News

WATSONVILLE—A man accused of shooting at several people outside of a Watsonville home was arrested within 10 minutes of the reported Saturday afternoon incident. Watsonville Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said Stephen Vitela, 23, fired several rounds at people outside of a home on the...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—With a continuing housing crisis on the horizon due to Covid-19, residents from nearly every background and region of the county are facing dire straits.  But perhaps the hardest hit have been farmworkers—many of whom were struggling long before the pandemic hit.  “ are...

Special events Fungus Fair (Jan. 11-12) Did you know that without fungus, we’d have no bread, cheese, beer or wine? Come to the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair to learn all there is to know about the fascinating world of mushrooms. The three-day event features hundreds of...

When artist Jessica Carrasco moved from her hometown of Watsonville to San Jose for college, she immediately noticed a prevalence of the iconic Santa Cruz Skateboards logo.

Workers with the City of Watsonville use a forklift and a dump truck to haul away thousands of sandbags from a lot on Bridge Street Tuesday. Chris Miranda of Neighborhood Services said sandbags can no longer be dropped off at the site. He said...

When Vanessa Quiroz-Carter and Maria Orozco were sworn in Tuesday as Watsonville’s mayor and vice mayor, it marked the second time in the city’s history that women held both top spots. The last time was in 2019, when Rebecca Garcia and Trina Coffman-Gomez served in...

WATSONVILLE—Three new officers began their new careers with Watsonville Police Department on Aug. 16, and are now in the early stages of WPD’s 6-month field training program. Francisco Felix, Jasmine Tirado and Johnny Miranda are now riding along with experienced officers as they learn their...

Hundreds of women—many attired in wide-brimmed hats festooned with flowers—gathered at Driscoll’s Driscoll’s Rancho Corralitos Thursday afternoon for the annual Down to Earth Women Luncheon. The luncheon is held to raise funds for Agri-Culture’s Focus Agriculture program, as well as the Jimmie Cox Memorial Scholarship...

PAJARO—On the same day that the City of Watsonville lifted its evacuation warnings and orders, residents of the town of Pajaro are questioning why the orders keeping them out of their homes still stand. The Main Street bridge over the Pajaro River was still closed...