From the editor's desk, Jan. 16: Some goals for the council in 2018
When the Watsonville City Council meets for the first time in 2018 Tuesday night, it will mark the beginning of another year of decisions that will shape the community far into the future. Here is what I hope to see the council achieve over the year.
Expanding services to South County
One of the most significant actions the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors took during our recent budget cycle was to authorize the purchase of a new South County Service Center. This purchase will create a second County government building that would provide Mid-...
Mayor’s Message: Help shape the future
Since my last message our clocks have sprung forward and Spring is here. As we move past the storms of the past several months, much-awaited federal help for our neighbors in Pajaro has arrived.
The President approved a major disaster declaration for Santa Cruz and...
Preserving our library
I read my first novel at the age of 10. The novel was the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I checked the book out from a satellite library that was across the street from where I lived. That book is relevant today in the...
'War for the Planet of the Apes' lives up to high standard
The story is deep, the characters are rich, the action is shot beautifully and the visual effects are the best I’ve ever seen. If this is indeed the final film in the series, which started with “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” in 2011, I’m glad to say it
Watching war crimes as we prepare for Easter
As I write this, images of atrocities in the city of Bucha, a suburb of Kiev, Ukraine, are crossing our screens. Executed civilians, hands bound, lying prostrate on the road. Neighborhoods targeted and destroyed, leaving innocent Ukrainians in the wake. A cyclist, seemingly shot...
Suspect nabbed in school burglary
A man was arrested Feb. 21 for stealing thousands of dollars worth of electronic equipment from Bradley Elementary School.
Travis Clarke, 33, was charged with burglary, possession of a controlled substance and a probation violation. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu...
Traditional international alignments are shifting
The initial response to the disastrous Oval Office encounter between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump and his vice president was that the resulting confrontation became a horrendously shameful moment for our country.
The sentiment expressed by many was that the objective...
Cultivating fruit
One of my favorite passages in the Christian scriptures comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia. Perhaps surprisingly, the reason I love it so much is how not-religious it is.
The passage sets up a contrast between disparate ways we can choose to...
County Supervisors approve draft BESS ordinance
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday moved forward with proposed rules aimed at regulating large-scale battery energy storage systems, which if...



















