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Watsonville
July 11, 2025

Was this the right time to increase utility rates?

Jimmy Dutra
Our council passed a rate increase this week on water, wastewater and solid waste utilities. It was a 6-1 vote. I was the sole vote against the rate hike. This was a difficult decision for all of us. Here is my explanation on why...

Letters to the Editor, June 20: An ‘All Star Thank You’

Letters to the Editor, June 20, 2017

Easter: From Locked to Unleashed

Memo from Pastor Rene Schlaepfer
“On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear…” (Gospel of John 20:19a) The time: Passover week. The place: Jerusalem. The scene: An upper room. Locked doors. The stale air is thick with uncertainty about the...

Supervisors delay decision on animal rules

santa cruz county animal rules
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday tabled a motion to make changes to the county’s animal welfare rules after organizations that run animal-based events expressed concern about the rules’ effects. The new rules would, among other things, have prohibited using live...

EXHALE AND RELAX

 Many of us—perhaps close to 50% of those who were invested in the election a month or so ago—have gone into withdrawal, hibernation, or are simply doing whatever we can to escape difficult political conversations.  Personally, I am looking at the decision I made 57...

Dental coverage: Essential healthcare for California families

Over 30,000 under-resourced adults and children in Santa Cruz County rely on affordable dental care to live full, healthy, pain-free lives.  Across the State, 10 million adults, seniors, and people with disabilities depend on the Medicaid program (known as Medi-Cal in California) for their oral...

The responsibilities of serving on a school board

PVUSD
We usually discuss issues occurring within the district. However, for this month’s column, we decided to take a different approach and shed some light on our roles as trustees and the process of decision-making. What is it like to take on a publicly elected...

Honoring Veterans Day

Memo from Pastor Erickson Nov. 11 has been our day, our opportunity, to again commit to support and honor our servicemen and women, past and present. The celebration has been broadened to include past and present members of the service community in our land. President Woodrow...

Bill bolstering wildfire protections for farmworkers advances

SACRAMENTO—A bill that would increase protections for California’s farmworkers during hazardous smoky conditions created by seasonal wildfires is making its way through the state legislature. Assembly Bill 73, also known as the Farmworker Wildfire Smoke Protections Act, recently passed the Assembly Committee on Labor and...

Recurso de Fuerza: The homeless housing project at Westview Presbyterian Church

In Watsonville, we see the human cost of California's housing crisis every day. As homelessness rises, we face a critical choice: continue with inadequate approaches or embrace innovative solutions reflecting our values of compassion and dignity for all.  As CEO of Community Action Board (CAB)...
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Valle del Pájaro park opens in South County

Santa Cruz County officials on Friday cut the ribbon on the first new park to open in South County’s unincorporated region in decades. The 38.5-acre...