Opinion

Our council passed a rate increase this week on water, wastewater and solid waste utilities. It was a 6-1 vote. I was the sole vote against the rate hike. This was a difficult decision for all of us. Here is my explanation on why...

Summer is here and just in time. We are coming out of a pandemic that has affected our lives for more than a year. So many of us were confined to our houses as we continued to live our daily lives. In-person engagement was...

It is with great sadness that I write about the passing of three important friends, who I believe played a huge role in shaping the fabric of Watsonville: Jim Rector, master home builder, Peggy Avalos, site manager at the Watsonville Senior Center through Community Bridges, and Lorraine Stucki, community activist and former Couch Distributing worker.

What sort of news would make you celebrate wildly? A clean bill of health? Escaping financial worries? Newfound safety? The true end of the pandemic? How might you respond? Would you run? Would you dance? Would you sing? Would you write a new song...

No other movie has quite captured the “family-comes-first” Mexican culture — both the good and the bad that comes with it — that is engrained in who I am. “Coco” is like a love letter to the culture, those who grew up in it and those who appreciate it. There is hardly any pandering here. All references and cameos — there are some great ones that I won’t spoil — range from well-done to perfect.

“I’m tired of hoping.” That sentence, spoken to me by a member of our congregation last week, summarizes the mood of many. Tired of hoping. Tired of waiting, tired of trying, tired of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel grow dimmer. At the start...

The 40 days of Lent observed in Christianity begins with the story of Jesus who fasted for 40 days in the wilderness immediately following his baptism. It is as if before Jesus began his ministry, he needed to go through a spiritual boot camp...

By Kathleen Kilpatrick Twenty years ago my family and I supported Measure U. Measure U was a compromise measure that came from Action Pajaro Valley, a robust stakeholder process that created the Watsonville Urban Limit line to allow for some growth and protection of farmland...

As you might imagine, I’ve met a lot of people on this job — bankers, drifters, teachers, painters, priests, janitors, surgeons, pilots and other reporters.

Proud to remain your community hospital Dear Pajaro Valley Community, It is an exciting and historic time for the Pajaro Valley. As a result of the dedication and support Watsonville Community Hospital received from this incredible community over the past several months, the Pajaro Valley Health...