Opinion

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...

I cannot remember the first time I visited Kelly’s bookstore. I had previously known it as Crossroads Books back in high school. It was within a short walking distance from Pajaro Valley High School, and I had a habit of stopping by after school.  I’d...

After a contentious meeting on Tuesday, a divided Watsonville City Council approved in concept several amendments to its retail cannabis ordinances, a move intended to ease the regulatory burden for a burgeoning industry already beleaguered by local, state and federal regulations. City officials say the...

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...

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...

25 years ago on July 10, 1996 Watsonville police captain Chuck Carter retires this month after 30 years of service, many of them involved in community projects with a social angle. “I’ve never seen a police officer as heavily involved as Chuck is with a...

By Elaine Legorreta This is a call for the resignation of Georgia Acosta from the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees. One of several deficits is her disregard of the law and district by-laws.  Trustee Acosta demonstrated either a disrespect or ignorance of...

As the year comes to end, I want to take a moment to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season. I also want to share some of the county’s major initiatives we’ve been working on during the past year.