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Watsonville
January 18, 2026

Addressing homelessness in Watsonville: A call to action

Homelessness remains one of the most pressing social issues of our time, particularly in communities like Watsonville.  The latest 2024 Point-In-Time (PIT) count shows that Santa Cruz County has maintained gains from the previous year, recording the lowest number of people experiencing homelessness since counting...

Letter: No more outsiders for hospital

letter to the editor pajaronian
I would strongly recommend that the Watsonville City Council make their opinion known that the Council views the control of the operation and planning for the Community Hospital to be in the hands of a person that has been with the hospital and community...

Guest View: Thank you for giving Watsonville a bookstore, Kelly

kellys-Bks-AT-1
I cannot remember the first time I visited Kelly’s bookstore. I had previously known it as Crossroads Books back in high school. It was within a short walking distance from Pajaro Valley High School, and I had a habit of stopping by after school.  I’d...

Annual Obon festival set for Sunday

The annual Obon Festival will take place July 21 at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple. Open to the public, the event will include entertainment, a vendor’s market, childrens’ games and an array of traditional foods. The festival culminates in a dance, known as Bon-Odori, which participants practice...

Letters to the Editor, Oct. 29

letter to the editor pajaronian
It’s time for unity Thanks to Mr. Wierdsma for his piece on the huge and ever-growing divide between both political parties, a well-written editorial. Having said that, I have an opinion as to the cause for said divide. President Clinton many years back, was able to...

Movie Review: 'The Last Jedi' feels bloated, empty at same time

Truth is, “The Last Jedi” feels more like a filler television episode than the grand galactic opera the series is known for. There is no doubt that this film is beautiful and it definitely has the whimsical DNA that has kept the franchise trucking forward for 40 years. But the eighth installment in this storyline feels a bit empty, has some weird tonal problems and sticks around longer than it should.

Letter: Rail Trail classism

letter to the editor pajaronian
The selection of the “Dirt Road To Davenport” over a badly needed county light rail system demonstrates that climate change means little to the supervisors, councilmembers and bureaucrats of Santa Cruz County. Monies are found for a dirt road for bicyclists and tourists. Meanwhile the...

Pioneer Organic farmers to field test new organic strawberry starts

In recognition of their research to improve organic strawberry farming systems, Organic Advocacy and Farm Fuel Inc. have been awarded a grant to study organic strawberry transplant (start) performance in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

Ag Tech Summit returns to Hartnell College

NOTE: This article was contributed by the King City Rustler SALINAS—The Salinas Valley Ag Tech Summit returns to Hartnell College on March 17-18, promising another deep dive into the latest tactics, equipment and thinking to maximize profit and consumer satisfaction in the fresh produce industry. The...

Santa Cruz’s Charlie Hong Kong serves lunch to local farmworkers

lakeside lunch
WATSONVILLE—About two dozen farmworkers settled in on picnic tables at a Lakeside Organic Gardens field Wednesday for a fresh, healthy lunch featuring the very crops they harvest.  The meal was prepared by Charlie Hong Kong, a Santa Cruz Asian fusion restaurant that was Lakeside’s first...
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New leadership, shared priorities: Investing in the future of public safety

As we begin a new year, I want to reflect on the direction of public safety in Watsonville and the leadership helping guide that...