Community shows its pride
Elaine Johnson was 15 before she realized that the “aunt” who lived with her grandmother was actually her grandmother’s partner of four decades.
In those days, LGBTQ largely had to live in the shadows, lest they draw scorn from a society not yet evolved enough...
The Pajaronian recommends a Yes vote on Measure Y
In 2014, two-thirds of Watsonville’s voters approved the Measure G one-half percent sales tax to fund police, fire and youth violence prevention services for five years. This year, it will provide almost $5 million in funding to the police and fire departments—more than 10...
Farmworker communities applaud chlorpyrifos cancellation
On the morning of Aug. 14 the Gavin Newsom administration filed accusations against Dow and other manufacturers of the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos.
Sheriff’s Fentanyl Crisis Response Team uses education, enforcement
After 133 people died in Santa Cruz County in 2023 after overdosing on Fentanyl, the Sheriff’s Office has launched a new way to address the problem, with a special focus on the people who deal the dangerous drug.
The Fentanyl Crisis Response Team includes five...
Preserving our library
I read my first novel at the age of 10. The novel was the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I checked the book out from a satellite library that was across the street from where I lived. That book is relevant today in the...
Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2
Name change decision defies wishes of majority
I read with regret Todd Guild's article in your Nov. 18 edition, “Cabrillo College trustees vote for name change.” According to the article, 76% of our community did not want to change the name of our excellent community...
Letter: County needs to address river at Murphy Crossing
We went to see the current situation of the Murphy Crossing Bridge area on Jan. 21 after we learned that there was a possibility of flooding in that area the next morning.
We measured the height between the bottom of the river and the bottom...
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.
Juan Carlos Pozo: Watsonville’s fortitude
I am a teacher in Watsonville, California, a community forged in the frost of adversity and the fire of its fortitude. I find joy in my work and dedicate myself to it, not just because of my vocation or love for art—although both are...
Letters to the Editor Nov. 28-Dec. 4
Medina ‘not shrinking back’ after Lelieur letter
Mr. Lelieur’s letter (Nov. 21-28, p. 8) tries to present a clear picture of the PVUSD Nov. 12...




















