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Watsonville
March 16, 2026

Guest view: Feeding hope and nourishing community

By Erica Padilla-Chavez, Cindy Larive and Susan True Shelly and Marty Hernandez go big on their annual Holiday Open House. Shelly, who has a passion for cooking, starts prepping weeks ahead. Over the years, the Hernandez open house has raised tens of thousands of meals...

Miguelina Manriquez, Nov. 2: Education matters — now more than ever

While most kids grew up running around their daycare after school, I grew up hanging out in my parents’ classrooms. Both of my parents work in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District — a district that is severely underfunded. This district is largely populated by low-income, immigrant families.

Letter: Cabrillo College trustee responds to article

letter to the editor pajaronian
I will respond to the article (“Cabrillo board censures Trujillo,” Nov. 17-23) in parts.  1. The censure was about my Facebook page. It had nothing to do with my behavior, my attendance or my demeanor. I was not asked to leave, abandon my Facebook page...

Movie Review: 'Blockers' is a nice surprise — butt-chugging and all

“Blockers” is a sometimes raunchy, overly slapstick comedy in the vain of “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” “Superbad” and “American Pie.” And like those classic comedies, director Kay Cannon’s coming-of-age story not only has plenty of a laughs, but it also oozes heart and asks several interesting questions, including an extremely timely challenge to the double standard placed on women. It’s fun and funny — yes, they are different things — while also not being too preachy.

Guest View: Flooding lessons have not been learned

letters to the editor
How quickly we forget. Recent activity centers around the levee system on the Pajaro River. Yet, the first flooding in 2023 was in Watsonville, when the Salsipuedes and Corralitos Creeks overflowed. There are lessons from that flooding that need to be applied to those...

The Best of the Pajaro Valley, decided by you

Mid-January is one of my favorite times of the year. The NFL playoffs are just getting started, and my San Francisco 49ers don’t stink this year, which is a plus. The weather is starting to heat up to the perfect temperature in which I...

Supervisor’s Update: Winter readiness and community highlights

santa cruz county supervisor felipe hernandez
As the winter season approaches, ensuring the safety and well-being of our community becomes our paramount concern. Navigating the uncertainties of changing weather patterns demands unity and vigilance.  In preparation for the winter season and to foster community resilience, my office collaborates with regional partners...

Guest View: Sacramento leadership needs to prioritize language access in elections

pedro hernandez
In the 2020 election, my Watsonville family was energized and held its very first voting party. Local candidates competing for the same office visited, my cousins and I offered to translate and research for our elders, and many drove together to City Hall to...

Are we in the midst of a cultural revolution?

Since the 1960s, the U.S. has become a more inclusive country. This necessarily meant that white men lost some part of their privileged positions in education, employment and entertainment. By the 2000s, in the wake of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, anti-racism books were on...

Supervisor’s Update, May 2023: Onward to the road to recovery

santa cruz county supervisor felipe hernandez
We are almost in the middle of the year and so much has already happened. Parts of the District are still recovering from the floods, construction has begun for the College Lake Water Supply Project, we are seeking community input for the County Housing...
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‘Catz lose tight battle to Los Alamitos in D-III title match...

So close, yet so far. A historical journey for the Watsonville High boys soccer team came to a heart-rending end Saturday afternoon. The No. 1 Wildcatz...