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Watsonville
July 11, 2025

The story behind the Washington bust

letters to the editor
To some, George Washington represents patriarchy and oppression. To Lloyd Alaga, the person who commissioned the bust of George Washington for Watsonville’s Plaza, Washington represented the opportunity in America for immigrants who have come, and continue to come, to this country. Lloyd Alaga’s uncle was...

Honoring Veterans Day

Memo from Pastor Erickson Nov. 11 has been our day, our opportunity, to again commit to support and honor our servicemen and women, past and present. The celebration has been broadened to include past and present members of the service community in our land. President Woodrow...

Thank you City Council

letters to the editor
Abundant thanks to the Watsonville City Council, especially Mayor Garcia and members Gonzalez and Estrada, for their support of public posting of Notices of Intent (NOIs) to use restricted pesticides. We appreciate County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo for his ongoing willingness to communicate, and...

Fight the polarization

Memo from Pastor Rene Schlaepfer
Memo from Pastor Rene As I write this, the outcome of the presidential election is still unclear. Or should I say, the winner is unclear. What’s very clear is how deeply polarized our nation has become. The red went blood-red, the blue ice-blue, and the...

Letters to the Editor, Oct. 30

Orozco is the best candidate As a lifelong citizen of Watsonville and a veteran teacher of more than 30 years in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, I encourage our local voters to vote for Maria Orozco for the seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified...

Letters to the Editor, Oct. 23

Our history is coming back to haunt us I attended the town hall meeting that discussed the future of the George Washington bust in the plaza.  I was the only one who presented a compromise proposal.  Both Mr. Manny Solano’s group and the Revolunas need to understand...

Apple harvest wraps up at historic Corralitos orchard

It has not been an easy harvest season for California apples. When temperatures shot up into the 100s in August and September, sparking wildfires across the state and harming numerous agricultural commodities, apples were one of the hardest-hit crops. The fruit is susceptible to...

Letters to the Editor, Oct. 16

Alyssa Wall for County Office of Education After eight years on the Santa Cruz County Office of Education board, I am stepping down. I am very pleased that Alyssa Wall filed to run. She grew up in San Jose, fell in love with Santa Cruz...

Cabin fever

Jay Shinseki Watsonville
MEMO FROM REV. SHINSEKI In many areas around the state we are beginning to see a loosening of restrictions. Since March many of us have been “hunkered” down in our homes and going out very little. Between the Covid-19 pandemic and the wildfires many have...

Three ways to help friends in crisis

Memo from Pastor Rene Schlaepfer
Memo from Pastor Rene A friend who is a local marriage and family therapist told me recently she’s booked solid with Zoom counseling sessions every day. “People are feeling so much anxiety now,” she said, “more than I’ve ever seen in my practice.” Stress from...
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Valle del Pájaro park opens in South County

Santa Cruz County officials on Friday cut the ribbon on the first new park to open in South County’s unincorporated region in decades. The 38.5-acre...