Opinion

It has been a tough few months for the Pajaro Valley. Back in December, we lost the great Lou Arbanas, a key historian with the Pajaro Valley Historical Association. Then, in January, Judy Doering Nielsen, a stalwart volunteer who served as Watsonville Mayor, died....

In the next few weeks, we will turn our clocks forward and then later in March the first day of Spring will arrive. The Buddhist celebration of the Spring Equinox is called Ohigan in Japanese. This year’s celebration takes on greater significance as we begin...

At the moment, it seems that there is a very small number of Watsonville residents that have a grasp of the enormous question they will face in the November election. That is extremely troubling. Come Nov. 8, Watsonville voters will decide whether they would like to...

I recently heard an interview with Hebrew Bible scholar, Dr. Walter Brueggemann. When asked about the atonement—a much discussed and much argued Christian theological concept—Brueggemann replied, “I’m much more interested in the economy than I am in atonement.” He went on to explain that...

We must address homelessness  On Wednesday morning I went to our dog groomers, Vanity Fur, at 10 Alexander St. in Watsonville. There was a huge mound of black garbage bags near their door and I wondered if they were going out of business. As I...

On Saturday the Pajaronian will celebrate 154 years of service to the community. It’s difficult to put into words the impact this newspaper has had on the Pajaro Valley since J.A. Cottle, the first owner, editor and publisher, established the Weekly Pajaronian in 1868....

I just finished an article headlined, “Looming Mass Exodus of School Principals Feared This Summer.” That was right after another column titled: “Houses of Worship Face Clergy Shortage as Many Resign During Pandemic.” And there’s this from a few months ago: “After a Nightmare...

Thank you, John Laird The Democratic Women’s Club (DWC) of Santa Cruz County thanks State Senator John Laird for his swift action on introducing legislation to save the Watsonville Community Hospital, recently purchased by the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Project, a consortium of government agencies and...

“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.” - Ephesians 1:4 This is a Yiddish story of “Mr. Goldberg the Tailor.” There once lived Mr. Goldberg,...

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...