57.7 F
Watsonville
April 20, 2026

Photo: Delivering the Flame of Hope

Flame of hope Special Olympics
Collin Travers (from right), Saul Valadez and Juan Trujillo of the Watsonville Police Department join Robert Strong as he carries the torch in the annual Law Enforcement Special Olympics Torch Run in Watsonville Wednesday. Since 1981 the Torch Run, a global movement, has served...

Local elections see three major upsets

Santa Cruz county elections
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Record numbers of voters nationwide cast their ballots this year, all either hungering for change or hoping for status quo in what is possibly one of the most polarizing political climates in U.S. history. Locally, those numbers likely were a catalyst in driving...

Holidays around the corner | About Town

The folks at the Fairgrounds Foundation have teamed up with the Agricultural History Project this year to create the first-ever Holiday Lights Drive-Thru. The colorful, light-infused event is offered as an alternative to Christmas celebrations during the pandemic, where visitors won't have to get...

County voting in ‘unprecedented’ numbers

Santa Cruz County Elections
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—More than 116,000 of roughly 170,000 registered Santa Cruz County voters had already turned in their ballots by Tuesday afternoon, an “unprecedented” turnout for the coastal community according to County Clerk Gail Pellerin. “I've been doing this job since 1993 and I have...

Photo: Holiday tree delivered to Watsonville City Plaza

Watsonville holiday tree
A crew from Auto Care Towing of Watsonville hoists a 30-foot Aptos Blue pine tree into the Watsonville City Plaza Wednesday morning with an 80-ton rotator rig. The live tree came from Gilroy Gardens and, after holiday celebrations, will be planted in a local...

Bicyclist dies after striking parked vehicles

APTOS—A man that died Friday just past noon when his bicycle collided with two parked cars on the Esplanade at Rio Del Mar State Beach has been identified as Joshua Seinmore King, 48. California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said King was riding westbound on...

Dragon archway honors former Santa Cruz Chinatown

San Lorenzo footbridge on Front Street in Santa Cruz
SANTA CRUZ—As a crane hoisted four sections of a large mosaic-covered water dragon into place Sunday atop a colorful concrete gateway at an entryway to San Lorenzo Park, new life was pumped into a forgotten chapter of Santa Cruz history. Renamed the Chinatown Bridge by...

Rider takes lead for PVWMA seat

pvwma
WATSONVILLE—Stephen Rider had a slight 53% lead over John Kegebein for the Division B seat of the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency as of 9:50pm Tuesday. Rider works as Technology Implementation Regulatory Compliance Coordinator at his family’s company, H.A. Rider and Sons, a 72-year-old, Watsonville-based...

Hernandez maintains lead for Cabrillo Board seat

Cabrillo College
Editor's note: Updated results of this race can be found here. SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Felipe Hernandez, who has served as a member of the Watsonville City Council since 2012, including a stint as mayor, is maintaining a lead over incumbent Leticia Mendoza for Cabrillo College Governing...

Wall, Nichols, Acosta coming out ahead in COE races

Santa Cruz County Elections
Editor's note: Updated results of this race can be found here. SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Alyssa Wall has taken a large lead over opponent Brad Williams in the race for the seven-member Santa Cruz County Office of Education (COE) board Trustee Area 5. According to the votes...
7,695FansLike
4,949FollowersFollow
2,895FollowersFollow

Public defenders plan April 23 protest over caseloads, funding gaps

Public defenders in Santa Cruz County will join colleagues across California and the nation April 23 in a coordinated protest highlighting what they describe...