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Watsonville
April 27, 2026

Zach Friend and Erica Padilla-Chavez: PVPSA helping young people thrive

For more than 25 years, an important nonprofit has been quietly working in our community to support our schools, students and their parents — Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance (PVPSA).

Summer school programs

PVUSD
By Jennifer Holm & Jennifer Schacher, PVUSD Board President & Vice-President In a little less than a month, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District school year draws to a close, and we move into summer. While the gap between June and August can be a...

Sandy Lydon: How Cabrillo College was named and helped unify the county

In August 2020 a group of faculty, students and community members approached the Cabrillo Board of Trustees and stated that the college’s namesake, the 16th-century navigator and explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, was no longer appropriate to be on the college. He represented, they said,...

Hospital fundraising nears the finish line

watsonville community hospital
In Santa Cruz County, keeping our communities healthy is a collaborative effort by many health care service providers, and Watsonville Community Hospital is an essential piece of that puzzle. For several months now, Watsonville Community Hospital has been teetering on the verge of closure and...

Understanding housing | Mayor’s Update

Rebecca Garcia
By Rebecca J. Garcia, Watsonville Mayor Soon after I was elected to the Watsonville City Council I had the opportunity to visit several farmworkers’ housing conditions. What I found was five adults and four children living in a 2-bedroom duplex, eight adults living in a...

Letters to the Editor | Sept. 3

letter to the editor pajaronian
City must update general plan to build around airport At the Aug. 24 Watsonville City Council meeting, while discussing the housing project at 547 Airport Blvd., some council members implied that the Watsonville Pilots Association (WPA) had been involved in lawsuits with Target, Home Depot...

Letters to the Editor, Dec. 9

letter to the editor pajaronian
Grateful for opportunity to run for PVUSD board With sincere appreciation to my community, CSEA, KSCO and all that supported my candidacy. I would also like to acknowledge the remarkable and tireless support team that unexpectedly pitched-in with help and guidance. Your generous contributions, personal...

Letters to the Editor, March 12

letter to the editor pajaronian
Standing up for Asian Americans The Watsonville-Santa Cruz chapter of the National Japanese American Citizens League (W-SC JACL) is sincerely grateful for the support expressed in Theo Wierdsma’s column entitled, “Xenophobia erupting,” and to the Pajaronian for publishing it on Feb. 26. We thank Theo Wierdsma...

From the editor's desk, Sept. 26: Mexico disasters a sobering reminder

With a 7.1 magnitude earthquake killing more than 300 people in Mexico last week, and an 8.1 magnitude quake striking the southern end of the country earlier in the month, killing nearly 100, a sense of dread is rising throughout California.

Three ways to help friends in crisis

Memo from Pastor Rene Schlaepfer
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...
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Queer Youth Leadership Awards approaching

The Queer Youth Leadership Awards (QYLA) has, in the decades since its inception, honored young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ+) whose...