News

APTOS—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies issued misdemeanor citations at five mid-county businesses after employees allegedly sold alcohol or tobacco to minor decoys, Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Lansdowne said.  The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Alcohol and Tobacco Compliance Unit conducted the Nov. 7 decoy operation at...

WATSONVILLE—An additional evacuation center for Santa Cruz County residents fleeing the CZU August Lightning Complex fires opened Friday night at Lakeview Middle School in Watsonville. The center is a partnership between the County of Santa Cruz, the City of Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley Unified...

A dog that was shot Dec. 27 beneath the Main Street Bridge is on the mend and up for adoption, according to Watsonville Police. During surgery, Oso had to have his right front leg amputated. No arrests have been made in the incident that unfolded on...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday got a first look at how the County’s supervisorial districts could be redrawn as the decennial redistricting process nears its end. During redistricting, jurisdictions use the recent census to see how their populations have...

Dozens of nurses gathered outside Watsonville Community Hospital on Monday afternoon for a publicity picket, saying they want a contract that will allow them to attract and retain nurses, thus improving patient safety and care. “We want to advocate for a just and safe contract...

Two people were shot Saturday night in Pajaro, according to emergency dispatchers.

About 40 people gathered outside the CineLux Green Valley Cinema in Watsonville Friday to protest new regulations by the Department of Pesticide Regulation regarding 1,3-dichloropropene, also called Telone, a pesticide widely used in California. The event, sponsored by Safe Ag Safe Schools (SASS) and Future...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—In early November 2021, Meals on Wheels’ (MOW) congregate meal sites reopened to older adults across Santa Cruz County for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Staff and volunteers from MOW, a program of umbrella organization Community Bridges, combined their...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville police will start handing out fines to tenants and property owners for illegal fireworks if there is evidence that they were bought, sold or set off at the property, the department announced Tuesday. Before the move, an officer needed to catch someone in the...

SACRAMENTO—California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Dec. 30 released a plan under which schools could reopen as early as February. The plan, which streamlines the process of applying for a waiver to bring students back for in-person instruction, is bolstered by a $2 billion package of...