and 23, respectively,...

Emergency workers are shown at the scene of a solo-vehicle crash on Larkin Valley Road where the male driver was seriously hurt. California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said the man, who was in his early 30s, was traveling north on Larkin Valley Road...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra says he clearly remembers the light displays that once lined downtown every holiday season.  As a kid, Dutra would see the sparkling candy canes, snowflakes and more that adorned the street lights, poles and storefronts as he and his family walked...

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...

WATSONVILLE—City of Watsonville staff at Tuesday’s meeting will ask the Watsonville City Council to declare the vacant Kmart property a public nuisance, citing “illegal camping, lack of sanitation, inoperable or abandoned vehicles, excessive noise,” and a “violation of the City’s zoning laws.” If the City...

Santa Cruz County Public Health this week announced three additional deaths related to Covid-19. The three victims—a woman in her mid-60s who died on Sept. 3, another woman in her early 70s who died on Sept. 24 and a man in his early 90s who...

ROYAL OAKS—Congressman Jimmy Panetta was on the Central Coast Thursday, touting two pandemic assistance programs he helped pass that will benefit agriculture workers and the industries that employ them. The Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program will provide $650 million in grants to food...