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Watsonville
January 24, 2026

Owner of Nick’s TV leaves behind legacy

WATSONVILLE —  For more than 30 years Nicholas Diaz spent long workdays buried in the back of televisions and other broken appliances. He was living his dream of being a neighborhood repairman. That dream came to a horrific close Sept. 1 when he died in a car...

Students, teachers demand PVUSD board revisit ethnic studies vote

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees will revisit a decision from last September not to renew a contract with an organization that helps teachers deliver ethnic studies curriculum, which now used in the district’s three comprehensive high schools. That discussion will occur...

Sex offender arrested for allegedly soliciting sex from young boys

Edgardo DeJesus Castro
LAS LOMAS—The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 54-year-old Las Lomas man for allegedly soliciting sex from two young boys in north Monterey County. Two boys, ages 7 and 11, said that a man who called himself Rene had asked them to perform oral...

Council to consider 150-unit housing project

The Watsonville City Council will consider approving a project Tuesday that would add 150 housing units off of Ohlone Parkway.

Santa Cruz police evict homeless campers

SANTA CRUZ—Dozens of homeless people were roused by police officers in their tents early Friday morning at Phoenix Camp, the unsanctioned encampment behind the Gateway Plaza at River Street and Highway 1 in Santa Cruz. The message was clear: the residents were trespassing on city-owned...

Substitute teacher no longer employed after racist rant

A longtime Pajaro Valley Unified School District substitute teacher is no longer working with the district after an expletive-laden, racist rant following a fender-bender was posted to TikTok on Monday. PVUSD interim Superintendent Murry Schekman did not name the teacher, and did not confirm that...

Watsonville residents warned of possible flooding

WATSONVILLE—Santa Cruz County has issued a flood advisory for three evacuation zones along Corralitos and Salsipuedes creeks. The Pajaro River is not at risk of flooding, County officials say. The warning is in effect for zone PAJ-E026, which is north of Wagner Avenue, south of...

A world of color: Watsonville Brillante celebration this weekend

The towering mosaic work known as Watsonville Brillante adorns the side of the six-story asking structure on Rodriguez Street in downtown Watsonville. Work is underway to complete the 10th and final phase of the five-year project to set the stage for a ribbon-cutting street party...

Rancho Del Mar project approved

The Santa Cruz County Zoning Administrator on Friday approved a series of renovations at the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center, a decision that will allow the project to begin.

Local emergency extended, Koenig sworn in to Board of Supervisors

Manu Koenig Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to extend the emergency declarations that came in the wake of the CZU August Lightning Complex fires. The County first proclaimed a local emergency related to the fires on Aug. 19...
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Letters to the Editor, Jan. 23–29

Passenger rail price estimates too high One can never convince  me that restoring the Santa Cruz Branch rail line for passenger rail would cost an...

Alliances in turmoil

Boys To Men