Opinion

25 years ago on Aug. 12, 1996 Thousands of farm workers and their families marched through Watsonville, waving flags and banners to protest the United Farm Workers organizing efforts. In March, the UFW announced plans to organize the 15,000 berry workers in the Pajaro and...

Destruction of the Administrative State Perhaps you remember that the title above was Steve Bannon’s goal.  I wasn’t sure what that meant in the beginning, but it is clear now that Bannon (through Trump and his Republican supporters) is achieving his goal, and weakening our...

This is our last paper of the year and here comes 2020. I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions, mainly because I know I’m setting myself up for something that most likely will cave in—a new workout regimen, diet restrictions, fewer sodas, more walking....

For decades in the Salinas Valley, the short-handle hoe, known as “El Cortito,” was used for weeding and thinning rows of crops that kept farmworkers stooped over for long hours each day. Workers were only able to stand and stretch when they reached the...

It is widely accepted that our dependency on automobiles is a potent contributor to the climate crisis. What is not so well understood is how auto dependency initiated a new phenomenon: transportation poverty.  Prior to the automobile revolution, walking was how both rich and poor...

Letters to the Editor, Sept. 9, 2017

Do you feel safe in Watsonville? Yes: 338 | No: 126 Public comment Jennifer Banchero Olds: I don't feel particularly unsafe, but I would say I'm definitely wary. I moved out of Watsonville in 1997, and I will say I did NOT feel safe living there. But...