Opinion

As we begin a new year, I want to reflect on the direction of public safety in Watsonville and the leadership helping guide that work forward.  Our Police and Fire Departments are entering this next chapter with experienced leaders who bring strong values, proven track...

Memo from Rev. Mathews-Johnson While I was growing up, whenever we moved—which was often in those days because my dad was a Navy officer—my mother would find a job at the local United Methodist Church in our new town playing the organ and piano.  As...

Watsonville is making meaningful investments in our streets, sidewalks, and neighborhoods this year—improvements that reflect both our infrastructure priorities and our shared commitment to safety and accessibility. We’re starting with a major reconstruction of Green Valley Road and Bridge Street, which includes replacing aging pavement...

Exactly 25 years ago this Sunday, the Watsonville community was shocked after the tragic shootings of 9-year old Jessica Cortez and her 16-year old brother, Jorge Cortez at El Nopal Bakery in Pajaro.

By Mercedes Garcia These are the messages I received from Geraldine Ridgway’s op-ed published in Nov. 20 edition of the Pajaronian: “Why can’t you Mexicans be like all the other ethnic groups that were mistreated in the past? Why don’t you just grin and bear it...

By Kathleen Kilpatrick Twenty years ago my family and I supported Measure U. Measure U was a compromise measure that came from Action Pajaro Valley, a robust stakeholder process that created the Watsonville Urban Limit line to allow for some growth and protection of farmland...

What happened to civility?  Thank you Theo Wierdsma, for your thoughtful opinion piece that was published in the Pajaronian on Oct. 22 about the growing polarization in our political country. I am worried as well, about the future of our democracy.   More specifically, I was saddened...

One of my favorite passages in the Christian scriptures comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia. Perhaps surprisingly, the reason I love it so much is how not-religious it is.  The passage sets up a contrast between disparate ways we can choose to...

Rainbow flags are flying at PVUSD schools this month. The colored bars represent different aspects of our LGBTQ+ community, that we come from all races and backgrounds, and that—despite differences in how those aspects intersect—we are all together. The Progress Flag, as it is...

On Tuesday, I was appointed to the inaugural board of directors of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District. I’m honored that the selection committee of supervisors Greg Caput and Zach Friend, County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios, Health Services Agency Director Mónica Morales and Salud Para...