Guest View: Flooding lessons have not been learned
How quickly we forget. Recent activity centers around the levee system on the Pajaro River. Yet, the first flooding in 2023 was in Watsonville, when the Salsipuedes and Corralitos Creeks overflowed. There are lessons from that flooding that need to be applied to those...
Ask Nicole: Giving Thanks
I often start this monthly column with a true story about my experiences as a parent. Writing about my own parenting challenges is like giving myself free therapy. I relive memories of difficult situations, work through my emotions in a safe environment (my office,...
Ask Nicole: Simple summertime ideas
When I was a child, Summer. Lasted. For. Ever. I remember long days that usually began with picking beans and then weeds in the hot sun, followed by endless hours of playing (and bickering) with my siblings in the hot sun. By the end...
Sandy Lydon: How Cabrillo College was named and helped unify the county
In August 2020 a group of faculty, students and community members approached the Cabrillo Board of Trustees and stated that the college’s namesake, the 16th-century navigator and explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, was no longer appropriate to be on the college. He represented, they said,...
Vote Yes on Measure V: Empowering True Representation and Building an Inclusive Watsonville
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...
Let’s Build a Stronger Watsonville Together – Vote YES on Measure V
Watsonville is a community built on the hard work, dreams, and diverse experiences of its residents. Every voice here matters, but right now, not every voice is given equal access to be heard in city government. Currently, only registered voters can serve on city...
Theo Wierdsma column: Counting the votes
Joseph Stalin famously remarked that in an election, “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.”
While stakeholders in our democratic system insist that our votes count, in reality, given our electoral system, which consistently features two major political parties, in...
Vote yes on Measure M
As a lifelong resident of Watsonville and current PVUSD Trustee for Area 4, I urge you to support Measure M in the upcoming election.
This measure is vital for our community's future. As a proud Watsonville High School alumnus (Class of 2000) and parent of...
Is freedom more than an illusion?
A recent visit to a very moving, emotionally taxing Japanese-American Exclusion Memorial on Bainbridge Island in Washington State's Puget Sound generated some disturbing thoughts about the concept of freedom.
The exhibition memorialized one of the darker episodes in our country's history. After the attack on...
Is the Electoral College still appropriate?
We are again just weeks away from another presidential election. An election that won't be decided by a plurality of the popular vote, but by what even our Supreme Court has referred to as the “anachronism of the Electoral College.”
A perpetual majority of voters...
Paulsen Road to close during rainy season
Nearly every year, a portion of Paulsen Road in Watsonville floods during winter rains, forcing officials to put up temporary barriers to stop motorists...