Opinion

The Pajaronian has traditionally avoided endorsing candidates and most other issues during election cycles. Our reasoning is simple: a news outlet’s job, we believe, is to provide as much information as possible from all sides of issues and to let our readers make their...

2023 was a very challenging year in Monterey County and it reminded me how crucial county government is in addressing the most pressing needs of our communities. I was honored to serve as chair of the Board of Supervisors over the last year, but...

Editor’s note: This is the second installment of a two-part Supervisor’s Update. As the year draws to a close, I want to take a moment to extend my warmest Happy Holiday wishes to each and every one of you and to also wish you all...

Once again we find ourselves at the year’s end. It is hard to believe that another year has gone by. December is a time for families to gather to celebrate the holidays. We celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Christmas and Bodhi Day, the...

Editor’s note: This is the first part of a two-part Supervisor’s Update. As the year draws to a close, I want to take a moment to extend my warmest Happy Holiday wishes to each and every one of you and to also wish you all...

Recently, we learned of a hunger strike in the Santa Cruz County main jail. Due to intolerable conditions, nine men awaiting trial started a hunger strike on Nov. 8. Five remained on hunger strike for nearly a month. Their demands?  • That jail staff treat...

Flood risk remains high Regarding the article “County issues ‘plea’ for Pajaro levee repairs” in the Pajaronian on Dec. 8, I paid my attention to two points:  1. “But the two other sites in need of emergency repairs have yet to be completed, the letter noted....

Hospital is a lifeline for Watsonville I had an array of emotions after reading that the Watsonville Community Hospital got approved for a bond to fund much-needed repairs.  Currently, Watsonville is home to around 51,000 people, and for many, this hospital is all that they have...

Recently, the attorney general’s office completed paperwork for an initiative that, if qualified for the 2024 ballot and approved by voters, would require California’s nearly 6 million public school students to take a course in personal finance. The proposal, by an organization called Californians for...

John Houseman, the British-American actor following his Academy-winning role as Prof. Kingsfield in “The Paper Chase,” became more famous for his commercials for the brokerage firm Smith Barney. His signature look was wearing a bowtie with a three-piece Oxford tweed suit and reading glasses...