Opening 2020 together | On My Mind
On New Year’s Eve my neighbor Jan invited me to join her and a bunch of our neighbors for a bonfire in her front yard to help close out 2019 and usher in a warm beginning to 2020. By 7 p.m. she had an...
Letter: PVUSD Board wise to appoint member
The PVUSD Board of Trustees was wise to move to make an appointment to fill the vacant Area 6 seat on the Board. Special elections often have terrible turnout and in this case would be a waste of $80,000.
As a parent of PVUSD students,...
Letters to the Editor, Nov. 5
What happened to civility?
Thank you Theo Wierdsma, for your thoughtful opinion piece that was published in the Pajaronian on Oct. 22 about the growing polarization in our political country. I am worried as well, about the future of our democracy.
More specifically, I was saddened...
An open letter to City Manager Matt Huffaker, Watsonville staff
In 2015, developer Kamalesh Patel proposed to replace the National 9 motel across from St. Patrick’s church with a four-story La Quinta. The proposed hotel did not comply with Watsonville ordinances intended to control development of downtown properties. In a 2016 public meeting, the...
On My Mind: One giant leap
Saturday will mark 50 years since the first person set foot on the Moon. That was the same year that the Beatles last performed live together on the rooftop of Apple Records in England. That year also marked the first Concorde jet’s test flight in France and the Boeing 747 jumbo jet made its debut. It was also the year 350,000 rock-n-roll fans poured into the Woodstock outdoor concert in New York.
Erica Padilla-Chavez: We are the Food Bank
What is normal? I thought things would return to normal following the three-year Covid pandemic and devastating Santa Cruz Mountain fires. I thought we’d survived the worst. But nothing could have prepared me for the first three months of 2023 and the meteorological disasters...
On my mind, Oct. 7: The season changes
Since I grew up on the east coast I’ll boast only for a moment that I feel lucky to have grown up with seasons: fall was fall, with its flurry of yellow and brown leaves and swirling winds; winter always meant a few snow flurries, and then a bunch of heavy duty snow storms, which meant a pretty good snow pack, roadside snow piles and slush along the side of the road where the snow plows shoveled the snow out of the way. And spring was a blaze of green grass and flowers.
Letters to the Editor, Aug. 5
Extreme gratitude, but we aren’t done yet
I am extremely grateful to the voters of the Pajaro Valley for supporting our campaign for Santa Cruz County Supervisor. We are headed into the November runoff in a strong position. With over 46% of the vote, a...
Letters to the editor Sept. 5-11
Prop. 50 stifles diverse voices
California’s Proposition 50, on the November ballot, shamelessly deepens voter disenfranchisement. With 52 congressional districts and voters split at 45.3% Democrat, 25.2% Republican, and 22.3% Independent, California’s representation should reflect this diversity. Yet, only 9 of 52 House seats are...
City Council to consider utility rate increases
The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday will consider a series of utility rate increases over the next five years to fund infrastructure upgrades they...



















