Opinion

As part of the Governor’s “commitment to providing more treatment and rehabilitative services for youth closer to home” under SB 823, the state is closing the juvenile prison in Stockton (DJJ). This means that Santa Cruz County will soon be tasked with housing and...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville-based organization Farm Discovery at Live Earth announced that it raised $87,800 at its annual benefit dinner on Sept. 24. “Mesa: Farm Discovery Fall Feast in the Fields” was held at Live Earth Farm in Watsonville, and drew attendance from across the region. Guests were...

I feel fortunate to have the upbringing I had. Growing up in Washington D.C. with a bunch of wonderful kids in my neighborhood – kids from Greek and Jewish families, Catholics, Russians, Italians, Yugoslavians — how lucky was I to have been thrown into su

Corruption runs deep As a Progressive I enjoy watching the Republicans and Democrats (Hillary, Trump and Biden) accuse each other of corruption. Of course both sides are correct.  If you doubt this, go to opensecrets.org to find lists of their big-money corporate donors. Corrupting corporate money...

In Watsonville, we see the human cost of California's housing crisis every day. As homelessness rises, we face a critical choice: continue with inadequate approaches or embrace innovative solutions reflecting our values of compassion and dignity for all.  As CEO of Community Action Board (CAB)...

Over the past five years, we’ve learned how to navigate successive disasters in Santa Cruz County.  We fill sandbags, dig ditches, clear fallen trees, clean up debris, distribute food and help folks cover critical expenses when they are out of work due to shutdowns, floods,...

My fellow property owners in portions of Watsonville, Pajaro and surrounding agricultural areas are being offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to end our region’s long, heartbreaking history of catastrophic flooding. We would be crazy to turn it down. Our area has suffered eight floods in the...

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...

Recently, the Register-Pajaronian published an article regarding counseling services available to students in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. While the article touched on key components, it did miss an opportunity to depict the many positive elements that encompass the district’s services to its most fragile students.

At the beginning of the year, I made a promise to myself that I would write more editorials about issues that are impacting our city—something that has been lacking in my first two years as Managing Editor. But as much as I would like...