News

SANTA CRUZ—Saying that “people were not willing to be governed anymore,” Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel on Thursday said the county’s daily beach restrictions will be removed starting Friday. Save for water sports, county beaches have been off-limits between 11am-5pm since late April....

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday took a look at the district’s use of police officers on high school campuses, an issue that has taken the forefront across the U.S. in the wake of several recent high-profile cases of...

WATSONVILLE—A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in a 2019 Watsonville case.  Casto Luna, 41, a transient, was found in the area of Ford and Kilburn streets in Watsonville and taken into custody on Monday, Watsonville Police said. WPD officers and detectives assisted the...

Ever since the countywide shelter-in-place order was put into effect in mid-March, Watsonville restaurants, coffeeshops and other establishments have been navigating a new frontier. While many closed their doors, others jumped head-first into the world of take-out and delivery. Now, as restrictions begin to loosen...

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 name...

WATSONVILLE—A 72-unit affordable housing project on Miles Lane off Freedom Boulevard is moving forward. The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday meeting unanimously approved the development, a joint project between MidPen Housing and Encompass Community Services that will reshape a 4.7-acre lot which has mostly...

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County Chief Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios told the Board of Supervisors Monday that it should spend $20 million in reserves to fill a deficit for the 2019-20 fiscal year caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. That move will be a sizable slice of...

Fireworks stands are now popping up around Watsonville in preparation for Fourth of July celebrations. • Summer officially started Saturday with the summer solstice. I still marvel that the folks as long as 5,000 years ago knew about the solstice when they started the massive Stonehenge...

WATSONVILLE—What was anticipated to be a fight to save the city’s youth sports programs on Tuesday instead turned into a community call to slice into Watsonville Police Department’s $21 million budget in order to fund youth enrichment programs and social services. The Watsonville City Council...

WATSONVILLE—Every year on the outskirts of Watsonville, late summer brings the intoxicating aroma of fried food, along with the sweet summer cacophony of carnival rides, livestock and giant, jubilant crowds. But those voices will fall silent this year at the Santa Cruz County Fair, after...