News

SANTA CRUZ—Service Employees International Union Local 521, the union representing the majority of Santa Cruz County workers, has called for a strike after a majority of employees voted in favor of the action. While saying that they are still willing to negotiate, union officials say...

AROMAS—In June of 2020, a horse named Rooster arrived at The BackStretch, a nonprofit ranch in Aromas that aims to provide a haven for abandoned, abused and neglected horses. The 16-year-old Quarter Horse had finally found his “forever home” after years of being a workhorse,...

WATSONVILLE—This Sunday the Tobera Project, a local initiative aiming to preserve and celebrate Watsonville’s Filipino history, will host a virtual film screening in commemoration of the anniversary of the 1930 Anti-Filipino Watsonville Race Riots. “A Dollar a Day, Ten Cents a Dance” is a portrait...

WATSONVILLE—A musical duo who also teaches in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District has been selected by an international competition to perform at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. Amalia Diaz and Camilo Ortiz have been playing together as “Camilo y Amalia” for...

APTOS—Students at Aptos Junior High School walked into their newly renovated multipurpose room on Feb. 22, and couldn’t help but jump around on the new, shiny hardwood floors of the space that incorporates a gymnasium and auditorium. “They were just super pumped,” said Aptos Junior...

WATSONVILLE—For decades the Pajaro Valley Historical Association (PVHA) has been collecting clothing, shoes, hats and other accessories to include in its extensive historical archive. Volunteers work to preserve, research and document every item that comes through the organization’s historic headquarters on East Beach Street, each...

WATSONVILLE—Since February, a small group of women has been hard at work, learning the detailed world of the beauty industry in Watsonville’s new—and Santa Cruz County’s only—cosmetology program. The new program began with just six students, although Watsonville/Aptos/Santa Cruz Adult Education Director Nancy Bilicich expects...

SANTA CRUZ—This Saturday, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History will host a special launch event for Watsonville is in the Heart's digital history archive. The new archive features oral history recordings, original documents and family artifacts that capture the rich history of Filipino...

WATSONVILLE—Gina Arnold knew for years that her father was an amateur artist. He would say that he went out to paint every weekend, and he had an office full of paints. He even sent out hand-painted Christmas cards every year. But Arnold had no idea...

Visitors file past various tables Thursday at the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture’s Spring Fling Business Expo and Job Fair. Held at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 82 businesses, organizations and agencies set up information tables to meet and greet the public,...