Reviewing an unprecedented year
By Greg Caput, County Supervisor
It is no surprise to most of us that this has been an unprecedented year with the emergence of Covid-19 and the CZU fires. During these times of uncertainty, we are facing deep emotional distress. The residents of Santa Cruz...
Watsonville gains a centenarian
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...
Movie Review: 'Rings':First you watch it. Then you die… of boredom
Director F. Javier Gutiérrez’s “Rings” is a disappointing disaster.
Three ways to help friends in crisis
Memo from Pastor Rene
A friend who is a local marriage and family therapist told me recently she’s booked solid with Zoom counseling sessions every day. “People are feeling so much anxiety now,” she said, “more than I’ve ever seen in my practice.” Stress from...
Life’s doors
Memo from Rev. Mathews-Johnson:
Doors. We use them every day. We open them. We close them. We lock them. We knock on them. We stand outside them. We stand inside them. They lock us in. They lock us out. They keep us safe. They keep...
Strong schools, strong communities
A question we often hear from constituents is, “I don’t have kids at PVUSD. Why should I invest my time, energy, and tax dollars in schools?” However, a study in The Journal of Urban Affairs noted a strong correlation between community satisfaction and school...
There’s a hole in the bucket
Memo from Rev. Mathews-Johnson
I love the old story that goes like this: A group of young children were sitting in a circle with their teacher. She was going around asking each of them questions.
“Davy, what noise does a cow make?” He said, “It goes...
Words matter: From stigma and apathy to empathy and action
By Denise Elerick, of the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County
Substance use disorder is now widely recognized in the medical community as a chronic illness which responds to treatment. Similar to other chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease, remission and recurrence...
Thank you City Council
Abundant thanks to the Watsonville City Council, especially Mayor Garcia and members Gonzalez and Estrada, for their support of public posting of Notices of Intent (NOIs) to use restricted pesticides. We appreciate County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo for his ongoing willingness to communicate, and...
Answering the wrong phone
MEMO FROM REV. MATHEWS-JOHNSON
It’s that time of year again.
Christmas brings up wonderful memories for me. Maybe some of you can relate. But this year it just “ain’t like it used to be” on a lot of levels. Somehow, in some way, I believe we’ve...
PVUSD Board set to appoint new member
WATSONVILLE—Four people have applied to fill the seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees left vacant when Maria Orozco was...