Looking within during trying times
MEMO FROM REV. SHINSEKI
“It is wrong to think that misfortunes come from the east or from the west; they originate within one’s own mind. Therefore, it is foolish to guard against misfortunes from the external world and leave the inner mind uncontrolled.”
Teachings of the...
Letters to the Editor, Dec. 14, 2023
Flood risk remains high
Regarding the article “County issues ‘plea’ for Pajaro levee repairs” in the Pajaronian on Dec. 8, I paid my attention to two points:
1. “But the two other sites in need of emergency repairs have yet to be completed, the letter noted....
This Week in Pajaro Valley’s Past, June 25
25 years ago on June 24, 1996
For the first time in its 15 years of existence, the Monterey Bay Strawberry Festival has awarded its title of Strawberry Queen to two contestants: North Monterey County High junior Nikki Gillot and Watsonville High graduate Norma Fabian....
Santa Cruz’s Charlie Hong Kong serves lunch to local farmworkers
WATSONVILLE—About two dozen farmworkers settled in on picnic tables at a Lakeside Organic Gardens field Wednesday for a fresh, healthy lunch featuring the very crops they harvest.
The meal was prepared by Charlie Hong Kong, a Santa Cruz Asian fusion restaurant that was Lakeside’s first...
Powerful winds topple trees and power lines, prompt tornado warning
Winds were so strong Saturday night that meteorologists issued a tornado warning on the Central Coast including for Elkhorn and Prunedale, as well as areas around Aptos and Watsonville.
Just after 8pm, some residents reported seeing a “funnel cloud” touch down on the 700 block...
New bill would provide $500M to agricultural fairs
SACRAMENTO—Earlier this month, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley), Representatives Billy Long (R-MO), Mike Levin (D-CA), and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced bipartisan legislation aiming to help preserve agricultural fairs across the country and offset the devastating financial losses they have experienced due to Covid-19.
The Agricultural...
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)...
Juan Carlos Pozo: Watsonville’s fortitude
I am a teacher in Watsonville, California, a community forged in the frost of adversity and the fire of its fortitude. I find joy in my work and dedicate myself to it, not just because of my vocation or love for art—although both are...
What’s going on?
Special events
SCDG Turkey Bowl (Nov. 27)
The Santa Cruz Derby Girls invite fans, friends and supporters to participate in their 11th Annual Turkey Bowl at the Boardwalk Bowl from 6-9 p.m. This annual tournament raises funds to help offset costs for the league’s travel teams. Teams...
Watsonville nurses rally against ICU closure
Several dozen Watsonville Community Hospital nurses and staff warned Wednesday that closing the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit—an idea they said officials have floated amid...






















