Opinion

By Felipe Hernandez, Watsonville City Councilman This election, we have the opportunity to reclaim millions for the future of Watsonville—without raising taxes on residents or small businesses. That’s why I’m a strong supporter of Proposition 15, the ballot measure that will make big corporations pay...

By Greg Caput, County Supervisor It is no surprise to most of us that this has been an unprecedented year with the emergence of Covid-19 and the CZU fires. During these times of uncertainty, we are facing deep emotional distress. The residents of Santa Cruz...

Do you like to shopping in downtown Watsonville? Yes: 134 | No: 415 Public comment Neera Bhatnagar: Parking is tricky and/or not safe. The shops are not generally meeting my needs. I try to go to the discount mall for my growing kid’s needs but quality and...

Compiled by Steve Bankhead 25 years ago on April 23, 1996 Moreland Notre Dame sixth-grader Anoosh Moutafian won her division in the Santa Cruz County Science Fair competition at Cabrillo College. Her project centered on properties of the lowly daphnia, tiny water crustaceans that thrive in...

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...

The Japanese love cherry blossoms both for their beauty and as harbingers of spring, but also because their short life reminds us of the transience of life. Sweet but sad.  In the 1920s the Pajaro Valley Japanese community donated and planted hundreds of cherry blossom trees...

Memo from Pastor Rene A friend who is a local marriage and family therapist told me recently she’s booked solid with Zoom counseling sessions every day. “People are feeling so much anxiety now,” she said, “more than I’ve ever seen in my practice.” Stress from...

All around the world this weekend, Christians are celebrating Good Friday and Easter.  Good Friday is sorrow remembered. Easter is joy experienced.  Several years ago while travelling through Israel I had a chance to go inside a first-century tomb that had been discovered when road crews...

The COVID-19 crisis has without a doubt been a challenging ordeal. Our businesses are suffering, our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet and there do not seem to be many quick solutions to the problems created by this tricky, highly-infectious virus. Yet, the...

By JIMMY DUTRA We have seen politics hit an all-time low in our community. Behavior that has been more common at the national and state level has arrived in our local politics. It has moved from “what I can do for the people” into “how...