Opinion

Compiled by Steve Bankhead 25 years ago on  Feb. 23, 1996 A 13-member delegation from Watsonville’s sister city Kawakami, Japan began a whirlwind tour here of our lettuce industry. The lettuce industry began in Japan during the U.S. occupation after World War II when a mess...

By Dan Pulcrano, Pajaronian CEO When Watsonville issued a request for proposals on the city-owned Porter Building in late 2019, the idea of restoring a historic gem caught our eye. Our company has deep roots in this region and has purchased and rehabilitated...

A few days after my 67th birthday in early February, I got my first Covid-19 vaccination shot a day after my wife Sarah got hers. It was really simple and straightforward. The process began with calls from our health provider, Dignity Health, about getting vaccinated....

Memo from Rev. Mathews-Johnson Composer Meredith Willson once told the story of a band whose music so pleased a king of long ago that he opened his royal treasury to the musicians. He invited them to walk in and to fill their instruments with as...

There were several good news items scattered throughout the most recent budget update presented to the Watsonville City Council on Feb. 9. The city’s Administrative Services Director, Cindy Czerwin, predicted that the city would end the 2020-21 fiscal year about $5 million better than...

Helping to feed the community It felt so good to read the article about the San Jose nonprofit organization called Martha’s Kitchen that is now offering free food distribution to the Pajaro Valley, as reported on, in the Pajaro Valley magazine. They will be handing...

As we continue to expand the outreach of vaccinations in Santa Cruz County, I can’t help but continue to think of the impacts Covid-19 has had on our community and schools. Entering this new year, we should reflect a bit and also continue to...

Compiled by Steve Bankhead 25 years ago on Feb. 6, 1996 Some workers from the closing Norcal-Crosetti plant at Ford & Walker streets will be hired by Dean Foods (former Richard Shaw Frozen Foods) which purchased Norcal Crosetti when it failed last August.  Dean Foods plans...

The recent struggle between the leaders of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District made a big impression on me. Those who follow the district know by now that PVUSD Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez was abruptly fired by the Board of Trustees in a split 4-3...

By Jimmy Dutra, Watsonville Mayor I stopped using the word equality some years back in graduate school. In my opinion it did not put everyone on an equal playing field. Instead, I am an advocate for equity. With equity I believe we will find true...