Opinion

It is the beginning of a new year and it is time for us to remember how we can help our friends, neighbors, and community through the simple act of giving blood. January has been known as National Blood Donor Month since 1970 because people are busy with their post-holiday schedules, trying to get back into their work and/or school routines, and forget about making time to donate blood.

Donald Trump’s approach to governance is frequently analyzed through chaos theory, where calculated unpredictability, disruption, and rapid, impulsive shifts are used as strategic tools to manage, dominate, or reshape political environments.  This tactic aims to keep opponents off balance, control the agenda and overturn established...

For seven years in the 1970s I taught elementary school at Hall District School in Las Lomas. My students were virtually identical to those massacred in Uvalde, Texas. Apparently, “my” children watched for almost an hour while their teachers and friends were being blown...

Santa Cruz County steps up environmental and community support This month, Santa Cruz County is enhancing safety, cleanliness, and access to essential services. The County has also secured state funding to sustain homelessness prevention efforts, and initiatives are underway to ensure all youth have access...

Dutra always puts the people first I will begin my “opinion piece” with a quote: “There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim they accomplish things. The first group is less crowded." —Mark Twain I will be voting for...

Not long ago, our community came together around a powerful shared belief: that everyone deserves access to healthcare.  That belief fueled the effort to save Watsonville Community Hospital and bring it under local control—a major victory.  But like many hospitals across the country, we continue to...

Memo from Pastor Rene A friend who is a local marriage and family therapist told me recently she’s booked solid with Zoom counseling sessions every day. “People are feeling so much anxiety now,” she said, “more than I’ve ever seen in my practice.” Stress from...