Hard is to be born
“Hard is to be born into human life, now we are living it, difficult is it to hear the teachings of the Buddha, now we hear it. If we do not cross over to the Truth in the present life, in what life shall...
Question of the Week
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...
Watching war crimes as we prepare for Easter
As I write this, images of atrocities in the city of Bucha, a suburb of Kiev, Ukraine, are crossing our screens. Executed civilians, hands bound, lying prostrate on the road. Neighborhoods targeted and destroyed, leaving innocent Ukrainians in the wake. A cyclist, seemingly shot...
Letters to the Editor, Jan. 6
Appreciate outgoing councilmembers
Thank you Watsonville Councilmembers Rebecca Garcia and Lowell Hurst for your longtime dedication to the Watsonville City Council. Please know that the Watsonville community is forever thankful for your leadership.
—Daryl Wise, Watsonville
Ancestral guilt
As an amateur genealogist, I would like to add my...
Letters to the editor Oct. 10 – 16
Stein’s letter was misguided
Reading Gil Stein’s demand for PVUSD Trustee Joy Flynn’s resignation (Sept. 19-25, page 9), it seems clear that this is an instance of a white man attempting to police the behavior of a Black woman.
He comments on grammar and spelling mistakes;...
What name as a replacement for Cabrillo? Here are some options
By Steve Trujillo
In consideration of a badly-needed name change for Cabrillo Community College, there are three considerations that should be paramount:
1. If it is to be an individual, what personal characteristics and accomplishments make the individual worthy of putting that name to a community...
Vote YES on 15 for a better community
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...
A new perspective on National Night Out
I was invited to sit in on a ride-along with Watsonville Police Capt. Michael McKinley and City Councilwoman Trina Coffman-Gomez as they visited a number of National Night Out celebrations throughout the city Tuesday.
Letters to the Editor, April 9
Censure is a distraction from real issues
While in no way defending the recent behavior of Georgia Acosta, I have to call out those Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees members now involved in the censure pile-on.
Following the Brown Act is the responsibility...
How Farmworkers Outlawed ‘El Cortito’ 50 Years Ago
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...
Santa Cruz County Fair theme announced
The folks at the Santa Cruz County Fair have chosen a theme for the 2026 fair: “Apple Pies and Starry Skies!”
“This winning theme for...

















