Opinion

Thank you, John Laird The Democratic Women’s Club (DWC) of Santa Cruz County thanks State Senator John Laird for his swift action on introducing legislation to save the Watsonville Community Hospital, recently purchased by the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Project, a consortium of government agencies and...

Sheriff Oversight Commission needed On behalf of Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Santa Cruz County, we submit this letter to draw your attention to urgent needs in our community that have been ignored for too long. We trust you agree that each of us...

“The Circle” is possibly the most disappointing movie I’ve seen this year. It’s a perfect example of a film that asks a great question but doesn’t ever follow through on the ideas and answers that follow. It’s also a great example of how smart moviegoers

Every year around this time, choirs perform Handel’s Messiah (including in my own congregation). What is it about a piece of music written 260 years ago that still captures hearts today––in fact, especially today, as we endure our long, strange journey through the pandemic...

MEMO FROM REV. MATHEWS-JOHNSON It’s that time of year again. Christmas brings up wonderful memories for me. Maybe some of you can relate. But this year it just “ain’t like it used to be” on a lot of levels. Somehow, in some way, I believe we’ve...

As a pilot based at Watsonville since 1980, I am shocked at the Watsonville council’s decision to close the crosswind runway. The dissenting four council members (Montesino, Salcido, Quiroz-Carter and Orozco) voted against a compromise that would have retained the cross wind runway AND...

An updated version of Measure G—the half-cent public safety sales tax passed by voters in 2014—will be on Watsonville residents’ ballots next year. The new measure, which is still unnamed at the moment, has the same spirit as Measure G. Its goal is to provide...

Measure D will waste taxpayer money Supporters of Measure D always promise us that we can railbank our county rail and eventually reinstall rail at a later date. They cite Denton County, Texas as an example of this happening. Since I lived in Denton years ago,...

California’s Latino community has lost its greatest voting rights gladiator. Last Friday, the legendary civil rights lawyer Joaquin G. Avila lost his battle to cancer after previously suffering from a stroke. No one was more accomplished than him when it came to fighting for Latino political empowerment and representation.