Supervisor’s Update: Stronger together
The start of the New Year greeted all of us with more water than any of us, including meteorologists, had anticipated. And again, this past week our neighbors in Pajaro were devastatingly flooded. Although Pajaro isn’t technically a part of Watsonville or Santa Cruz...
Students’ academic careers are adding up
Brianna Vasquez is a 13-year-old about to begin her 8th-grade year at Rolling Hills Middle School.
As the days of her summer vacation wane and the academic year looms, many of her friends are enjoying their break.
But on Thursday, Brianna was taking a different path....
Gail Pellerin, Feb. 24: Voting in California made easier than ever
As we enter the 2018 election cycle, unfounded allegations of voter fraud and voter suppression efforts remain in many states. In California, however, there are new laws and programs to improve the voter experience and make it easier to register and vote.
Support public education, vote yes on Measure R
Support public education
Cabrillo College didn’t exist in 1953. Santa Cruz County taxpayers paid Monterey County for my 1955 Associate Arts degree from Monterey Peninsula College, for which I am eternally grateful. The older generations, many of them World War II and Korean War veterans,...
Commission decision is a ‘disgrace’
I was absolutely shocked to read that the Watsonville Parks and Recreation Commission recommended the removal of the George Washington bust from the City Plaza. George Washington was the first president of the United States. He made many personal and financial sacrifices, as well...
A new decade before us, a year of change behind us | On My Mind
This is our last paper of the year and here comes 2020.
I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions, mainly because I know I’m setting myself up for something that most likely will cave in—a new workout regimen, diet restrictions, fewer sodas, more walking....
Watsonville City Council ends zoom participation option at public meetings
The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday voted to end public comment via Zoom at its meetings, a decision spurred by two racist 'zoom bomb' calls made anonymously on Oct. 24.
The city of Capitola also experienced so-called “Zoom-bombs” around the same time.
In the calls, both...
Keeping Health Care Local, Together
The Pajaro Valley Health Care District is evolving to better reflect and represent the diverse voices that make up our community. Today, our board of directors is elected “at-large,” meaning that every registered voter within the District votes for each seat. Beginning in 2026,...
Movie Review: 'Baby Driver' hits the right notes
Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver” is a stylized, musical romp through the action film genre that not only banks on the visual flair of whimsical and intense car chases but a standout cast of characters. The narrative is tight, the action, for the most part, do
Body discovered during search for 73-year-old hiker
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office announced the discovery of a body in a densely-wooded area off of Ice Cream Grade on the north...





















