Newsom’s budget focuses on Covid relief, allocates $90 billion to education
SACRAMENTO—California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday submitted his budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year to the State Legislature, a $227.2 billion package that prioritizes vaccines for all Californians, and gives $90 billion to K-14 education.
Newsom says that the state now has a $15 billion...
Watsonville High mural painted over during construction
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville High School community is reeling from the recent loss of a much-loved mural that graced a wall in the school’s cafeteria for more than three decades.
Construction workers refurbishing the cafeteria earlier this year painted over the wall after updating wiring and heating...
Watsonville not included in state’s vaccine equity plan
WATSONVILLE—No communities in Santa Cruz County qualify for the California Department of Public Health’s vaccine equity plan, which Gov. Gavin Newsom last week pitched as a way for the state to prioritize disadvantaged and Latinx communities that have seen a disproportionate impact from the...
Digital NEST expanding to Gilroy
WATSONVILLE—The Digital NEST during its first six years has seen impressive and steady growth in the number of young people that it serves and in the impact on the communities in which it is embedded.
Now, the nonprofit youth workforce development center headquartered in Watsonville...
METRO gets $20M CARES Act grant
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz METRO received a $20,560,417 federal grant on July 9 to help deal with the coronavirus crisis.
The money comes from the recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which directs the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
The funds target operating...
Gov. Newsom announces assistance for Covid-impacted businesses
SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced that the state will provide temporary tax relief for eligible businesses that have been impacted by Covid-19 restrictions.
Under the plan, taxpayers filing less than $1 million in sales tax receive an automatic three-month income tax extension. It also...
New leaders take reins on Santa Cruz County education boards
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Felipe Hernandez, who has served as a member of the Watsonville City Council since 2012, including a stint as mayor, has won the race for Cabrillo College Governing Board Trustee Area 5 against incumbent Leticia Mendoza.
As numbers rolled in on election night,...
Watsonville officials tackle coronavirus concerns as 3 more cases announced
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Since COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China in late December, healthcare professionals, elected leaders and everyday citizens around the world have been looking for answers and trying to unsnarl the constantly-changing situation.
There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries,...
Dinosaurs return to fairgrounds
While all dinosaurs went extinct millions of years before humans came onto the scene, about 50 will make an appearance this weekend at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.
St. Francis, Watsonville to meet for PCAL season opener | High...
St. Francis is hosting Watsonville this weekend for the anticipated start of Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division-North play.
The crosstown rivals will square off...