Opinion

Memo from Rev. Mathews-Johnson I don’t know about you, but there’ve been times in my life when I thought something was missing. You know what I mean. Like when you’re young and single and things are going along fine, except you long for something else,...

MEMO FROM REV. SHINSEKI Blood stains cannot be removed by more blood; resentment cannot be removed by more resentment; resentment can only be removed by letting it go. —Teachings of the Buddha This month will mark the 75th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nakasaki...

By Rebecca J. Garcia, Watsonville Mayor We are experiencing a crisis with the Covid-19 worldwide pandemic. We also are in a crisis with climate change. It is anticipated we have 10 years left to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. In 2015 the City...

By John Gallagher, Grand Jury Supervising Judge  We need the Grand Jury and the Grand Jury needs you. In this time of political polarization at all levels of government, the need for a neutral Grand Jury to investigate, report on government performance and offer solutions...

Grocery shopping is a different experience than what it was before the Covid-19 pandemic. Between long lines and being in close-quarters, navigating an indoor store can be a challenging and not altogether comfortable experience.  This is why many farmers markets across the Monterey Bay campaigned...

CENTRAL COAST—The Paycheck Protection Program helped save at least 17,000 agricultural jobs throughout the tri-county area, according to data released by the Small Business Administration on July 6. The program, a part of the more than $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES)...

CENTRAL COAST—Pandemic-related losses to California farms, ranches and agricultural businesses will range between $5.9 billion and $8.6 billion this year, according to an economic study released June 23. The analysis says the state’s $50 billion agricultural sector has already suffered $2 billion in losses so...

Memo from Pastor Rene This summer our nation is reeling at the horrific police brutality on display in the death of George Floyd and others, and grappling with the difficult task of criminal justice reform––and the broader plague of systemic racism. But while the country’s focus...

Memo from Rev. Mathews-Johnson While I was growing up, whenever we moved—which was often in those days because my dad was a Navy officer—my mother would find a job at the local United Methodist Church in our new town playing the organ and piano.  As...

MEMO FROM REV. SHINSEKI “It is wrong to think that misfortunes come from the east or from the west; they originate within one’s own mind. Therefore, it is foolish to guard against misfortunes from the external world and leave the inner mind uncontrolled.” Teachings of the...