A Christmas song of subversion
What sort of news would make you celebrate wildly? A clean bill of health? Escaping financial worries? Newfound safety? The true end of the pandemic? How might you respond? Would you run? Would you dance? Would you sing? Would you write a new song...
Farmworker communities applaud chlorpyrifos cancellation
On the morning of Aug. 14 the Gavin Newsom administration filed accusations against Dow and other manufacturers of the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos.
Local actions matter in battle with climate change
By Felipe Hernandez, Watsonville City Councilman
We face a sobering reality. For those of us who came of age in the 20th century, the existential threat of climate change that we debated theoretically and at great length will be lived by the children being born...
Supervisor’s Update: Stronger together
The start of the New Year greeted all of us with more water than any of us, including meteorologists, had anticipated. And again, this past week our neighbors in Pajaro were devastatingly flooded. Although Pajaro isn’t technically a part of Watsonville or Santa Cruz...
Thank you City Council
Abundant thanks to the Watsonville City Council, especially Mayor Garcia and members Gonzalez and Estrada, for their support of public posting of Notices of Intent (NOIs) to use restricted pesticides. We appreciate County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo for his ongoing willingness to communicate, and...
Movie Review: 'Blockers' is a nice surprise — butt-chugging and all
“Blockers” is a sometimes raunchy, overly slapstick comedy in the vain of “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” “Superbad” and “American Pie.” And like those classic comedies, director Kay Cannon’s coming-of-age story not only has plenty of a laughs, but it also oozes heart and asks several interesting questions, including an extremely timely challenge to the double standard placed on women. It’s fun and funny — yes, they are different things — while also not being too preachy.
From the editor's desk, Nov. 7: Project beginning to flow quickly
There is a glimmer of hope for the Pajaro River levee project.
State prioritizes farmworkers for Covid-19 vaccinations
CALIFORNIA—As California deals with a surge of Covid-19 cases, hope is in sight as the vaccine begins to be administered to healthcare workers and long-term care residents.
And on Jan. 13, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that farmworkers would be included in the next tier.
The announcement...
What’s your skill? Everyone has something to give
“What can I do?” Sometimes we hear this in response to a daunting problem, like the number of people in Santa Cruz County who can’t always afford enough food for their families.
Lasting impressions
I feel fortunate to have the upbringing I had. Growing up in Washington D.C. with a bunch of wonderful kids in my neighborhood – kids from Greek and Jewish families, Catholics, Russians, Italians, Yugoslavians — how lucky was I to have been thrown into su
Santa Cruz, Monterey counties to test wireless emergency system Thursday
Officials in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties will conduct a test of the Wireless Emergency Alert system on Thursday, sending emergency messages to mobile...


















