Guest view: Feeding hope and nourishing community
By Erica Padilla-Chavez, Cindy Larive and Susan True
Shelly and Marty Hernandez go big on their annual Holiday Open House. Shelly, who has a passion for cooking, starts prepping weeks ahead. Over the years, the Hernandez open house has raised tens of thousands of meals...
Australia, a country on fire | On My Mind
Major bush fires continue to burn in Australia garnering worldwide concern. Thus far 24 fatalities have been reported, including three volunteer firefighters, and experts are assuming that entire species of animals and plant life will be wiped out by the fires, according to various...
Celebrating Women’s Equality Day
“The tribe is like an eagle
and the eagle will only fly true and high
when the wings are equal.”
—South American Indian Proverb
In 1973, the U.S. Congress designated Aug. 26 as “Women's Equality Day.” The date was selected to commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th...
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...
Trina Coffman-Gomez, Nov. 21: Clarifying misconceptions and moving forward
The impact this transportation planning document will have on our community today and for our future generations is profound. The Unified Corridor Investment Study will continue to be presented to the public during the public comment period before returning back to the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) commissioners to vote on in January at the earliest.
Zach Friend and Greg Caput, Oct. 5: Progress on the Pajaro River
As we move into the rainy season, we know that many share our concerns about the Pajaro River and the stability of the levee system.
We must persist
In light of the alarming spread of the novel coronavirus that is hammering our beloved nation, we must do our part to keep this invisible yet hellish enemy, this silent Godzilla, from doing even more harm to our fellow Americans. All of us are...
Guest View: Gear up for winter
Santa Cruz County residents are no stranger to powerful and dangerous natural disasters, including winter storms with lasting impacts on our community.
The Santa Cruz County Department of Community Development & Infrastructure (CDI) knows that even as we continue to pick ourselves up after last...
A sense of worthiness
Worthiness. Where does it come from? Self-esteem, feeling valuable … beliefs we acquire, not qualities that are doled out to us before we’re born. Every child comes into the world ready to be loved and cared for. And then we arrive at a conclusion about o
This Week in Pajaro Valley’s Past, Aug. 6
25 years ago on Aug. 5, 1996
A crowd of 200 parents, children and friends gathered for the third annual “Watsonville Peace and Unity Day 96,” a call for peace and to remember those who have fallen to violence. “We just want to stop the...
Felon arrested with firearms, suppressors, ammunition and methamphetamine
An investigation that began with a traffic stop accelerated when investigators found multiple firearms, firearm suppressors, high-capacity magazines, ammunition, firearm manufacturing components and methamphetamine...

















