News

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday meeting declared the vacant Kmart property a public nuisance, citing “illegal camping, lack of sanitation, inoperable or abandoned vehicles, excessive noise,” and a “violation of the City’s zoning laws.” The declaration gives the City the right to remove...

SEACLIFF—The new Seacliff Skate Park opened Saturday in Seacliff Village Park.  The park is nestled in a curving section of McGregor Drive at Canterbury Drive and beside the State Park exit from Highway 1. It features “skateable art,” features a view of the Monterey Bay...

MID-COUNTY—A plan to consolidate two Mid-County fire districts took a step forward Wednesday when nobody from the community registered a complaint. Efforts to consolidate Aptos-La Selva Fire Protection District and Central Fire Protection District began in 2019. Fire officials say the move will help departments...

WATSONVILLE—Two minors and a 20-year-old man have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the October 2021 murder of 21-year-old Abel Ruiz. Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said deputies arrested Juan Carlos Almaraz Rios and two other suspects, who are not being...

Santa Cruz County officials on Friday cut the ribbon on the first new park to open in South County’s unincorporated region in decades. The 38.5-acre Valle del Pájaro (Valley of the Birds) County Park, under the mantle of Department of Parks, Open Space and Cultural...

Pajaro Valley Arts’ 14th annual “Sculpture Is: In the Garden” exhibit will return to Sierra Azul Nursery and Gardens on July 1. It will be the organization’s first in-person exhibit since the countywide shelter-in-place order prompted the closure of its indoor gallery on Sudden Street...

A 5-year-old boy was seriously injured Tuesday morning.

SOQUEL—The County of Santa Cruz is searching for an artist to create a new public art piece for the Heart of Soquel multi-use parkway. Jason Hoppin, Communications Manager of the County of Santa Cruz, said the Heart of Soquel Plaza County Park links a walking...

Esther Herrera and Pedro Juarez enjoy dancing Friday at the Watsonville Senior Center as part of the center's celebration of Mexican Independence Day.

In the coming years, as the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors oversees more than 30 departments under their jurisdiction, they will have to grapple with increasing numbers of natural disasters spurred by climate change, as well as homelessness and the housing crisis, and...