Opinion

I grew up in Watsonville and have lived and worked in the Pajaro Valley all my life. I have been an agronomist, scientifically analyzing agricultural soils in California and throughout the United States. I have studied thousands of different soils, and I can say...

Three years ago, California did something truly remarkable and forward-looking by approving historic legislation that allocated a record $6 billion to bring equitable and affordable high-speed broadband service to all Californians.  The multi-year investment aimed to close the digital divide by building the largest “Middle...

No trust in the Health Trust The Community Health Trust of the Pajaro Valley was created more than 20 years ago from the proceeds of the sale of the Watsonville Community Hospital to a private corporation. I was a founding member of the Board of...

Reasons to vote against the levee assessment Everyone seems to agree that the Salsipuedes and Pajaro levees need repair. The public relations information from the new Pajaro Flood Agency isn’t emphasizing some issues that deserve to be considered before you vote—and there are about 3,000...

The people of the Pajaro Valley have shown we are resilient as we’ve faced the impacts of a changing climate, from severe flooding to the threat of wildfire. But more—a lot more—can be done to help reduce the effects on our community from future...

Election Letters to the Editor, June 1, 2018

Letters to the Editor, Dec. 21, 2018

In identical messages, a robotic voice from the “IRS” stated that I was in arrears with my taxes, and threatened me with arrest if I did not call within 24 hours.

After being incarcerated on death row for 35 years, and after surviving a multiple hours-long botched lethal injection attempt 16 months earlier, on Jan. 25 Kenneth Smith became the first person in the world to be executed with nitrogen gas.  Alabama state officials described his...

Letters to the Editor, July 27, 2018