News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s detectives on Wednesday identified Patrick Diaz, 29, as a suspect in a Jan. 13 shooting that occurred on the 2500 block of Soquel Drive in Live Oak. Daniel Anthony Tostado, 19, of Watsonville, was arrested on Feb. 16 in...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the Downtown Complete Streets Plan, a $27 million project that proposes sweeping changes to the corridor’s structure. The plan presented at Tuesday’s meeting included the much-debated lane reduction on Main Street, which the public was strongly opposed...

MOSS LANDING—The Elkhorn Slough Foundation recently acquired a key wetland property along Moro Cojo Slough, a major tributary of the larger Elkhorn Slough.  The 34-acre tract expands the foundation’s holdings in that area to 450 acres. The foundation has protected more than 4,200 acres of...

WATSONVILLE—In early February of 2020, the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture held its Annual Awards Dinner. It was one of the last major events in South County before the pandemic shut things down six weeks later. The dinner returns this year on July...

SANTA CRUZ—The man who gunned down a rival gang member and killed a 4-year-old girl in the crossfire nearly six years ago was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive terms of life without parole in state prison. Michael Escobar, 36, also received more than 12 years...

WATSONVILLE—A candidate for Watsonville City Council is calling for Councilwoman Ari Parker to resign for abuse of power after she challenged his standing as a teacher on his candidate statement, and asked City officials to scrub his designation. But Parker is saying that she...

Two men stopped for a traffic violation Saturday morning were arrested after police found a loaded gun, a high-capacity magazine and additional ammunition.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) recently announced nearly $1.4 million in Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to expand local Covid-19 vaccination efforts. Funding will support health centers across the congressional district to administer updated COVID-19 vaccines. Salud Para La Gente...

UPDATE (Oct. 27, 10 a.m.): PG&E has established the following locations to provide residents power, water and information. People can charge phones and powered medical devices between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The centers will stay open until power is restored.  • Siltanen Park next to...