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Watsonville
January 17, 2026

This Week in Pajaro Valley’s Past, Aug. 13

pajaro valley past
25 years ago on Aug. 12, 1996 Thousands of farm workers and their families marched through Watsonville, waving flags and banners to protest the United Farm Workers organizing efforts. In March, the UFW announced plans to organize the 15,000 berry workers in the Pajaro and...

Strong schools, strong communities

PVUSD
A question we often hear from constituents is, “I don’t have kids at PVUSD. Why should I invest my time, energy, and tax dollars in schools?” However, a study in The Journal of Urban Affairs noted a strong correlation between community satisfaction and school...

Watsonville City Council approves changes to some cannabis rules

catalyst cannabis
After a contentious meeting on Tuesday, a divided Watsonville City Council approved in concept several amendments to its retail cannabis ordinances, a move intended to ease the regulatory burden for a burgeoning industry already beleaguered by local, state and federal regulations. City officials say the...

Awakening for a better world

Rev. Robby Olson
The Spirit of the Lord is on me,  because he has anointed me  to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners  and recovery of sight for the blind,  to set the oppressed free,  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.  —Jesus When...

Obey or defy superior orders

Since September, on orders from President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the U.S. military has executed air strikes on more than 21 vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean.  Many of these vessels have been identified as fishing boats,...

Kangi-e ‘A Gathering of Joy’

Jay Shinseki Watsonville
The month of July and August is what Buddhists call Obon season. For many, the Obon is a Buddhist festival of food, cultural arts, displays and folk dancing. The religious aspect of Obon comes from the sutra called the Ullambana Sutra. The sutra is...

On My Mind, Nov. 2: No passwords or passcodes, please

If I can afford a gravestone, when that time comes, it will simply offer these words: “No Password, No Passcode, No User name, no iTunes password, No iMac User name, No PIN code, No SSI.” None of this will be necessary to stop and think about Tarmo and what he meant to you and this kind Earth.

When we silence teachers, we teach fear instead of freedom

There are moments in a community’s life when silence is not neutral. It is a decision. This is one of those moments in Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Our Board of Trustees is preparing to approve revisions to Policy 6144 - the so-called “Controversial Issues” policy....

Letter to the Editor, May 18, 2023: Results matter

letter to the editor pajaronian
Last week, Dr. Farhat-Holzman wrote some 13 paragraphs on lies, pointing the finger almost entirely at President Trump. She even quoted a supposed stat of “30,573 false or misleading claims by Trump.” The good Doctor clearly, like millions of others, is suffering from Trump...

Climate action changes, strawberries and wine

Watsonville has continued to lead the County and to be very proactive and engaged in measures to protect our environment from the negative effects of Greenhouse Emissions and through conservation of our precious freshwater resources. In recent weeks, the Council has worked together to...
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New leadership, shared priorities: Investing in the future of public safety

As we begin a new year, I want to reflect on the direction of public safety in Watsonville and the leadership helping guide that...