Community

Watsonville city officials on Monday began clearing a sprawling unsanctioned homeless encampment along the Pajaro River that runs from Sakata Lane to Loughead Avenue. The work, which includes mowing tall grasses and removing some trees, is expected to last through Aug. 2, Watsonville City spokeswoman...

Nearly three decades ago, the Queer Youth Leadership Awards (QYLA) was created to honor young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ+) whose advocacy and activism have made notable impacts on their communities. Created by the Queer Youth Task Force, the annual ceremony is...

A local group is calling on the nation’s largest berry grower to cease the use of pesticides on farm fields located near schools. The Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture (CORA) will hold a press conference and community gathering on May 21 to ask Driscoll’s...

Water surges through the asphalt along the 300-block of Ford Street Monday afternoon where a man reportedly ran into a fire hydrant with his Chevy Silverado pickup. Watsonville Police said the man struck the hydrant just after 5pm, triggering a water main break beneath...

A Watsonville man was arrested on suspicion of DUI Monday afternoon after a two-vehicle crash. Watsonville Police officer Bobby Rodriguez said the suspect was driving a red Chevy Silverado  pickup westbound on Martinelli Street around 4:30pm. Witnesses told police that the driver ran a stop...

Editor's note: Three new candidates have tossed their hats in the ring for seats on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees districts 2, 3 and 6. Those seats are currently filled by Georgia Acosta, Oscar Soto and Adam Scow, respectively. None of...

Work continues on roadway and signal improvements at the intersection of Holohan Road and East Lake Avenue (Hwy 152). The job is part of a $4.3 million project that will rearrange the heavily traveled intersection, including  a left-turn lane and a merge lane from...

California road trips to the desert, the State Capitol, the San Joaquin Valley, the Bay Area or the Sierra foothills have been turning up a  bounty of rewards for my wife, Sarah, and me.  This was proven on our recent drive from Watsonville to Sacramento...

Thousands of people across Santa Cruz County—and millions more throughout the U.S.—took a pause late Monday morning to look to the skies for a phenomenon that will not happen again for two decades. Californians saw only 30% of the sun being blotted out by the...

On March 28, local artist Judy Stabile was among seven people who were honored for community service during the annual Cesar Chavez Awards ceremony. Stabile, who volunteers with Pajaro Valley Arts, said she was honored to receive the award. “The awardees were nominated for community service,”...