News

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District will return School Resource Officers (SROs) to Watsonville and Aptos high school campuses, and pair them with mental health workers. The district’s Board of Trustees approved the plan after a late-night special meeting with hours of impassioned public testimony inside...

Weather forecasters are warning of strong winds coming later this week. With the wave of wildland fires that have plagued California for weeks, firefighters are keeping a wary eye on the change in weather, which will also usher in bumped up temperatures as well....

WATSONVILLE—After years of playing sports on an aging field pitted by gopher holes and rutted by time, students at E.A. Hall Middle School will soon get a new playing field. The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on June 9 approved hiring a...

A jury on Tuesday found that Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra committed sexual battery and lewd and lascivious acts on a minor in his Los Angeles apartment 19 years ago. The jury also found that Dutra is liable for damages from the emotional and mental...

A 19-year-old Watsonville man was arrested Thursday after an underage girl told police he had been sexually abusing her for several years.

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville is searching for someone to take over the management of Pinto Lake City Park. The Parks and Recreation Department on Aug. 14 released a request for proposals (RFP) for the 8.5-acre lakeside park off Green Valley Road. The City is looking...

SANTA CRUZ—REI, an outdoor retail business with 168 stores in 39 states, plans to open a location in Santa Cruz, the company announced on Feb. 18. The 22,622-square-foot store will be located at 1660 Commercial Way, the giant warehouse that formerly held Toys “R” Us....

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville City Councilman Aurelio Gonzalez on Tuesday announced his resignation from his District 2 seat because of a family emergency. In a letter emailed to reporters, Gonzalez said that because of “family circumstances” he would no longer “be able to perform my duties in representing...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to send a letter to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission demanding it not split Watsonville from its fellow Santa Cruz County cities in the upcoming congressional redistricting. The letter, penned by outgoing Mayor Jimmy Dutra,...

WATSONVILLE—A prescribed burn that got out of hand near the southern border of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties has scorched at least 150 acres as of late Friday, the Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit (CZU) said. Cal Fire CZU at 8:41pm said...