Opinion: Crime and Punishment
After being incarcerated on death row for 35 years, and after surviving a multiple hours-long botched lethal injection attempt 16 months earlier, on Jan. 25 Kenneth Smith became the first person in the world to be executed with nitrogen gas.
Alabama state officials described his...
Supervisor Felipe Hernandez – September 2025
As summer concludes and we transition into the fall season, I am pleased to share updates on recent accomplishments and upcoming initiatives in our district. Summer is always a busy time for infrastructure improvements, community events, and public engagement, and this year was no...
Supervisor’s Update: Pajaro Valley rising
As the days get longer, we have the opportunity to cherish the beauty of our community under the warm sunshine. However, our community has also been impacted by the effects of climate change, with frequent flooding and atmospheric storms in parts of Watsonville and...
Is there no balm in Gilead … or anywhere?
Looking over the suffering of his people, the prophet Jeremiah cries out in grief and dismay, "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?” (Jeremiah 8:22) That is, is there no comfort for the suffering? Is there no relief for the...
What’s your skill? Everyone has something to give
“What can I do?” Sometimes we hear this in response to a daunting problem, like the number of people in Santa Cruz County who can’t always afford enough food for their families.
This Week in Pajaro Valley’s Past, May 28
25 years ago on May 23, 1996
Nobody knows Watsonville High School like Mas Hashimoto. Born at home just two blocks from the campus, he’s spent two-thirds of his life there; first as a student, then as a teacher of history and geography. He knows...
What Makes Watsonville Community Hospital—and America—Great
Thirty-three years ago, while my family was preparing for a birthday party, I decided to arrive early. My mother was shopping for a cake for my sister’s second birthday in our small hometown of Cuerámaro, Guanajuato, Mexico—a rural town of at the time just...
Balancing the Pajaronian and the PV Health Care District
On Tuesday, I was appointed to the inaugural board of directors of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District.
I’m honored that the selection committee of supervisors Greg Caput and Zach Friend, County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios, Health Services Agency Director Mónica Morales and Salud Para...
Armed man arrested after standoff
A man was taken into custody after a shooting Saturday night near Riverside Drive and Marchant Street.
Just before 7pm, Watsonville Police responded to reports...




















