Mayor’s and Supervisor’s November updates
Shaping Watsonville’s Future Together
By Watsonville Mayor Maria Orozco
Our 2025 State of the City on Oct. 22 was a meaningful moment to pause, reflect, and look forward—to recognize how far we’ve come and how we’re shaping a brighter future for Watsonville together.
This year’s theme, Shaping...
Civics Summit Planning Committee, Dec. 16: Your vote is your voice
Voter apathy and disengagement only feed into further discontent with the political system. If a small number of voters, regardless of political affiliation, are the only ones to decide the issues, we all have to live with these repercussions. All elections have consequences and democracies are not spectator sports.
Photo story: Water distribution project progressing
Water fills the newly constructed sentiment drying beds on Holohan Road Wednesday as part of the College Lake Pipeline Project, which was designed to develop College Lake as a new water supply for the Pajaro Valley.
Six miles of 30-inch water main will transport treated...
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...
Parks and recreation update
By Rebecca J. Garcia, Watsonville Mayor
All my grandchildren learned to swim through the Watsonville summer aquatics program. They went underwater, they floated, they played and they swam. So much fun. However, there will be no summer aquatics program this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic....
Was this the right time to increase utility rates?
Our council passed a rate increase this week on water, wastewater and solid waste utilities. It was a 6-1 vote. I was the sole vote against the rate hike. This was a difficult decision for all of us. Here is my explanation on why...
Keeping the tradition alive
Walking through a rose garden, it can be hard to resist bending down to take a whiff of at least one flower.
Honoring community service
On March 28, local artist Judy Stabile was among seven people who were honored for community service during the annual Cesar Chavez Awards ceremony.
Stabile, who volunteers with Pajaro Valley Arts, said she was honored to receive the award.
“The awardees were nominated for community service,”...
Letters to the Editor, Feb. 19
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...
Teen leads police on destructive chase
A 13-year-old male driving a stolen vehicle Sunday led officers from three law enforcement agencies on a chase that left a trail of destruction...


















