Parks and recreation update
By Rebecca J. Garcia, Watsonville Mayor
All my grandchildren learned to swim through the Watsonville summer aquatics program. They went underwater, they floated, they played and they swam. So much fun. However, there will be no summer aquatics program this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic....
Sarah Ringler, Dec. 28: Top down educational reforms endanger public schools
Evidence shows that teachers are stressed. A 2017 survey in British Columbia found that two-thirds of teachers felt “stressed and emotionally exhausted all, or most of the time.”
Honoring those who sacrificed
POW—prisoner of war.
What happened to them? Where did they go? From the time civilization first began so began the mystery of the POW/MIA. Many have fought for truth, justice and freedom. Men and women sacrificing their lives for us.
As I remember my childhood, I...
Emily Balli, May 4: May is CalFresh Awareness Month
CalFresh (formally known as Food Stamps) helps struggling families and individuals in California purchase healthy, nourishing food, including at farmers markets.
Letters to the Editor Dec. 31-Jan. 6
PVUSD board was right to make cuts when they did
Brandon Diniz has written an impassioned guest Sentinel editorial; but he left out details on why the expediency, the reason for the cutbacks, and the continual disruption.
The District is required to submit their proposed budget...
Guest View: Protect farmland, prevent sprawl
Social issues being faced by Watsonville are being encountered by every town and city in California and across the country. Rising real estate prices, housing needs and homelessness are not solved by paving over farmland.
Watsonville is a special and unique place and does not...
It’s time to honor Fermin Tobera
Fermin Tobera should be a household name in Watsonville. It should be a name that is remembered and celebrated by all who have ever lived in the Pajaro Valley, and believe in justice, equality and progress. Sadly, it’s not, and that needs to change.
Tobera...
Dental coverage: Essential healthcare for California families
Over 30,000 under-resourced adults and children in Santa Cruz County rely on affordable dental care to live full, healthy, pain-free lives.
Across the State, 10 million adults, seniors, and people with disabilities depend on the Medicaid program (known as Medi-Cal in California) for their oral...
Abel Mejia: Negotiations progress?
Members of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers received another email on Nov. 1 from the Pajaro Valley Unified School District detailing how they had “sweetened” their previous offer.
RTC looks to federal, state government to fill rail funding gap
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) will seek funding from the state and federal government to support construction planning for a passenger...

















