News

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville artist Guillermo Aranda sat in his second-floor studio on West Lake Avenue last week working on a new painting of a heron. The unfinished work was spread out on a table covered with various paints, sketches and several drafts of birds in flight—one...

Watsonville police are warning residents to be on the lookout for credit card skimmers, devices often installed on gas pumps by criminals to steal credit card information. According to Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido, five of the devices were found Tuesday on pumps at East...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The shelter-in-place order issued Monday by Santa Cruz County officials applies to most residents, requiring them to stay home except to engage in – or work for –  services deemed essential. Violation of the order is a misdemeanor that can bring fines or...

WATSONVILLE—This Saturday, Watsonville’s Arte del Corazon and Turtle Heart Events & Productions will bring a lineup of local and nationally-known Chicano and Latin musicians to perform at Romo Park in downtown Watsonville. The lineup includes Momotombo SF, featuring former members of Malo and Santana;...

Measure M, which will raise millions of dollars for construction, rebuilding and maintenance projects at each of Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s 35 schools has passed, and officials are starting to make plans for the money. As of Friday, the measure garnered 57.5% of the...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A Watsonville man wanted on suspicion of attempted homicide for a drive-by shooting in Live Oak was arrested Monday in Idaho. Patrick Diaz, 29, was taken into custody for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 13 shooting of a man on Soquel Drive...

Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies on Friday arrested a Pajaro man for the murder of Watsonville resident Jesús Alfonso Duarte Figueroa, whose body was found buried along the Pajaro River levee in April. Bernardino Rickie Sanchez, 61, was booked into Monterey County Jail in lieu of...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Author Buzz Anderson always dreamed of writing the great American novel. Born in San Jose and then moving with his family to Capitola, Anderson has remained in Santa Cruz County for most of his life, attending local public schools, Cabrillo College and UC...

WATSONVILLE—The booming explosions and aerial displays that typically ring in celebratory moments, have become a noisy plague on Watsonville residents who are calling on city government to step up its enforcement of illegal fireworks and possibly outlaw the sale of the ‘safe-and-sane’ variety. Watsonville Mayor...

By JAKE PIERCE, Santa Cruz Good Times News Editor SANTA CRUZ—For the second month in a row, a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office jail official has been arrested for improper sexual relations and other charges. Detectives arrested 35-year-old Correctional Officer Jenna Baldwin on Oct. 4 at...