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Watsonville
February 20, 2026

The virus isn’t done with us

tarmo mug
As more people get their second shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, I’ve heard numerous reactions. Some say, “It was awful.” Others say, “I felt nothing.” Nearly everyone feels they have to weigh in on the topic, similar to when an earthquake rumbles through and...

Stand up for health equity

letter to the editor pajaronian
By Jason Johnston We know that the suffering and death of Covid-19 has been far more severe in our local communities of color, particularly the Latinx communities in South County. And we would like to believe that we live in a community with progressive values,...

Guest View: Measure N is vital to hospital’s success

In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake significantly damaged a hospital that had served the community of Watsonville for decades. Devastated by the earthquake, the nonprofit Watsonville Community Hospital (WCH) had to be sold to a for-profit corporation. In 2022, it returned to community ownership.  Still,...

From the editor's desk: A boost for local organizations

It was a good weekend for fundraising in the Pajaro Valley and surrounding area.

An open letter to the Pajaro Valley Health Trust Board of Directors

We would like to begin by stating that as Watsonville City Council Members and as citizens of Watsonville, we were extremely concerned when we learned on June 6, 2019, of the intended sale of Watsonville Community Hospital (WCH) to yet another for-profit entity. Our concerns, like many other elected officials and community members, were even intensified because of the long history of our hospital under 21 years of outside, corporate and for-profit ownership by first Community Health Systems (CHS), and then their spin-off, Quorum Health Corporation (QHC).

An open letter to City Manager Matt Huffaker, Watsonville staff

In 2015, developer Kamalesh Patel proposed to replace the National 9 motel across from St. Patrick’s church with a four-story La Quinta. The proposed hotel did not comply with Watsonville ordinances intended to control development of downtown properties. In a 2016 public meeting, the...

From the editor's desk: Stories of commencement

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Cabrillo College kicked off the graduation season on May 19. This week, graduations are shifting into a high gear.

Bob Fifield, Jan. 2: Time to invest in renewable energy

Over many years, oil companies have provided fuel to allow fossil powered engines to be useful (which has been appreciated for generations by the masses). They probably did not provide all that just out of the goodness of their hearts; many millionaires were made and some just in investing even became billionaires.

Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2: Trail and rail?

Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2, 2017

Cultural Shift

Jay Shinseki Watsonville
MEMO FROM REV. SHINSEKI “There are causes for all human suffering, and  there is a way by which they may be ended, because everything in the world is the result of a vast concurrence of causes and conditions, and  everything disappears as these causes and...
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Egg drop tests amateur engineers

Area youths tested their engineering skills Friday in downtown Watsonville at the 2026 Egg Drop Challenge.  The 23rd annual contest celebrates National Engineers Week, which...

Medina ban was right call