Training day for the dogs
In an expansive meadow on the outskirts of Watsonville Monday, a group of police officers from several agencies gathered with their K-9 partners to take a brief ride on a helicopter.
Neighbors challenge Pajaro housing project
PAJARO—A group of Pajaro neighbors has filed a lawsuit against a developer, the County of Monterey and its Board of Supervisors, challenging an agricultural workforce housing project in Pajaro that would place 45 units on Susan Street, a dead-end road in the rural agricultural...
City reopens rebuilt Muzzio playground, all parks citywide
WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville celebrated two reopenings Friday, hosting a socially-distanced ribbon-cutting ceremony for the rebuilt Muzzio Park playground and removing some Covid-19 restrictions from its 26 parks.
A handful of community members joined City staff and Watsonville City Councilman Felipe Hernandez at Muzzio Park...
Watsonville Police Chief to retire in July
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Chief of Police David Honda will retire in July after serving five years as the city’s highest-ranking law enforcement official, he announced Thursday morning.
In a statement through the department’s social media, Honda said his time with Watsonville Police Department was a “privilege and...
Cabrillo Board appoints Martha Vega to fill vacant seat
WATSONVILLE—The Cabrillo College Board of Trustees on Monday unanimously appointed Martha Vega to fill the Area 5 seat left vacant when Felipe Hernandez was elected to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
“I’m grateful,” she said. “I am humbled and I’m honored and I...
‘Nuisance’ homeless camp on Airport Blvd. approved for clearing, cleanup
In a weed-strewn, vacant lot on Airport Boulevard Tuesday, Bryan Hilgeman was busy around his makeshift tarp dwelling where he lives, along with about 40 people in the unsanctioned homeless camp.
He says he’s been unsheltered since his wife died two years ago.
When the city...
Report: Covid-19 had bigger impact on Black, Latinx communities
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Covid-19 pandemic has had a disparate impact on communities nationwide, with Latinx and Black communities experiencing greater impacts than white ones.
That is according to a report heard Tuesday by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
The report, presented by Health Services...
Father’s Day event celebrates families
The 12th annual PAPÁS Father’s Day Celebration will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ramsay Park, 1301 Main St. in Watsonville.
Watsonville, Santa Cruz clearing homeless camps
Days after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order directing jurisdictions throughout the state to address the homeless camps within their borders—and about one month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that laws banning sleeping in public do not constitute cruel and unusual punishment—unsanctioned...
PVUSD trustees cut school employee, teacher positions
After the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees late Thursday night made sweeping cuts to 78 classified positions, newly appointed Board President...
