Mayor For The Day returns
Being the mayor of a city carries with it a lot of responsibilities and can be quite demanding. It can also be rewarding and gratifying. Many of us get elected with a vision for our community. I was green, but had the fire in my stomach to...
Erica Padilla-Chavez: We are the Food Bank
What is normal? I thought things would return to normal following the three-year Covid pandemic and devastating Santa Cruz Mountain fires. I thought we’d survived the worst. But nothing could have prepared me for the first three months of 2023 and the meteorological disasters...
Watsonville is again a safe community | Letters to the Editor
Vote Yes on Measure Y
My family has lived and farmed in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley since the 1900s. Forty-five years ago I started our first farm growing green beans in Watsonville. I have converted that to be organic and we now are the...
This Week in Pajaro Valley’s Past, May 14
25 years ago on May 14, 1996
The program “Home Independent Study” is open in the PV School District at Alianza Elementary School. The 90-plus students enrolled in it are free to explore their own learning styles, interests and ideas while keeping within state and...
From the editor's desk, Oct. 31: Closure needed soon in bicyclist incident
It’s been nearly two months since Jennie Gervasio was struck and killed as she was riding her bicycle on Main Street near Auto Center Drive.
Supervisor’s Update: Pajaro Valley rising
As the days get longer, we have the opportunity to cherish the beauty of our community under the warm sunshine. However, our community has also been impacted by the effects of climate change, with frequent flooding and atmospheric storms in parts of Watsonville and...
Jimmy Dutra: METRO’s dramatic recovery maintains viable public transit options for county residents
Three years ago, in 2014, Santa Cruz METRO, your county public transit system, was in dire financial straits, with insolvency being a real threat within a couple of years.
This Week in Pajaro Valley’s Past, July 23
25 years ago on July 20, 1996
Corralitos has its eyes on a prize, and many residents are working hard to win it. The prize is a library, and ultimately a cultural center. Betty Allen and Joyce Medeiros are part of the group spearheading the...
Letters to the Editor, Nov. 15
Hilton Hotel construction
Of course developer Mr. Patel has every reason to feel “disheartened” regarding the opposition to his Hilton hotel project on Western Drive.
Here is a man who has invested time and money in an effort to finally build something upscale that will benefit...
Students learn the power of the vote at Civics Summit
On Friday, about 150 high school juniors from across Santa Cruz County cast their first ballots on three issues that, if passed, would dramatically...


















