Opinion

By Christian Garcia Like many other communities, Watsonville has significant challenges. We have an ailing local economy, affordable housing needs, needs for better access to healthcare and education, aging infrastructure, funding needs for local parks and youth programs, and the list goes on.  Inspiring people to...

With most people staying close to home during the pandemic, looking for things to do and ways to stay safe, local nurseries have seen an uptick in customers. Stay-at-home orders have prompted many to find new hobbies—and gardening has been a popular choice. Sierra Azul...

Memo from Rev. Mathews-Johnson I love the old story that goes like this: A group of young children were sitting in a circle with their teacher. She was going around asking each of them questions. “Davy, what noise does a cow make?” He said, “It goes...

Business at California Pajarosa Floral, one of Watsonville’s last remaining large flower growers, has altered drastically since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year. Already dealing with an evolving industry before the pandemic due to growth in offshore production, things came to a sudden halt at...

CALIFORNIA—As California deals with a surge of Covid-19 cases, hope is in sight as the vaccine begins to be administered to healthcare workers and long-term care residents. And on Jan. 13, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that farmworkers would be included in the next tier. The announcement...

By Manuel Perez and Luis A. Alejo  Jan. 20 will mark a significant day, not only for the United States as Joe Biden is sworn in as our 46th President but also for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in our country. They have been waiting...

Compiled by Steve Bankhead 25 years ago on Jan. 9, 1996 The city Planning Commission voted 5-2 for approval of the Overlook Shopping Center north of Ramsay Park. It will bring a Target store, Staples, and a major supermarket. Shirley Pyle, owner of the Crestview Shopping...

By Jimmy Dutra, Watsonville Mayor This week my grandmother, Epi Tavarez, turned 100. Just seeing that number is surreal. She was born one year after the 19th Amendment was ratified and women got the right to vote. My grandma has been a lifelong voter who...

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,...

MEMO FROM REV. SHINSEKI “A human being, his material possessions, and his surroundings are merely shadows of his mind. However, this Truth cannot be understood by an ignorant person who thinks the thought that things exist everlastingly or that things become completely extinct. These two...