Opinion

Helping to feed the community It felt so good to read the article about the San Jose nonprofit organization called Martha’s Kitchen that is now offering free food distribution to the Pajaro Valley, as reported on, in the Pajaro Valley magazine. They will be handing...

Two things are at the essence of emotionally moving and thought-provoking films: sights and sounds. Damien Chazelle wholeheartedly understands this. It was apparent in “Whiplash,” his directorial debut in 2014, and only further confirmed with 2016’s “La La Land.”

25 years ago on July 10, 1996 Watsonville police captain Chuck Carter retires this month after 30 years of service, many of them involved in community projects with a social angle. “I’ve never seen a police officer as heavily involved as Chuck is with a...

Letters to the Editor, Aug. 3, 2018

A friend once asked me, “What kind of music do you like?” I said, “Good music.” I hope my answer wasn’t snooty or conceited. It was an earnest attempt at addressing my approach to music — and the arts — of trying to leave the doors open, and not narrowing my world.

By Jimmy Dutra, Watsonville Mayor This week my grandmother, Epi Tavarez, turned 100. Just seeing that number is surreal. She was born one year after the 19th Amendment was ratified and women got the right to vote. My grandma has been a lifelong voter who...

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...

Letter to the Editor, Oct. 7, 2017