Watsonville is again a safe community | Letters to the Editor
Vote Yes on Measure Y
My family has lived and farmed in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley since the 1900s. Forty-five years ago I started our first farm growing green beans in Watsonville. I have converted that to be organic and we now are the...
Elections on the horizon | Letters to the Editor
Zach Friend is effective, responsive
I’ve worked with many elected officials over the last 30 years and I can easily say Zach Friend is one of the best. As a constituent, I’ve found that Zach and his staff are responsive as well as effective when...
Ag History Project looks ahead
WATSONVILLE—A buggy that once transported people along the streets of San Jose in the 1880s and ‘90s is now on display at the Agricultural History Project, restored and with a fresh coat of paint.
Hassan Zamani, who has volunteered with the AHP for two years,...
It’s time to honor Fermin Tobera
Fermin Tobera should be a household name in Watsonville. It should be a name that is remembered and celebrated by all who have ever lived in the Pajaro Valley, and believe in justice, equality and progress. Sadly, it’s not, and that needs to change.
Tobera...
A look at Fred Korematsu Day | On My Mind
For some folks, yesterday was Jan. 30, a Thursday. Another day checked off the calendar. But for others, especially in the Japanese-American community, that day chimes in the history books as the first day in the U.S. named after an Asian American, Fred Korematsu...
Residents endorse candidates, measures | Letters to the Editor
Re-elect Supervisor Zach Friend
As a long-time Second District voter, I write in strong support of Zach Friend’s re-election as our Santa Cruz County Supervisor in the March 3 election. He was originally elected in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016. A graduate of UC...
Local grower on cutting edge of organic farming
WATSONVILLE—About 200 people disembarked three large charter buses on Green Valley Road in Watsonville early Wednesday morning as part of the EcoFarm Bus Tour, a kickoff to the EcoFarm Conference in Pacific Grove this week.
The tour was visiting Strong Agronomy, a management company that...
A city at the crossroads | Letters to the Editor
City at the crossroads
Watsonville is at a crossroads. The Watsonville Planning Commission needs to get its priorities straight. Instead of promoting cannabis dispensaries and the shortsighted thinking of narrowing Main St. down to two lanes, it should be focusing on much more serious issues...
Monterey Bay Rose Society’s pruning workshops begin
CENTRAL COAST—The California cut flower industry has changed drastically in the last 30 years. Once controlling more than half of cut flower sales in the U.S., it has gradually been overtaken by competition from overseas growers.
The Pajaro Valley, once a mecca of rose growing,...
Citrus are summery winter fruits | Horticulture
By Tony Tomeo
Citrus seem like such summery fruits. Chilled lemonade and lemon meringue pie are best during warm weather. There are certainly plenty of lemons that ripen randomly throughout the year, and plenty that last for months on their trees. Most limes, some grapefruits...
What Makes Watsonville Community Hospital—and America—Great
Thirty-three years ago, while my family was preparing for a birthday party, I decided to arrive early. My mother was shopping for a cake...