Opinion

Are you interested in learning more about how our local government works? Are you interested in helping improve our local government? Do you enjoy working in a collaborative setting with other community members? If you answered yes to these questions, please apply to serve...

Who knew that frog legs taste like chicken? Despite assurances from Executive Chef Erick J. Ponce that the green amphibian’s mode of travel does indeed taste like the most populous domestic bird, I was a bit skeptical when trying out the delicacy during t

Hospital is a lifeline for Watsonville I had an array of emotions after reading that the Watsonville Community Hospital got approved for a bond to fund much-needed repairs.  Currently, Watsonville is home to around 51,000 people, and for many, this hospital is all that they have...

It has been a tough few months for the Pajaro Valley. Back in December, we lost the great Lou Arbanas, a key historian with the Pajaro Valley Historical Association. Then, in January, Judy Doering Nielsen, a stalwart volunteer who served as Watsonville Mayor, died....

The irony of Pajaro evacuations On Sunday I had the opportunity to attend a press conference about the evacuation of people near the Pajaro River in the community of Pajaro. I was struck by the irony of the situation.  In December the Monterey County Board of...

Letters to the Editor, Dec. 28, 2018

By Jason Johnston We know that the suffering and death of Covid-19 has been far more severe in our local communities of color, particularly the Latinx communities in South County. And we would like to believe that we live in a community with progressive values,...

One has to wonder if our elected County officials really care about the people of Pajaro. Presently, an H2A housing project is proceeding in the community right next to the levee that will increase the population of the community by about 15-20%.  Now here is the...

“I’m tired of hoping.” That sentence, spoken to me by a member of our congregation last week, summarizes the mood of many. Tired of hoping. Tired of waiting, tired of trying, tired of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel grow dimmer. At the start...

I live between a stop sign and a speed bump. There’s an official city traffic sign posted standing at the edge of my front yard: “Speed Bump, 15 mph.” No one does that.