Watsonville City Council approves changes to some cannabis rules
After a contentious meeting on Tuesday, a divided Watsonville City Council approved in concept several amendments to its retail cannabis ordinances, a move intended to ease the regulatory burden for a burgeoning industry already beleaguered by local, state and federal regulations.
City officials say the...
Watsonville Community Hospital owners abruptly ousted
WATSONVILLE—The company that purchased Watsonville Community Hospital two years ago—Los Angeles-based Halsen Healthcare—has been removed from a leadership role as of Jan. 18.
Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings will now run the hospital on an interim basis. The announcement came Monday via an email to...
WPD: woman stole thousands from Watsonville business
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police on Thursday arrested a Salinas woman accused of embezzling more than $75,000 from a Watsonville business located on Hangar Way.
Julie Brooks, 50, faces felony grand theft charges. She was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on $100,000 bail, but was not in...
Family of Covid-19 victim suing Watsonville nursing home after deadly outbreak
WATSONVILLE—A family of a man who died from Covid-19 at Watsonville Post Acute Center (WPAC) has sued the facility.
Donald Wickham, 94, died on Oct. 10. He was one of 16 residents who died after contracting the virus.
According to the lawsuit filed Nov. 10 by...
Finding his roots, telling his story: Local filmmaker looking for cast, crew
As a young child growing up in Watsonville, Pedro Gonzalez-Renteria dreamed of being a filmmaker.
That dream was fomented when his father got a video camera, and he and his friends and siblings would use it to make their own versions of skit comedy shows...
Watsonville charter school moving into Gottschalks building
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville’s newest charter school now has a permanent home, and a long-vacant building on the Main Street corridor will soon have a new tenant.
Watsonville Prep School, which opened in August with 180 kindergarteners, first- and second-grade students, plans to occupy the second floor of...
Fish Lady swims to Capitola location
The new location at 700A Bay Avenue is adjacent to the Capitola Produce Market and near Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria.
Watsonville’s downtown plan includes ‘road diet,’ around 4,000 new homes
WATSONVILLE—The addition of around 4,000 new housing units over the course of 25 years. Two-way traffic on Lake and Beach streets. A completely reimagined industrial district on Walker Street. A network of pedestrian “paseos” that provides safe walking paths. The reduction of one lane...
15-year-old killed in double stabbing on Marin Street
WATSONVILLE—A 15-year-old boy died from stab wounds late Aug. 7 on Marin Street in Watsonville and two teen males have been taken into custody.
Watsonville Police Department spokesperson Michelle Pulido said police took a 17-year-old male into custody Monday night on suspicion of homicide.
On Monday...
Santa Cruz County not yet joining other Bay Area counties in closures
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County officials on Friday said they will not yet join five other Bay Area counties in preemptively adhering to the regional stay-at-home order announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday.
Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Marin and Santa Clara counties will adopt...
Monterey County Sheriff: ‘Bomb’ was lost computer
A suspicious bag left leaning against a California Highway Patrol vehicle in Prunedale Monday—which prompted a response from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad...
