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Watsonville
December 17, 2025

Sandy Lydon: How Cabrillo College was named and helped unify the county

In August 2020 a group of faculty, students and community members approached the Cabrillo Board of Trustees and stated that the college’s namesake, the 16th-century navigator and explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, was no longer appropriate to be on the college. He represented, they said,...

Question of the week

Do you feel confident in the direction Watsonville is heading? Yes: 84 | No: 122 Public comment Steven Diaz: You mean the direction of keeping things status quo, right? Watsonville needs to get with the times, enough living in the past. Time to...

Guest View: A winning formula for the healthcare district board

letter to the editor pajaronian
We need Marcus Pimentel and Jasmine Najera as board members of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD) to continue the success of Watsonville Community Hospital (WCH) under community-led ownership. They’ve been in the trenches with the leadership of WCH throughout the process of...

Conference probes climate change and farms

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley’s agriculture businesses and the employees that keep them running are starting to feel the heat, literally. Rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves and wildfires are growing concerns for farmers in the typically cool, coastal stretch of land that overlaps Santa Cruz and...

From the editor's desk: Palm trees represent ‘baby step’ for downtown

Last week, crews planted palm trees in the recently-constructed medians along Main Street in downtown Watsonville. Immediately, people took to Facebook to express their disapproval.

Watsonville is again a safe community | Letters to the Editor

Vote Yes on Measure Y  My family has lived and farmed in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley since the 1900s. Forty-five years ago I started our first farm growing green beans in Watsonville. I have converted that to be organic and we now are the...

A call to end homelessness

Nearly 300 people marched the streets of downtown Santa Cruz May 18 to help end homelessness.  The second-annual gathering, organized by Housing Matters, reigned in a coalition of local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public supporters in the March to End Homelessness. The event began outside Santa...

Watsonville’s Firefighters and Their Lifesaving Mission

When a call comes in for a medical emergency, every second counts.  While an ambulance may be on its way from other parts of the county, it is often the Watsonville Fire Department that arrives first. What many people may not know is that every...

Local actions matter in battle with climate change

felipe hernandez watsonville
By Felipe Hernandez, Watsonville City Councilman We face a sobering reality.  For those of us who came of age in the 20th century, the existential threat of climate change that we debated theoretically and at great length will be lived by the children being born...

Cultivating fruit

Rev. Robby Olson
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...
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Watsonville Fire Chief Rudy López to step down

Watsonville Fire Chief Rudy López has announced his retirement after 35 years of service to the community. His retirement will be effective Dec. 31.  López...