54.8 F
Watsonville
December 30, 2025

Two bodies pulled from sunken vehicle in Moss Landing Harbor

MOSS LANDING—Two women died after their car plunged into the water of Moss Landing Harbor sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victims as Maria Vanessa Carrango, 35, and Esther Monique Espinoza, 28, both of Salinas....

Cabrillo College administrator charged with embezzlement

Paul De La Cerda
A high-ranking administrator at Cabrillo College has been charged with embezzlement by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Paul De La Cerda, the current Vice President of Instruction at Cabrillo, faces one felony count of misappropriation of government funds, and another felony count of...

Watsonville couple seriously injured in suspected DUI crash on Freedom

Watsonville dui crash
CORRALITOS—A man and a woman of Watsonville were seriously injured on Dec. 17 in a head-on crash between two pickups on Freedom Boulevard. California Highway Patrol officer Alyssa Gutierrez said Levi Barnard, 39, of Watsonville, was driving a white 2018 GMC Sierra Denali pickup west...

Judy Doering Nielsen, a former Mayor and prolific volunteer, dies

Judy Doering Nielsen
WATSONVILLE—Judy Doering Nielsen’s love for the Watsonville community led her to become thoroughly entrenched in its inner workings, from its history to its politics to its people. She served as Watsonville Mayor and President of the Pajaro Valley Historical Association (PVHA), in addition to a...

County health officials say cloth masks are ‘no longer preferred’ option

mask recommendations
Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel said that residents should try to move away from using single-layered cloth face masks and instead seek out medical or surgical masks that have been more effective in slowing the spread of Covid-19. This includes N95, KN95...

Community responds to recent uptick in violence

Watsonville shooting
WATSONVILLE—Two people were shot and killed in a span of just more than 48 hours in Watsonville, raising concerns about an uptick of violence in Santa Cruz County’s southernmost city. Watsonville police are investigating the shooting deaths of 19-year-old Fancisco Mora and 30-year-old Octavio Varela...

Watsonville Covid-19 testing site now open to all area residents

Watsonville covid-19 testing
WATSONVILLE—The Covid-19 community testing site at Ramsay Park in Watsonville is now open to all residents of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. First opened to frontline healthcare workers, first responders and employees working in essential services and roles, the site will now test everyone, including...

PHOTOS: E.A. Hall opens new field

E.A. Hall field
The mascot at E.A. Hall Middle School gets support from the school cheerleaders Thursday in a celebration of the opening of the school's new athletic field. City and school dignitaries took turns at the podium to pay thanks to those that helped complete the...

A new start in Aptos for Freedom Tattoo

Grand opening event planned for March.

County merges Public Works, Planning

Santa Cruz County
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to integrate the Planning and Public Works departments, a move officials say will streamline services and improve customer service. Officials will immediately begin creating the new department, called Community Development...
7,695FansLike
4,949FollowersFollow
2,895FollowersFollow

Letters to the Editor Dec. 31-Jan. 6

PVUSD board was right to make cuts when they did Brandon Diniz has written an impassioned guest Sentinel editorial; but he left out details on...