Opinion

Vote Yes on Measure Y  My family has lived and farmed in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley since the 1900s. Forty-five years ago I started our first farm growing green beans in Watsonville. I have converted that to be organic and we now are the...

Zach Friend is effective, responsive I’ve worked with many elected officials over the last 30 years and I can easily say Zach Friend is one of the best. As a constituent, I’ve found that Zach and his staff are responsive as well as effective when...

Fermin Tobera should be a household name in Watsonville. It should be a name that is remembered and celebrated by all who have ever lived in the Pajaro Valley, and believe in justice, equality and progress. Sadly, it’s not, and that needs to change. Tobera...

For some folks, yesterday was Jan. 30, a Thursday. Another day checked off the calendar. But for others, especially in the Japanese-American community, that day chimes in the history books as the first day in the U.S. named after an Asian American, Fred Korematsu...

Re-elect Supervisor Zach Friend As a long-time Second District voter, I write in strong support of Zach Friend’s re-election as our Santa Cruz County Supervisor in the March 3 election. He was originally elected in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016. A graduate of UC...

City at the crossroads Watsonville is at a crossroads. The Watsonville Planning Commission needs to get its priorities straight. Instead of promoting cannabis dispensaries and the shortsighted thinking of narrowing Main St. down to two lanes, it should be focusing on much more serious issues...

Over the last few years there has been so much talk about how the  Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can make the Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards, relevant again.  The annual show, which is scheduled for its 92nd running next month,...

Last week my colleague Tarmo Hannula unveiled the first entry of a column I will be eagerly awaiting to read each month: Pajaro Valley, Past & Present. The column will be a deep dive into one of Watsonville’s many historic buildings – or an...

Jack Gordon for Superior Court Judge On March 3, voters will have the opportunity to select Jack Gordon, an exemplary candidate for Superior Court Judge, who has a long term history and breadth of public safety, legal and community service experience that sets him apart....

My good friend Marvin Byers has left this world. His unexpected passing, on Dec. 17, is a day now stamped into my memory. It is a day, that, if I were a city official, would be spelled out in brass and marble in the...