Opening 2020 together | On My Mind
On New Year’s Eve my neighbor Jan invited me to join her and a bunch of our neighbors for a bonfire in her front yard to help close out 2019 and usher in a warm beginning to 2020. By 7 p.m. she had an...
True and real
MEMO FROM REV. SHINSEKI
“A human being, his material possessions, and his surroundings are merely shadows of his mind. However, this Truth cannot be understood by an ignorant person who thinks the thought that things exist everlastingly or that things become completely extinct. These two...
Understanding housing | Mayor’s Update
By Rebecca J. Garcia, Watsonville Mayor
Soon after I was elected to the Watsonville City Council I had the opportunity to visit several farmworkers’ housing conditions. What I found was five adults and four children living in a 2-bedroom duplex, eight adults living in a...
Supervisor’s Update: Year-end reflections
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...
Measure N Milestones: Transparency, Progress, and Community Impact
When voters across the Pajaro Valley Health Care District approved Measure N in March 2024, they sent a clear and powerful message: our community hospital matters. With that vote, we took another bold step toward reclaiming local control of our healthcare system and investing...
Karma on the diamond
Congratulations St. Francis baseball! I hardly recognize you now. You are proof that the karmic wheel does turn, sometimes slowly, but it does turn. Just to remind, there’s been an orphanage or school on that hilltop since 1869, longer than most things around here.
During...
This week in Pajaro Valley’s Past, Feb. 26
Compiled by Steve Bankhead
25 years ago on Feb. 23, 1996
A 13-member delegation from Watsonville’s sister city Kawakami, Japan began a whirlwind tour here of our lettuce industry. The lettuce industry began in Japan during the U.S. occupation after World War II when a mess...
Berry yields dip as harvest wraps up
WATSONVILLE—California’s strawberry season is coming to a close. While sales remained strong throughout the summer, growers have seen production dip slightly.
Carolyn O’Donnell, communications director for the California Strawberry Commission (CSC), said that after the season’s initial hardships, things eventually leveled off and demand actually...
Letters to the Editor Dec. 5-11
Suggestions for PVUSD
My recommendations regarding the Recommended Realignments of PVUSD:
1. Regarding school closure, I have advocated for an idea to sell the District Office...






















