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WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville bade goodbye to three outgoing members on Tuesday, two of them longtime leaders with decades of combined experience between them.  Lowell Hurst and Rebecca Garcia served for years on the council, including stints as mayor. Francisco “Paco” Estrada was elected in...

Watsonville Police search for two men who jumped out of this Honda sedan late Friday on the Pajaro River levee. The incident began at 9:15pm on Locust Street when police tried to pull over the car with two men aboard. The driver failed to...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County will hire a company to handle the permitting process for residents rebuilding homes damaged or destroyed in the CZU August Lightning Complex fires.  The County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved the plan to hire Pleasanton-based engineering firm 4Leaf, Inc....

Tarmo Hannula: The Pajaronian debuted our lifestyle magazine, Pajaro Valley, on Friday. Give it a look. ••• Tarmo Hannula: I’ve noticed gas prices edging down over the past few weeks. Regular was $3.55 a gallon on Soquel Avenue Thursday in Santa Cruz. On Friday on 41st...

NOTE: Part of this story was written by reporter Tarmo Hannula. While some Watsonville restaurants have remained open since the countywide shelter-in-place order went into effect over two months ago, many have taken their time adjusting to the industry’s changing landscape. This includes two Watsonville mainstays:...

A Watsonville firefighter helps clean up the scene of a two-vehicle crash on East Lake Avenue at Blackburn Street Thursday night. Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said Margarito Martinez-Garcia, 19, was traveling westbound in a Honda Accord at 7:20pm when he plowed into the...

Santa Cruz County fared well in an air quality report released Wednesday, which state officials say is a testament to California’s stringent environmental laws.

Surprised that federal health officials would this quickly recommend fully-vaccinated people can ditch their masks, Santa Cruz County health officials at a Thursday press conference said unvaccinated county residents will have to eventually walk a “tightrope” when deciding when it is safe to leave...

SANTA CRUZ—The man who gunned down a rival gang member and killed a 4-year-old girl in the crossfire nearly six years ago was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive terms of life without parole in state prison. Michael Escobar, 36, also received more than 12 years...

Hundreds of people gathered along Soquel Avenue in Aptos Sunday for the annual World’s Shortest Parade, which returned from a one-year hiatus.