Opinion

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...

Mother’s Day tribute Among the residents of the Central Coast exists a mother whom I remain in awe of and hold deep reverence and respect for. Her capacity to “mother” far exceeds what any normal person is capable of.  Since 1989, she has tirelessly both mothered...

As more people get their second shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, I’ve heard numerous reactions. Some say, “It was awful.” Others say, “I felt nothing.” Nearly everyone feels they have to weigh in on the topic, similar to when an earthquake rumbles through and...

Jack Gordon for Superior Court Judge On March 3, voters will have the opportunity to select Jack Gordon, an exemplary candidate for Superior Court Judge, who has a long term history and breadth of public safety, legal and community service experience that sets him apart....

George Washington, our first President, warned against political parties. The English had already seen by the 18th century that there was bad feeling between the Conservative and Liberal parties in Parliament. The two parties survived to serve two factions of the public educated enough...

Soon the “Name Exploration Subcommittee” of Cabrillo College's Governing Board will transition into the next phase of the process adopted to consider potentially changing our community college’s name and identity. This controversial issue resurfaced mid-2020, and has continued as a topic of discussion of...

Santa Cruz County residents are no stranger to powerful and dangerous natural disasters, including winter storms with lasting impacts on our community.   The Santa Cruz County Department of Community Development & Infrastructure (CDI) knows that even as we continue to pick ourselves up after last...

By Rebecca J. Garcia, Watsonville Mayor We are experiencing a crisis with the Covid-19 worldwide pandemic. We also are in a crisis with climate change. It is anticipated we have 10 years left to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. In 2015 the City...

The irony of Pajaro evacuations On Sunday I had the opportunity to attend a press conference about the evacuation of people near the Pajaro River in the community of Pajaro. I was struck by the irony of the situation.  In December the Monterey County Board of...

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...