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Watsonville
January 3, 2026

Tony's Thoughts: I’m at your service

My name is Jose Antonio Nuñez, but many people know me as Tony — folks from a family full of Joses, Pepes, Juniors and Toñios will understand. For a little more than three months I’ve served as the Managing Editor of this publication. Some of you already know this and have texted, called, emailed or voiced your congratulations. To those people I say, thank you. To those who do not know me, or have yet to hear the news I say, I’m at your service.

This Week in Pajaro Valley’s Past, March 12

pajaro valley's past
Compiled by Steve Bankhead 25 years ago on March 9, 1996 Pajaro has developed community spirit in efforts to clean up and rebuild after last year’s flood. A major assist came from “Together in Pajaro” (TIP) organized by Diane Young to guide the effort. One target...

Watsonville’s Firefighters and Their Lifesaving Mission

When a call comes in for a medical emergency, every second counts.  While an ambulance may be on its way from other parts of the county, it is often the Watsonville Fire Department that arrives first. What many people may not know is that every...

Cabin fever

Jay Shinseki Watsonville
MEMO FROM REV. SHINSEKI In many areas around the state we are beginning to see a loosening of restrictions. Since March many of us have been “hunkered” down in our homes and going out very little. Between the Covid-19 pandemic and the wildfires many have...

Why I support renewing Watsonville’s Measure U

Felipe Hernandez
As a longtime elected official representing the people of Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley, I know how essential and important the agricultural industry is to the region and the rest of Santa Cruz County. In two elections, the voters of Watsonville have overwhelmingly affirmed...

Local actions matter in battle with climate change

felipe hernandez watsonville
By Felipe Hernandez, Watsonville City Councilman We face a sobering reality.  For those of us who came of age in the 20th century, the existential threat of climate change that we debated theoretically and at great length will be lived by the children being born...

Movie Review: Slow-burning ‘Blade Runner 2049’ stays true to what it is

“Blade Runner 2049” is not “John Wick” and that’s a good thing. Villeneuve stays true to the universe, themes and feel that now producer Ridley Scott created decades ago with the first.

Returning to class

PVUSD
By Jennifer Holm & Jennifer Schacher, PVUSD Board President & Vice-President  Like so many others in education, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District community has had a rough year. We are approaching the one-year mark of schools closing to in-person instruction. That feels significant. In...

Guest view: Cries of racism are misguided

letters to the editor
By Geraldine Ridgway Watsonville has long been a racially diverse community. It is insulting for anyone to call any Watsonville resident a racist. Watsonville has an amazing history. We once had a huge whaling industry, sardine factories stretched from Watsonville to Monterey, employing all races and...

Sandy Lydon: The false myth that Watsonville drove its Chinese community across the river in 1888

I first heard the story in the 1970s when beginning my research on the history of the Chinese in the region. I read it in community histories, newspaper history columns, and both Chinese and non-Chinese old-timers told me the story with conviction.  It was true...
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Watsonville Community Hospital celebrates first new baby

Thomas James Paul Watson became Watsonville’s first baby of the new year, weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 20 inches long when he...