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January 2, 2026

Newsom announces meals for seniors program

SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced a plan to get meals to isolated older adults by paying the restaurant industry to prepare and deliver breakfast, lunch and dinner for them. The governor said the program was created to give a lifeline to seniors at home,...

WHS student earns top awards for landscaping skills

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville High School junior with a bright future in professional landscaping has earned top honors for his intimate knowledge of turfgrass management. Juan Herrera, 17, works for Watsonville-based K&D Landscaping as a turfgrass expert and manager.  A member of the Watsonville FFA chapter, Herrera is...

Cabrillo students wrestle with academic, economic uncertainty

By Jazmin Juarez, Special to the Pajaronian SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The coronavirus has brought many changes to people’s everyday lifestyle. Among them, the transition from in-person to online classes for students. In Santa Cruz County, Cabrillo College switched to online courses on March 16. The school has...

South County’s low COVID-19 count concerns immigrant advocates

agriculture covid-19
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville area has the lowest number of COVID-19 cases in Santa Cruz County, according to data from the county health department. There were 29 known COVID-19 cases in South County as of Wednesday, compared to 33 in North County and 45 in Mid-County. North...

District joins lawsuit against vaping giant

PVUSD
WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District has filed a lawsuit against e-cigarette company Juul Labs Inc. for its role in creating an epidemic among young people. The lawsuit, which includes 25 school districts throughout California, also blames the company for the resurgence of young people that...

Watsonville leaders rally to protect ‘vulnerable’ population

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Mayor Rebecca Garcia had a request during a conference call with Santa Cruz County leaders: don’t forget our Spanish speaking population. The longtime outspoken community activist now in charge of the county’s most densely populated city and largest Latino community pushed leaders to add...

Deadline to apply for local scholarship extended

WATSONVILLE—Local artist Jessica Carrasco created the Born and Raised in Watsonville Scholarship last year to support youth while spreading positivity about her hometown. And despite the outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent school closures this year, Carrasco is determined to continue that mission. That is why the...

Field view | Photo Gallery

Do you have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to [email protected] or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 14, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the...

PV Arts virtually opens new exhibit

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Arts has officially opened its newest exhibit, “Campesinos: Workers of the Land,” to view virtually on its website during shelter-in-place. The exhibit, curated by Gabriel J. Medina and Judy Stabile, celebrates the contributions of agricultural farmworkers, and has been in the works since...

County artist turns city street into colorful gallery

Santa Cruz County’s shelter-in-place order hasn’t put a lid on Santa Cruz artist Janas Durkee’s creative energy.  Recently the Pacific Coast Charter School art teacher took her skills out of her studio and onto the street, turning the sidewalk in front of her home into...
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County releases draft battery storage ordinance

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 13 will review proposed rules governing large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), which are expected...