Ray Cancino: Community Bridges is committed to transparency and equity
Since the beginning of the year, Community Bridges has been busy helping Santa Cruz County and North Monterey County residents who have been devastated financially, emotionally and mentally by the recent unprecedented spate of storms and floods.
We walked door-to-door in the immediate aftermath of...
Noah and the Climate Crisis
Once when I was a youth pastor, a sixth-grade boy came up to me and asked, “Robby, where’s the rules part in the Bible?” Not sure exactly what he meant, I asked if he was looking for the Ten Commandments. “No, the rules part!”...
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,...
Letters to the Editor | Sept. 3
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...
Letter to the Editor, May 18, 2023: Results matter
Last week, Dr. Farhat-Holzman wrote some 13 paragraphs on lies, pointing the finger almost entirely at President Trump. She even quoted a supposed stat of “30,573 false or misleading claims by Trump.” The good Doctor clearly, like millions of others, is suffering from Trump...
Letter: PVUSD Board wise to appoint member
The PVUSD Board of Trustees was wise to move to make an appointment to fill the vacant Area 6 seat on the Board. Special elections often have terrible turnout and in this case would be a waste of $80,000.
As a parent of PVUSD students,...
From the editor's desk, Jan. 30: A look at 2018’s calendar
The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture’s annual awards dinner is always a night of celebration, socializing and bad jokes.
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...
It’s an old story
It’s an old story. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad.
A young soldier fighting in Italy during World War II managed to jump into a foxhole just ahead of a spray of bullets. He immediately attempted to deepen the hole for more...
Gaslighting the effects of tariffs
President Donald Trump continues to “gaslight” the country about the effects of his ever shifting tariff policies.
Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation designed to intentionally mislead someone. When used over a considerable amount of time, we begin to doubt ourselves, believe an...
City Council to consider utility rate increases
The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday will consider a series of utility rate increases over the next five years to fund infrastructure upgrades they...



















