Guest view: Cries of racism are misguided
By Geraldine Ridgway
Watsonville has long been a racially diverse community. It is insulting for anyone to call any Watsonville resident a racist.
Watsonville has an amazing history. We once had a huge whaling industry, sardine factories stretched from Watsonville to Monterey, employing all races and...
Four Winds Growers sees uptick in sales during pandemic
Four Winds Growers, a fourth-generation, family-run business in Watsonville specializing in citrus trees, has seen major growth in sales since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Aaron Dillon, who runs the business with his siblings, says that the surge is likely due to people who...
Farmers, ranchers celebrate defeat of split-roll tax measure
CALIFORNIA—Crediting a unified effort by California farmers, ranchers and their organizations, California Farm Bureau Federation President Jamie Johansson thanked voters for rejecting the split-roll tax measure on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The initiative, Proposition 15, would have allowed reassessment and higher property taxes on a...
CDFA seeks members for advisory committee
CALIFORNIA—The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is currently accepting applications from stakeholders interested in serving on a Registered Service Agency (RSA) Advisory Committee. Business and Professions Code (BPC), Division 5, Chapter 5.5,
Section 12541 authorizes the RSA Advisory Committee to advise the Department...
The story behind the Washington bust
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...
Thank you City Council
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
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...
County unveils “transformative” youth crisis center
For years, Santa Cruz County lacked a youth crisis center, meaning that young people experiencing a mental health crisis were taken to overloaded emergency...
