News

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville police arrested a 19-year-old man for allegedly shooting and killing a man who officers say was his “friend” on Jan. 7. Ricardo Garcia was taken into custody on the 1400 block of Freedom Boulevard on Feb. 12. Watsonville Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz Gives, the digital giving movement founded by the Pajaronian’s sister publication Good Times and Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, is close to hitting its goal this holiday season. The campaign raises money for various nonprofits across the county which support...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—In a 6-6 vote, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) on Thursday narrowly rejected a business plan for the design, construction and operation of a passenger rail line along the 32-mile stretch from Davenport to Pajaro, which could mean, at...

WATSONVILLE—The art of Juan R. Fuentes, a Watsonville High graduate, is the feature of the latest Pajaro Valley Arts exhibit, “Resilience: Works of Strength and Dignity 2023.” The body of over 50 works in woodcut, linocut, linocut/screenprint and screenprint—plus more than two dozen posters—spans Fuentes’...

SANTA CRUZ—A man and a woman were arrested Friday for a host of charges, from possession of a stolen firearm and probation violation to child endangerment. George Rivera, commander of the Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team’s Gang Task Force, with the assistance of Santa Cruz...

The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday delayed a decision on changing the Project Labor Agreement (PLA) they have with local unions to perform large infrastructure projects, but not before a contentious hearing that packed the meeting chambers with union workers. The issue will return to...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees late Wednesday agreed to not pay an attorney fee racked up by trustee Georgia Acosta during a meeting on Jan. 29. In making the decision, the board agreed that Acosta, who was then board president, went...

"Try This" is a weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like. Johanna Miller Food: Ambrosia India Bistro Even though it’s been many years since Little India left the East Lake Village Shopping Center, I still miss having such a great,...

APTOS—Pajaro Valley Unified School District announced Wednesday it is closing Rio Del Mar Elementary School for two days after a person there tested positive for coronavirus. District officials are not saying what the person’s relationship to the school is. They were last at the school...

WATSONVILLE—Dozens of City of Watsonville employees, Watsonville residents, community organizers, elected leaders and nonprofit chiefs cycled through the Community Room at the Civic Plaza to welcome new city manager Rene Mendez on Wednesday evening. Mendez, who took over as the city’s chief executive on July...