Watsonville names new fire chief
The City of Watsonville has named longtime firefighter Corey Schaefer as its next fire chief following the retirement of Chief Rudy López.
Schaefer, a 27-year veteran of the Watsonville Fire Department, has served as acting fire chief since August and was selected after a recruitment...
CZU Complex fires have destroyed more than 500 structures; still 19% contained
Update (6am, Aug. 26)
The CZU August Lightning Complex fires have now stretched to 80,137 acres and destroyed 538 structures, nearly all of them in Santa Cruz County.
The Count of Santa Cruz on Tuesday established a damage assessment map that shows where structures have been...
Dead body found on Manresa Beach
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating after a woman’s body was found on Manresa Beach Friday morning.
Updated public safety sales tax going to Watsonville voters in 2020
WATSONVILLE—The half-cent sales tax that significantly boosted Watsonville’s public safety budget for seven years will return to voters next year.
When it will appear on the ballot, however, is still up for debate.
Watsonville’s City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an updated version of the public...
Community outreach lead quits Watsonville policing committee citing ‘dismissive’ behavior
WATSONVILLE—The person tasked with creating a bridge between the community and the city of Watsonville’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Policing and Social Equity resigned earlier this month.
Joy Flynn, a community activist who sits on the boards of various organizations in Santa Cruz County, says she...
Frustrations rise as Covid-19 again closes personal care businesses
WATSONVILLE—In the days leading up to the first countywide economic shutdown, Lona Martinez thought the possibility of a mass closure was a rumor sparked by those looking to scare the public.
“I thought it was a bunch of hype,” she said. “And then it happened...it...
Local florist a staple of Watsonville’s Certified Farmer’s Market
For a blast of bright colors, dazzling blooms and a cheerful smile look no further than the Ruvalcaba Nursery flower stand at the Watsonville Certified Farmer’s Market.
A century of wedding dresses: Pajaro Valley Historial Association opens new exhibit
The Pajaro Valley Historical Association (PVHA) is set to open a new exhibit showcasing the wedding dresses of local women from 1890 to 1990 at PVHA’s Bockius-Orr house.
PVHA board member Virginia Avila and office administrator Jodi Frensley spent more than 100 hours together curating...
RTC hopes ‘timeout’ from rail will ease deep tensions
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Hearing calls from fellow commissioners to take a “timeout” so that deep divisions between Santa Cruz County residents about the proposed 32-mile coastal rail trail can subside, a push during Thursday’s five-hour meeting to reconsider the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s...
Letters to the Editor, April 24-30
Keeping our eye on the Clock
My father, an Air Force fighter pilot, and our family, were stationed in Yokohama Japan in 1947 as part...
