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Watsonville
February 16, 2026

Was this the right time to increase utility rates?

Jimmy Dutra
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...

Let’s enjoy this summer

Jimmy Dutra
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...

On my mind, Aug. 26: Three big losses

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.

A Christmas song of subversion

Rev. Robby Olson
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...

Movie Review: ‘Coco’ is a masterful love letter to Mexican culture

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.

When you’re tired of hoping

Memo from Pastor Rene Schlaepfer
“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...

A lesson from the temptation of Jesus

Rev. John Song
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...

Guest View: Measures Q and S are flawed

letter to the editor pajaronian
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...

On My Mind | ‘Fake news,’ ‘the enemy of the people’ — really?

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.

Letters to the Editor, Sept. 2

letter to the editor pajaronian
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...
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Body identified as missing woman

A woman’s body recovered on Jan. 18 in the area of Smith Grade and Moore Ranch Road has been identified as 73-year-old Jeanne Burke,...