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Watsonville
October 7, 2026

Students help spruce up Struve Slough

The organization responsible for keeping Watsonville’s wetlands healthy joined forces with city officials  and a herd of volunteers Saturday to spruce up the Struve Slough trail. Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW) Director Jonathan Pilch said the effort included planting 15 coast live oak trees and bringing...

High school football ‘back on track’ for this weekend

APTOS—The high school football season is back on track, for now, as Santa Cruz County superintendents released updated guidance for outdoor high-contact sports that won’t require teams to test for Covid-19 moving forward. Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Michelle Rodriguez was notified on...

Proposed county budget shows cuts to health services department

The Santa Cruz County government building on Ocean Street. (Tarmo Hannula/Pajaronian file)
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took a first look at this year’s finances in advance of budget hearings in June. The $1.23 billion budget proposal is $176 million less than last year’s budget, and has not yet taken into account possible...

Union Pacific train strikes truck in Pajaro

Updated Wednesday at 2pm with additional photos and information A freight train owned by Union Pacific pulling seven cars collided with an agricultural water tank truck east of Pajaro around 3:15pm Tuesday. According to North Monterey County Fire Div. Chief Rick Parker, the male driver of...

Extended Learning Program dishes thousands of bags to area students

extended learning program
WATSONVILLE—A huge program is underway in Watsonville to help keep students finely tuned and focused on education through the summer. Jen Bruno, a curriculum coach, said the Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s Extended Learning Programs (ELP) over the past few weeks has loaded more than...

PVUSD Celebrates 120 Students with Free Guitars 4 Kids

On Nov. 16, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, in partnership with Free Guitars 4 Kids (FG4K) and Arts Council Santa Cruz County’s Mariposa Arts program, celebrated with 120 students who received their own guitars. The event at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s The Grove Ballroom showcased...

Consultant recommends Watsonville hike utilities costs over next five years

Watsonville city council
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at its March 9 meeting will see the results of a recently conducted rate study that recommends the city increase the cost of its utilities over the next five years. The study, conducted by Raftelis Financial Inc., says the hikes are...

Photo story: The circus is in town

Circus Alegria, a Las Vegas-based circus entertainment group that has been around since 1912, kicked off their 2025 performance Thursday evening in Watsonville. With their massive big top tent dominating the entrance to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, the shows will run Thursday through...

Cabrillo football program suspends operations for two years

Cabrillo football
It’ll be a few years before fans will see any action from the Cabrillo College football team.  The community college’s Board of Trustees held a special virtual meeting Tuesday evening and came to a unanimous decision to suspend football operations for at least two years. Cabrillo...

Photo story: Symphony performance features local dancers

Members of Esperanza del Valle of the Pajaro Valley are joined Tuesday by performers from Vera Cruz, Mexico at the Mello Center Tuesday as part of the Santa Cruz Symphony's tour, The Orchestra Swings. With an auditorium packed with fourth and fifth graders from...
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Heather Contreras

Contreras tapped to lead San Luis Coastal Unified

Two and a half years after taking the helm of Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Superintendent Heather Contreras will be leaving for a new...