Opinion

I want to talk about a few pieces of music that have been life-changers for me. As I’ve mentioned in a few columns in the R-P, I studied music at the university, which gave me a running start into the world of classical music, meaning Mozart, Bach, Beetho

SRO reversal is disappointing We are upset, but not surprised, to hear that the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees has voted to bring School Resource Officers (SROs) back to campus  A pilot program using education money, funding that was meant to go...

When everyone has what they need to thrive, we all benefit. That core belief is part of what our group, Rise Together, an initiative of Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, is all about. Our intercultural, multi-generational Rise Together coalition has built bridges and trust...

Our democracy thrives when everyone, regardless of citizenship status, has the opportunity to engage in their community. Recent years have made it clear that the notion of a universal path to citizenship is a myth, and there are intentional political efforts to keep certain...

There were several good news items scattered throughout the most recent budget update presented to the Watsonville City Council on Feb. 9. The city’s Administrative Services Director, Cindy Czerwin, predicted that the city would end the 2020-21 fiscal year about $5 million better than...

Memo from Pastor Rene “Mind your head.” When visiting our daughter in England I noticed those words posted over the many tiny doors in old buildings (were people that much shorter in those days?). Even with those warnings I constantly brained myself on the low...

Naloxone can save lives A billboard will be unveiled in Watsonville presenting how Naloxone can easily save and reverse an opioid overdose.  True convenience arrives as soon as anyone views the value and significance of this tool. It has the power to save a life. Why...

25 years ago on Aug. 5, 1996 A crowd of 200 parents, children and friends gathered for the third annual “Watsonville Peace and Unity Day 96,” a call for peace and to remember those who have fallen to violence. “We just want to stop the...

Santa Cruz County residents are no stranger to powerful and dangerous natural disasters, including winter storms with lasting impacts on our community.   The Santa Cruz County Department of Community Development & Infrastructure (CDI) knows that even as we continue to pick ourselves up after last...

By DENNIS OSMER ​​Dirty tricks. In the case of the Fair Board President and the State Department of Food and Agriculture, this is the best that can be offered to us in Santa Cruz County. The defamation and dismissal of David Kegebein, CEO of the...