News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The former Minneapolis police officer who was seen in a video killing a Black man by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes was convicted Tuesday on counts of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Derek Chauvin faces at least 12...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz Gives, an annual holiday fundraising campaign organized by Good Times (GT) and the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County (VSCC), is accepting donations through midnight Dec. 31. Choose from 40 local nonprofit organizations to donate to at santacruzgives.org. Each nonprofit has...

A man living in a homeless encampment in the Arana Gulch area was arrested Tuesday after he was found with illegal drugs, cash, police scanners and a passel of high-end stolen bikes totaling more than $30,000. Joshua Morris, 35, was charged with grant theft, possession...

Police responded to a shooting with multiple casualties at the Gilroy Garlic Festival July 28, according to sources.

The community is invited to celebrate Day of the Dead / Día de Muertos in Watsonville Plaza Oct. 27 from 4-9pm. It is a free event, produced by Watsonville Film Festival, filled with tradition and activities for the whole family. Watch the movie “Coco”...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday will discuss whether to censure trustee Georgia Acosta for several instances of misconduct during her time on the board. A censure does not remove an elected official, but instead, serves as a powerful condemnation...

WATSONVILLE—Ballots have now been mailed out to roughly 3,000 people who own property in the Pajaro River floodplain, and the fate of a $400 million levee restoration project is in their hands. They must decide whether they support a property tax assessment that will pay...

Santa Cruz County has withdrawn from an agreement with Pajaro Valley Regional Flood Management Agency (PRFMA) after the two disagreed on how to spend roughly $1 million in funds meant to address flood risk in South County. PRFMA is made up of the counties of...

WATSONVILLE—A new arts and culture hub will soon open in downtown Watsonville, acting as a home base for a number of longstanding organizations, education programs and more. Watsonville Center for the Arts, 375 Main St., is the culmination of decades of work by local groups...

More than 40 volunteers spent hours Saturday refreshing the massive Black Lives Matter street mural that is sprawled along Center Street in front of Santa Cruz City Hall. Traffic, weather, vandalism and wear-and-tear has left the five-year-old bright yellow mural faded and chipped. Painting the mural...