Law enforcement prioritizing education of Stay-At-Home orders over citations
CENTRAL COAST—Most counties throughout California have now imposed some version of stay-at-home orders, which consist of a series of requests and requirements by local leaders and are designed to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Dec. 3 said that new orders keeping...
Sheriff’s Office arrests 2, seize drugs, weapons and cash
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—An Aptos man has been arrested after a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team (SET) serving a search warrant found more than 12 pounds of heroin, 1 pound of methamphetamine and a loaded handgun in his residence.
The arrest came after...
Farmworkers worked despite positive Covid-19 tests for fear of job loss, study shows
CENTRAL COAST—Many Monterey County farmworkers are going to work despite testing positive for the novel coronavirus, and some of those laborers are doing so because they are concerned about losing their job, their pay or because their employer told them to.
That’s according to the...
Watsonville man faces manslaughter charges for throwing fatal punch
WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was arrested Dec. 9 after a man he punched during a fight died one week later.
Jose Figueroa Gonzalez, 30, is facing manslaughter charges for the Dec. 2 fight outside the Burger King restaurant on Main Street at Riverside Drive.
That night, officers...
Pedestrian killed in early morning Watsonville collision
WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man died early Tuesday morning when he was struck by a car as he walked along West Beach Street.
Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said the 42-year-old victim was walking partially in the westbound lane in front of Big Creek Lumber, 1400 W....
‘Good clean living’: Watsonville woman celebrates 101st birthday
WATSONVILLE—Gerry Kall on Friday celebrated her 101st birthday in Watsonville, the town she was born in.
Thanks to a gathering of relatives, friends, Katie Nuñez, Watsonville Senior Center’s older adult services supervisor, and a handful of folks who cheered out the window of the cars...
Author releases next installment in local mystery series
For the past decade, local author Joyce Oroz has steadily released volumes of her Josephine Stuart Mystery Series. And now the 12th book has joined the lineup.
“Lost and Bound” follows the series’ titular character, Josephine Stuart, as she investigates the death of a woman...
Lawsuit targets Harm Reduction Coalition
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A group of Santa Cruz residents filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Sacramento County Superior Court to stop the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County (HRC) from continuing its syringe services program.
Launched in 2018, the nonprofit HRC—and “harm reduction” programs in general—operate...
Bay Area region inches closer to stay-at-home order’s ‘trigger’
CENTRAL COAST—The Bay Area region designated in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s regional stay-at-home order is expected to fall below its baseline Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed capacity sometime this weekend, meaning several industries will face more restrictions put in place to curb the spread of...
Watsonville man arrested on attempted murder charges
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville police on Thursday arrested a Watsonville man for a stabbing in late November that they say left his victim in critical condition.
Angel Fernandez, 24, was charged with attempted second-degree murder. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail,...
New leadership, shared priorities: Investing in the future of public safety
As we begin a new year, I want to reflect on the direction of public safety in Watsonville and the leadership helping guide that...
