Mayor’s Update: Watsonville’s resilience
The start of 2023 was far from what anyone expected it to be. Our region was battered by an unprecedented atmospheric river that brought heavy rains, flooding and evacuations for our residents.
While this was unexpected and severely impacted thousands in our community, I was...
Rick Longinotti, March 10: Our county needs transportation justice
In U.S. cities just prior to the automobile revolution, there was plenty of social inequality, but a lot more equality of mobility than we have now.
Question of the Week
Do you feel safe in Watsonville?
Yes: 338 | No: 126
Public comment
Jennifer Banchero Olds: I don't feel particularly unsafe, but I would say I'm definitely wary. I moved out of Watsonville in 1997, and I will say I did NOT feel safe living there. But...
Stand up for health equity
By Jason Johnston
We know that the suffering and death of Covid-19 has been far more severe in our local communities of color, particularly the Latinx communities in South County. And we would like to believe that we live in a community with progressive values,...
On my mind, July 8: Are you listening?
I want to talk about a few pieces of music that have been life-changers for me. As I’ve mentioned in a few columns in the R-P, I studied music at the university, which gave me a running start into the world of classical music, meaning Mozart, Bach, Beetho
Ask Nicole: Giving Thanks
I often start this monthly column with a true story about my experiences as a parent. Writing about my own parenting challenges is like giving myself free therapy. I relive memories of difficult situations, work through my emotions in a safe environment (my office,...
Elon Musk is a planet-saving super hero
One of the most widely used technological advances is the automobile. Cars are all over the world and almost everyone uses them. However, gasoline cars produce extremely large amounts of pollution while electric cars do not directly produce any pollution.
Students learn the power of the vote at Civics Summit
On Friday, about 150 high school juniors from across Santa Cruz County cast their first ballots on three issues that, if passed, would dramatically...
















