Investing in safer streets and upholding our community values
Watsonville is making meaningful investments in our streets, sidewalks, and neighborhoods this year—improvements that reflect both our infrastructure priorities and our shared commitment to safety and accessibility.
We’re starting with a major reconstruction of Green Valley Road and Bridge Street, which includes replacing aging pavement...
How Farmworkers Outlawed ‘El Cortito’ 50 Years Ago
For decades in the Salinas Valley, the short-handle hoe, known as “El Cortito,” was used for weeding and thinning rows of crops that kept farmworkers stooped over for long hours each day. Workers were only able to stand and stretch when they reached the...
Are we in the midst of a cultural revolution?
Since the 1960s, the U.S. has become a more inclusive country.
This necessarily meant that white men lost some part of their privileged positions in education, employment and entertainment. By the 2000s, in the wake of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, anti-racism books were on...
Beyond Division: Restoring Focus on Students and Progress—a letter from PVFT
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Todd Guild as the author.
For the past 19 months, the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers (PVFT) has proudly observed our students, teachers, and community members courageously fighting for an ethnic studies program that...
New Logo, New Chapter: Watsonville Community Hospital Looks Ahead with Purpose
There’s something powerful about a fresh start—especially when it’s backed by real progress, deep community roots, and a bold vision for the future.
At our April 18 State of the Hospital event, Watsonville Community Hospital unveiled a new logo symbolizing its transition back to community...
Are the inmates running the asylum?
If there was any doubt that the inmates are running the asylum in our administration right now, the group chat on the Signal messaging app about the attack on Yemen should have erased it for all but the most diehard MAGA supporters.
The conversation intended...
Local and national elections display the power of media and bias on politics
Editor’s note: Zen Weaver is a junior at Aptos High School. This is his second story for The Pajaronian. We welcome contributions from aspiring young journalists. Email [email protected]
In an era where headlines spread faster than facts, Santa Cruz County residents, politicians, and community leaders...
Supervisor’s Update, April 2025
Spring into Action
Spring is here, bringing with it a season of exciting community events, important updates, and opportunities to get involved! From a family-friendly bike ride this weekend to the return of the Young Supervisors Academy. Here’s a look at what’s happening in our...
Working together, staying together during disasters
Over the past five years, we’ve learned how to navigate successive disasters in Santa Cruz County.
We fill sandbags, dig ditches, clear fallen trees, clean up debris, distribute food and help folks cover critical expenses when they are out of work due to shutdowns, floods,...
Dental coverage: Essential healthcare for California families
Over 30,000 under-resourced adults and children in Santa Cruz County rely on affordable dental care to live full, healthy, pain-free lives.
Across the State, 10 million adults, seniors, and people with disabilities depend on the Medicaid program (known as Medi-Cal in California) for their oral...
Female Athlete of the Year: Aptos’ Izzy Graff brought excellence to...
Aptos graduate Izzy Graff was on the verge of joining the cross country team going into her junior year in 2023 so she could...