Opinion

The start of the New Year greeted all of us with more water than any of us, including meteorologists, had anticipated. And again, this past week our neighbors in Pajaro were devastatingly flooded. Although Pajaro isn’t technically a part of Watsonville or Santa Cruz...

Our council passed a rate increase this week on water, wastewater and solid waste utilities. It was a 6-1 vote. I was the sole vote against the rate hike. This was a difficult decision for all of us. Here is my explanation on why...

Major bush fires continue to burn in Australia garnering worldwide concern. Thus far 24 fatalities have been reported, including three volunteer firefighters, and experts are assuming that entire species of animals and plant life will be wiped out by the fires, according to various...

“Blockers” is a sometimes raunchy, overly slapstick comedy in the vain of “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” “Superbad” and “American Pie.” And like those classic comedies, director Kay Cannon’s coming-of-age story not only has plenty of a laughs, but it also oozes heart and asks several interesting questions, including an extremely timely challenge to the double standard placed on women. It’s fun and funny — yes, they are different things — while also not being too preachy.

I'm sick to my stomach as I watch helplessly the common recurrence of mass shootings and with the paralysis of our nation to do anything about it. I feel assaulted and traumatized by the sheer volume of violence I witness on television and mass...

Election Letters to the Editor, June 1, 2018

There is a unique term in Japanese that is used by Buddhists as they sit down to partake of a meal. The term in itadakimasu 頂きます. Before someone begins to eat they place their palms together and say the words itadakimasu. In a simple...

On New Year’s Eve my neighbor Jan invited me to join her and a bunch of our neighbors for a bonfire in her front yard to help close out 2019 and usher in a warm beginning to 2020. By 7 p.m. she had an...

City must update general plan to build around airport At the Aug. 24 Watsonville City Council meeting, while discussing the housing project at 547 Airport Blvd., some council members implied that the Watsonville Pilots Association (WPA) had been involved in lawsuits with Target, Home Depot...

By Dennis Osmer, former Watsonville Mayor Hardly anybody likes to work with somebody looking over their shoulder. And of those, nobody likes getting advice from somebody outside the circle. But for City Council and the City Manager, that’s the job they sought and got. According...