Supervisor’s Update: Paving the way for progress
There are various opportunities for community engagement and multiple projects starting this month—from arts to roads to housing. There are also multiple projects starting this summer. My hopes are that these capital investment projects will improve the lives of everyone.
I will be having open...
Letter: Contact, but no feedback
I am at a loss as to why the PVCHD Board of Directors have not responded to my emails to their website. I have sent emails to their contact listing since as far back as April 2022, yet with no response, other than to...
Memo from Rev. Hosei Shinseki: Pride Month
“May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.May all beings never be parted from freedom’s true joy.May all beings rest in equanimity free from attachment and aversion.”
The above quote comes from...
Erica Padilla-Chavez: We are the Food Bank
What is normal? I thought things would return to normal following the three-year Covid pandemic and devastating Santa Cruz Mountain fires. I thought we’d survived the worst. But nothing could have prepared me for the first three months of 2023 and the meteorological disasters...
Ask Nicole: Tips for dads and father figures
I have many happy childhood memories of my dad playing the guitar and singing, instigating competitive croquet tournaments (which he usually won), and teaching my siblings and I how to use tools then creating a “workshop” in the garage so we could experiment with...
Letter: Thanks to all who made Prom possible
As longtime members of the PVUSD and the community of Watsonville, we take great pride in acknowledging the sincerest efforts of local and neighboring community agencies and businesses in making Watsonville High School’s 2023 Prom a reality!
Due to this winter’s weather events, WHS Activities...
Guest View, Ray Cancino: More must be done to prepare for disasters
To strengthen our community, we must continue to build resiliency to respond to the next disaster. The last three disaster-impacted years should not be chalked up to once-in-a-lifetime occurrences. For some, the March 11 flood in Pajaro was the fourth time in the past...
Guest View, Susan True: Trusting us to care for others
To her very last breath, Laura Segura was caring—and fighting—for us all.
Laura, who died June 9, 2022, was a beloved “justice warrior” who spent her life fighting for the opportunity and dignity of others. Just a few days ago, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County...
Guest View: Working for a common good
It was 1995 the last time the Pajaro River flooded this badly. Local clergy responded, organizing charitable efforts to help those affected. But when we showed up to meetings where key decisions would be made, we were dismissed and sent back to our places...
Supervisor’s Update, May 2023: Onward to the road to recovery
We are almost in the middle of the year and so much has already happened. Parts of the District are still recovering from the floods, construction has begun for the College Lake Water Supply Project, we are seeking community input for the County Housing...
County remembers people who died while homeless
The number of people who died while homeless this year saw a sizable decline from last year, when Santa Cruz County honored 121 people...