77.2 F
Watsonville
February 28, 2026

County moves to oppose all sexual predator placements

Santa Cruz County predator
After a significant portion of the Bonny Doon community mobilized to try to keep a man who raped a 21-year-old woman in the 1980s from moving to town, Santa Cruz County is now seeking changes to California law, so it can have additional tools...

E.A. Hall field renovation moves ahead

EA Hall field
WATSONVILLE—After years of playing sports on an aging field pitted by gopher holes and rutted by time, students at E.A. Hall Middle School will soon get a new playing field. The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on June 9 approved hiring a...

County Supervisors ban ‘discriminatory reports’ to law enforcement

Santa Cruz County
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance that prohibits so-called “discriminatory reports” to law enforcement, and allows victims to seek financial compensation when it happens to them. Discriminatory reporting was brought to public light in 2020, when...

Santa Cruz County Fair a ‘roaring success’

The 2023 Santa Cruz County Fair wrapped up Sept. 17 with greater attendance than years past. From monster trucks and pig races to LEGO models, homemade quilts, original paintings, bonsai trees, antique tractors, live music, poodle shows and giant pumpkins, the fair unfolded under...

Dragon archway honors former Santa Cruz Chinatown

San Lorenzo footbridge on Front Street in Santa Cruz
SANTA CRUZ—As a crane hoisted four sections of a large mosaic-covered water dragon into place Sunday atop a colorful concrete gateway at an entryway to San Lorenzo Park, new life was pumped into a forgotten chapter of Santa Cruz history. Renamed the Chinatown Bridge by...

City Council solidifies new development fee for public art

The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday night meeting solidified its decision to implement a new fee on development projects that would fund the arts in Watsonville. Soon, developers seeking to create commercial and residential projects will have to pay 0.75% of their project’s valuation,...

Spirit of Watsonville parade photos

Photos from the 2019 Spirit of Watsonville parade.

Teen causes four-vehicle crash, then flees

Watsonville Police investigate a four-vehicle crash on South Green Valley Road Tuesday morning. Michelle Pulido, spokeswoman for Watsonville Police, said an unlicensed teen male was traveling southbound on Green Valley in a Ford F350 pickup around 10:30am when he plowed into a Ford F150...

Leaders celebrate Pajaro River Levee funding

pajaro river levee mark strudley alex padilla luis alejo zoe lofgren jimmy panetta
WATSONVILLE—Within the next two or three years, crews will begin work on rebuilding the Pajaro River Levee, giving 100-year flood protection to residents beset by years of devastating floods, and putting an end to a chapter in a South County story most would agree...

Vaccine clinics open to local students | News Briefs

santa cruz county vaccines
The Santa Cruz County Office of Education has partnered with the Santa Cruz Public Health Department to host several student Covid-19 vaccination clinics for local students. The clinics got underway Monday at Sequoia High School in Watsonville and Branciforte Middle School in Santa Cruz. Two...
7,695FansLike
4,949FollowersFollow
2,895FollowersFollow
Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah addresses about 150 high school students at the start of the Santa Cruz Countuy Youth Civics Summit at Cabrillo College.

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...