Opinion

It is to my dismay upon reading that yet another breach in the Pajaro River Levee has occurred. This has happened numerous times through the years resulting in floods that have inundated the area. The repairs amounted to nothing more than a band-aid.   Following the...

I'm not a regular reader of the Pajaronian, but I am so glad to have caught the article “The Porter Family Legacy” (Pajaronian, March 10-16) and learn of the family’s link to the Chinese community in Watsonville. My father Henry G. Wong leased the...

The myth about how Watsonville’s original Chinatown (1870-1888) moved from the corner of Maple and Union to a new site across the river in Monterey County began even before the move was completed in September 1888.  The story of the delicate negotiations and the Chinese...

The tragic deaths of seven farmworkers in Half Moon Bay in January revealed an ugly, persistent truth: there are parts of our state where our essential, agricultural workers still live in deplorable conditions. There are no permits, no inspections and conditions are substandard. But...

As a news reporter, I attended Santa Cruz County Fair Board of Directors meetings for years, sometimes covering scandalous fair managers and scarce finances. What I saw recently at the Feb. 28 fair board meeting was disturbing on a level I’d never before have...

You can take an express bus from Watsonville to Santa Cruz without traveling a whole lot longer than it takes by car—so long as you travel after the morning peak commute hours. If you hop on a 91X bus at Main Street and Green...

The start of 2023 was far from what anyone expected it to be. Our region was battered by an unprecedented atmospheric river that brought heavy rains, flooding and evacuations for our residents.   While this was unexpected and severely impacted thousands in our community, I was...

The PVUSD Board of Trustees was wise to move to make an appointment to fill the vacant Area 6 seat on the Board. Special elections often have terrible turnout and in this case would be a waste of $80,000.  As a parent of PVUSD students,...

With nearly three feet of rain in three weeks, national news picked up on the big impacts in our small county. Folks from Nebraska to North Carolina saw images of our battered coastline and the wreckage of Seacliff State Beach and Capitola Village. But...

As so many of us are continuing to be affected by the recent storms, whatever comes our way, our community is in this together. The wetlands, creeks, and Pajaro River and the history of flooding in this valley have been fundamental to shaping the...