Measure L funds nearly spent as 10-year anniversary nears
WATSONVILLE—In 2012, voters within the Pajaro Valley Unified School District approved Measure L, a $150 million bond that has funded construction and rehabilitation projects at nearly every facility in the district.
And, one decade after its passage, the bond is drawing to a close.
According to...
Hangar complex continues growth despite Covid-19 setbacks
WATSONVILLE—It has been almost three years since Beer Mule, a taproom offering an extensive list of brews and food offerings, opened its doors inside of a restored WWII-era building at the Watsonville Municipal Airport.
That moment marked the birth of the Watsonville Hangar business complex,...
County refines transition plan for new public defender office
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to transition cases from the current public defender’s office to the newly minted Office of the Public Defender, which is slated to officially launch on July 1.
The new office...
PVUSD Trustees discuss proposed district alterations
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Jan. 19 took its first look at the ways the district’s boundaries could be redrawn during the decennial redistricting process.
During redistricting, jurisdictions use the recent census to see how their populations have grown over...
Man arrested on multiple sex crimes
WATSONVILLE—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday arrested a Watsonville man on numerous sex charges involving a minor.
Carlos Gomez Velasco, 39, has been charged with oral copulation with a minor, contacting a minor for sexual purposes, sexual battery and contributing to the delinquency of...
Two suspects arrested for shooting at CHP
SCOTTS VALLEY—The California Highway Patrol has arrested two people they say shot at a CHP officer Tuesday night in Scotts Valley.
Alexandria Luevanos, 41, of Berkeley, and Kristopher Payopay, 40, of Lathrop, were arrested after officers said they led them on a chase down Highway...
Work program aimed at homeless individuals continues growth
WATSONVILLE—The streets of Watsonville continue to get tidied up thanks to an ever-expanding group of people experiencing homelessness that bands together and hits the streets under the WatsonvilleWorks! program.
Founded in September 2019 by a group of human services leaders, the program has thus far...
Mother fends off, apprehends knife-wielding burglar
WATSONVILLE—A man who tried to burglarize a Watsonville residence Wednesday is in custody after a woman living there fought him off and held him there with the help of her teen children, Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said in a press release.
Salvador Leonor, 48,...
Council sides with restaurant owner in dispute with airport management
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council granted an appeal filed by a local restaurant owner that sought to overturn a decision from Watsonville Municipal Airport management to deny a lease transfer to a new restaurateur.
Airport Director Rayvon Williams in October of last year told Ella’s at...
Film screening to commemorate 1930 Watsonville Race Riots
WATSONVILLE—This Sunday the Tobera Project, a local initiative aiming to preserve and celebrate Watsonville’s Filipino history, will host a virtual film screening in commemoration of the anniversary of the 1930 Anti-Filipino Watsonville Race Riots.
“A Dollar a Day, Ten Cents a Dance” is a portrait...
Students learn the power of the vote at Civics Summit
On Friday, about 150 high school juniors from across Santa Cruz County cast their first ballots on three issues that, if passed, would dramatically...
