Guest View: Fairgrounds future looks fraught
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...
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...
On My Mind | ‘Fake news,’ ‘the enemy of the people’ — really?
As you might imagine, I’ve met a lot of people on this job — bankers, drifters, teachers, painters, priests, janitors, surgeons, pilots and other reporters.
Dutra: Democracy is on the ballot
By JIMMY DUTRA
We have seen politics hit an all-time low in our community. Behavior that has been more common at the national and state level has arrived in our local politics. It has moved from “what I can do for the people” into “how...
California Pajarosa navigates a changing industry
Business at California Pajarosa Floral, one of Watsonville’s last remaining large flower growers, has altered drastically since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year.
Already dealing with an evolving industry before the pandemic due to growth in offshore production, things came to a sudden halt at...
Rowland Rebele, July 13: Time to come to our senses on guns
The killing of five newspaper journalists recently in Maryland caused me to think of the time I, as the co-owner of the Paradise POST, a tri-weekly newspaper in Northern California, had to fire my editor-publisher for cause in 1991, and what I’m certain he then did in retribution.
Movie Review: Solid cast saves underwhelming 'Tag'
Movies like “Tag” keep me curious as to why Jon Hamm is not a bigger thing. Sure, he was a massive star during the “Mad Men” television series, but since the end of that show, he hasn’t turned into the movie star that he so clearly has the potential to become. I guess seeing him steal the limelight time after time in key supporting roles will have to do for now.
Letters to the Editor, Dec. 19: Will PVUSD teachers go on strike? Squatters go home!
Letters to the Editor, Dec. 19, 2017
Letters to the Editor Jan. 9-15
Addressing boisterous, long PVUSD meetings
What occurred at the PVUSD board meeting last month should never have happened. Trustee Joy Flynn’s response to a shout from the crowd about “blood on your hands” posed no threat, and was likely a reference to a belief that...
New leadership, shared priorities: Investing in the future of public safety
As we begin a new year, I want to reflect on the direction of public safety in Watsonville and the leadership helping guide that...




















