Here are photos from the Pajaronian team that defined this year.
Coronavirus closures
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Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newell, left, joins Santa Cruz County Department of Public Health Director Mimi Hall during a March 7 press conference. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian file
Bilingual signs on the front door of El Frijolito Restaurant say the business is open for takeout only in response to the spread of COVID-19. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
Main Street in downtown Watsonville has the appearance of a ghost town as the county-wide shelter-in-place order enters its second day. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
The Watsonville City Council Chambers are near empty during an emergency meeting in March. It would be the final in-person meeting this year. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
Court is held on the outdoor steps of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse in Santa Cruz on March 23. Hearings and jury trials will return indoors later this summer. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Watsonville High School and all other Santa Cruz County Schools closed for the 2019-20 school year. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian file
Members of the National Guard help at the Second Harvest Food Bank in March in Watsonville. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
A huge line of cars inches through the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds during a food distribution by the Second Harvest Food Bank. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Despite a shelter-in-place order in Santa Cruz County large crowds showed up at Main Beach in front of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk over the weekend. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Santa Cruz Police patrol Main Beach in Santa Cruz in May to monitor a new beach order that prohibits their use between 11 am and 5 pm, except for water sports. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
A diagnostic testing site for the novel coronavirus run by OptumServe opened May 7 at Ramsay Park’s Family Center in Watsonville. — contributed
A team of six pilots from Lightning Formation Airshows dress the sky with smoke trails over Santa Cruz County Saturday in an aerial tribute to those who give to their community during the Covid-19 pandemic. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Four F-15C Eagle fighter jets stream above Dominican Hospital Wednesday morning during a flyover tribute to health care workers, first responders and others on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Watsonville High School graduate Nancy Corona smiles for a photo during Tuesday's drive-thru graduation. — Tony Nunez/The Pajaronian
Librarian Andrea Webster hands out a free book to Christian Maxie, 9, at the Main Branch of the Watsonville Public Library last week as part of the Summer Reading Program. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Santa Cruz METRO bus operator Oscar Herrera prepares to head out on a route Thursday at the Watsonville Transit Center. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Pajaro Valley Quilt Association members Lori Camner, left, and Helen Klee show off the medical gowns their organization helped sew together for Santa Cruz County health workers. — Todd Guild/The Pajaronian
The Ocean Speedway continues to race with no fans in the grandstand due to Covid-19 concerns in Santa Cruz County. (Juan Reyes – The Pajaronian)
Police and Fire joined forces to keep Cowell's Beach in Santa Cruz as free of people as possible over the Labor Day Weekend. —Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Willie Madaus, owner of Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls, hands Connie Vasquez of Watsonville her order Thursday at the first ever Fair Food Drive Through at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Kelly Pleskunas, owner of Kelly's Books in Watsonville, stands with her pandemic safety sign Oct. 1. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is running a drive-in movie theater in a parking lot beside the San Lorenzo River. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
James Sandoval, general chairperson for SMART Local 23, inspects a METRO bus for its latest pandemic safety equipment. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
People line up for Covid-19 testing at the Public Library in Castroville on Saturday. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Community comes together
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A display adorns the Youth N.O.W. headquarters in Watsonville. Each students is paired with the name of a donor of the ongoing Santa Cruz Gives campaign. —contributed
Locals lined up for free pizzas, handed out by 7-Eleven owner Sherry Dang (left) and staff on Christmas Eve. 'Santa Claus' helped out. — Johanna Miller/The Pajaronian
HUNGER HERO Andrew Trowbridge, 12, raised $2,175 for Second Harvest this year. —Joe Dianda
Santa's helpers safely distributed presents into people's vehicles Monday morning in Pajaro. —Johanna Miller/The Pajaronian
Yahaira Aguilar, 8, a first-grader at MacQuiddy Elementary School, unwraps a new pair of Vans shoes Friday as part of a special Christmas treat. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
A man sings a song for Gerry Kall in front of the Watsonville Senior Center Friday as part of a celebration of her 101st birthday. Caretaker Amie Botzon is also shown. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Locals pick up free lunches at Loaves and Fishes in Watsonville. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Twin Lakes Church pastor Rene Schlaepfer, left, and Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Willy Elliott-McCrea talk about a large donation to the food bank. — Todd Guild/The Pajaronian
Local faith leaders, including Presbyterian Pastor Robby Olson have filmed a virtual vigil for patients of the Watsonville Post Acute Center. — via the City of Watsonville
Watsonville Fire Capt. Ben Avis (from right), engineer Nate Tapiz and firefighter Greg Montes lend a hand Wednesday in setting up Christmas lights at the Toys for Tots headquarters in Watsonville. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Members of the National Guard help load cars with bags of food in March at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds as part of the Second Harvest Food Bank food distribution. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Jen Bruno, curriculum coach for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s Extended Learning Program, shows a sampling of supplies that filled around 4,120 backpacks for area students. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Cars file into the Watsonville High School senior parking lot Wednesday to pick up summer school materials from the PVUSD’s extended learning program. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust Executive Director DeAndre James (right) is shown during a mask distribution to California Giant farm workers earlier this year. James and the Health Trust have committed to funding the City of Watsonville's youth sports programs if the city council votes to defund the programs. — Bibianna Rocha/PV Community Health Trust
A Pajaro Valley High School graduate makes her way through Wednesday's drive-thru ceremony. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
Antonio Hueso sports a mask and balloons while standing through the sunroof of a car as he waits to receive his diploma at Aptos High School Thursday. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Watsonville High School held a drive-thru graduation for the class of 2020. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
Mitsuye Katsuyama (center) celebrated her 100th birthday at her Watsonville home. — contributed
Watsonville Campesino Appreciation Caravan, which has provided hundreds of farmworkers in the Pajaro Valley with supplies and information during the Covid-19 pandemic, was one of 20 awardees of Santa Cruz County CARES Act funding. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian field
Tom Harvey (from left), Suzanne Snyder, David Blume and Fred Vasquez teamed up with local nurse Elizabeth von der Ahe (not pictured) to send sanitizer products to the Navajo Nation. —Johanna Miller/The Pajaronian
Local realtor Dee Dee Vargas talks about how she, along with Barbie Gomez, came up with Project Elderly Care to assist seniors in the Pajaro Valley during the COVID-19 crisis. She is shown here helping to nag up sacks of food at a Walker Street storage building. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Sister Rosa Dolores Rodruguez shows off one of numerous masks she and others are making at Casa de la Cultural in Pajaro in response to combatting the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. —contributed
Freedom Bakery delivered 500 cookies to staff at Watsonville Community Hospital Thursday morning. —photo by Paul Liu
For the record
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Firefighters battle a blaze inside the former Sobering Center on Water Street in Santa Cruz. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Elections worker Rosi Weiss helps process ballots on Election Day in the basement of the Santa Cruz County Building for the Elections Office. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Watsonville police are investigating two fatal shootings that occurred just four hours from one another Saturday evening. — courtesy of WPD
Watsonville Police Department Capt. Anthony Magdayao briefs the media about the arrest of 47-year-old Cesar Hernandez Tuesday in Watsonville. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
These hazardous materials workers, under the umbrella of the Environmental Protection Agency, pick through the burned out ruins of a home in the River Rights neighborhood north of Boulder Creek. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
The CZU August Lighting Complex fire reduced this home to a bed of ash and a chimney along Highway 236 near Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Rigoberto Herrera of Cal Fire in Mariposa helps citizens get a handle of evacuation orders Wednesday in the Recovery Resource Center at the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
The sun is diffused by drift smoke from the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire. —photo by Anais Arreola Muro
The charred remains of a home and car are surrounded by a burned forest on Summit Drive off of Highway 9 north of Boulder Creek Friday morning after the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire passed through. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
A group of police officers from Oakland prepare to take on an assignment to assist Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies with the CZU August Lightning Complex fires. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Horse stalls are still available at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds for evacuations. —Johanna Miller/The Pajaronian
Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies have arrested a man suspected of stealing and using credit and bank cards from a firefighter’s truck. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Flames continue to burn through the rubble of a home off of Highway 9 north of Boulder Creek Friday morning. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
A fire ripped through an historic building on the Monterey Bay Academy campus night. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Santa Cruz Police clear homeless people and their belongings out of the former Camp Ross — know known as Camp Phoenix — on the corner of Highway 1 at River Street. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian file
The SeaBreeze Tavern burned down this year.
The casket carrying the body of Santa Cruz County Sheriff Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller is carried to a memorial service at Cabrillo College Wednesday. His wife, Favi, and their son, Carter (at left), were escorted by Sheriff Jim Hart. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Steven Carrillo, who is accused of killing Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, is shown through video call during a court hearing. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
A crew from KDC Construction board up windows at Starbucks in the Overlook Center on Main Street in Watsonville Thursday at noon in response to rumors on social media of looting and vandalism. Both peaceful and violent protests, stemming from the death of George Floyd by the hands of Minneapolis Police on May 25, have spread worldwide. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Lt. Brian Cleveland announces Thursday the arrest of four men in the high profile Oct. 1 kidnap and murder of tech executive Tushar Atre in Pleasure Point area of Santa Cruz. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office on Saturday responded to a reported shark attack at Sand Dollar Beach in Santa Cruz County. — via SCCSO Facebook
A juror hugs a family member of Jaelyn Zavala, a 4-year-old girl, who died in Michael Escobar's spray of gunfire in October 2014. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
A SWAT team moves into position along Highway 9 in Ben Lomond Saturday afternoon after a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed following two carjackings. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Watsonville Fire Chief Rudy Lopez (from left), City Councilman Aurelio Gonzalez and Parks And Community Services Department Director Nick Calubaquib celebrate during Tuesday night's Measure Y watch party at Jalisco Restaurant in Watsonville. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
California Highway Patrol Coastal Division Chief LD Maples talks to the media after the arrest of Kenneth Lafferty, who for several months hit cars with projectiles on Hwy 156 and 101. — via Facebook
Hot topics
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The City of Watsonville has conducted weekend code enforcement sessions on food trucks as complaints about the mobile food vendors have piled up. — Todd Guild/The Pajaronian file
A homeless man sleeps in the dirt alongside Main Street in Watsonville recently. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Linda Kerr and Michael Hudson join fellow nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital on Dec. 16 in a demonstration to voice their concerns about unsafe staffing. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
A man drags his sleeping bag along East Lake Avenue in Watsonville recently. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Yoni Espinoza, holding his daughter Sofia, 1, is hoping President-elect Joe Biden can help him and thousands of DACA recipients find a path to U.S. Citizenship. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Construction workers demolish the former skate park at the rear of Ramsay Park in Watsonville to make way for a new bicycle pump track. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Watsonville artist Yermo Aranda and Martha Vega show a photo of a mural that once lived on a wall in the Watsonville High cafeteria (background). Aranda worked with a group of Watsonville High students, including Vega, in creating the mural between 1989 and 1991. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
The Watsonville Post Acute Center on Auto Center Drive had 16 Covid-19-related deaths. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
The future of the statue of George Washington in the Watsonville City Plaza is under discussion. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
At least 400 protesters marched through Main Street in downtown Watsonville on Saturday calling for the end of racial and institutional discrimination. — Tony Nunez/The Pajaronian
FBI Special Agent John Bennett answers questions about the alleged murder of Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller at Monday's press conference in the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Jim Hart (left) and District Attorney Jeff Rosell also answered questions about the shooting. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Measure Y campaign co-chair Greg Caput, left, watches the results of Tuesday night's primary elections roll in at a watch party at the Jalisco Restaurant in Watsonville. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
A man and a young boy safely use the crossing signal to get across East Lake Avenue at Main Street in downtown Watsonville. Pedestrian safety was a major concern this year.—Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Santa Cruz Sheriff's Sgt. Daniel Robbins fields questions Wednesday during a press conference where new information was released in the Oct. 1 homicide case of Tushar Atre in Pleasure Point. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
The Watsonville City Council at Tuesday's meeting will mull a 45-day ban on new drive-thrus. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
Saying Goodbye
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In 2008 PVUSD Board of Trustees incumbent Karen Osmundson celebrates the news of the Barack Obama victory at the SEIU headquarters in Watsonville. Osmundson retired from the board this year. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian file
Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin has announced that she plans to retire Dec. 30. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
One of four 160-foot flag poles is brought to the ground at the former Aptos Par 3 Golf Course Tuesday. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Mike Ciglar died Oct. 15 at 62. — contributed
Hospice of Santa Cruz County medical social worker Katherine Sloan (left) presents a pin to Hal Hyde during a pinning ceremony on Nov. 8 as Hyde's wife Dorothy looks on. The ceremony comes thanks to the Hospice We Honor Veterans Program. — Todd Guild/The Pajaronian file
Lt. Col. Hal Hyde of Watsonville is shown on July 14, 1960. The Pajaronian file
The Watsonville High School community is reeling from the loss of four staff members, (from top left) Abel Mejia, Ruben Mejia, Bill Callahan and Federico Castañeda, that occurred over the past nine months. — contributed
One of the pillars of the Watsonville Fire Department, Capt. Matt Ryan, retired this year. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Carol Heitzig, director of the Watsonville Public Library has announced that she will be retiring July 9. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Richard Del Piero, center, sits with sons (from left to right) Marc, Eric and Kris during Richard's 94th birthday celebration. — contributed
Law personnel bow their heads at the memorial for fallen Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller June 17 at Cabrillo College. —photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller was shot and killed on June 6 in the line of duty. — contributed
Watsonville assistant fire chief Gene Friend stands on the running board of a 1928 Seagrave fire engine in 2003 at the Watsonville Fire Museum next door to Station No. 1 on Second Street. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian file
Former Watsonville
Police Department Dept. Chief Terry Traub died March 20. — contributed
Cabrillo College men’s basketball coach Tony Marcopulos stepped down from his position after spending the past 20 years at the helm. (Juan Reyes — The Pajaronian)
Watsonville Police Master Officer Angel Calderon is surrounded by well-wishers Jan. 23 at a send-off party for him as he retires after 25 years in law. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Bright spots
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'Santa' arrived in an R44 Robinson helicopter at Ramsay Park. On the ground, he joined 'Mrs. Claus' where the pair hopped in a 1967 Crown fire engine and headed out to begin a lengthy tour of Watsonville.
Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Watsonville's Sedrick Cabrera is a finalist for NBC's monologue competition, "Ya Tu Sabes!" —contributed by Sedrick Cabrera
Gabino Torres and Anna Martinez, owners of La Perla del Pacifico restaurant in Watsonville show their specialty dish, Pescado Frito and Fajita Mixta. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Jimmy Dutra became Watsonville's first openly gay mayor after winning election to the City Council's District 6 seat. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Members of the Santa Cruz Ballet Theater dance for a movie segment of The Nutcracker, Clara's Dream on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz. —Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Tom Ralston (center), president of Tom Ralston Concrete share a celebratory moment with Watsonville artist Kathleen Crocetti (right) and her husband and engineer, Bill Lucas, Sunday during the installation of a large mosaic dragon on the San Lorenzo footbridge on Front Street in Santa Cruz. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Photo by Tarmo Hannula
Yermo Aranda heads up a major restoration project of a 1993 mural on the West Lake Avenue side of La Manzana Center in Watsonville. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Marie Roberts, 92, enjoys a skydive over the Pajaro Valley with an instructor from GoJump Santa Cruz. — courtesy of GoJump Santa Cruz
The City of Watsonville held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Muzzio Park playground on Sept. 25. — contributed
Jack Dempewolf of Rinaldi Tile & Marble is part of a team of workers installing a huge mosaic panel on the parking structure on Rodriguez Street in Watsonville as part of the second phase of “Watsonville Brillante.” — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Forensic Services Director Lauren Zephro talks recently about the newly reopened County sexual assault examiner program. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Christina Arellano (left) recieves a bicycle from donor Denise Tu through the Bike Match Network. The network's local program is organized by Bike Santa Cruz County. Arellano lives in Watsonville but works at the UCSC health center, and says she will use the bike to get around the campus. —contributed
Watsonville City Councilman Lowell Hurst rings the cermonial bell at the
Watsonville Buddhist Temple Wednesday on the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
Goro Yamashita is the owner of Yamashita Market on Union Street in Watsonville. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Watsonville Wetlands Watch Executive Director Jonathan Pilch inspects a recently planted tree at Hope Park near the entrance of upper Struve Slough. —Johanna Miller/The Pajaronian
The West Coast Raven Fly Formation Team shows off their skills over Watsonville on the Fourth of July. —Johanna Miller/The Pajaronian
With graduations, Father's Day and the Fourth of July around the corner, a group of Watsonville leaders have gathered to create a universal message for the community. — Tony Nuñez/The Pajaronian
Eric Booker shows his high school diploma Thursday that he recently earned from Watsonville/Aptos/Santa Cruz Adult Ed. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
A sign reading "Thank you farmworkers" hangs outside of a car that was a part of Saturday's Farmworker Caravan which visited multiple fields around Watsonville and thanked the laborers. — Tony Nunez/The Pajaronian
Serna Knorschild views a file of cars cruising past her front door, some waving flags, balloons and colorful signs, while blasting their horns to help celebrate her 99th birthday Tuesday in Watsonville. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Payson McNett, director of Digital Fabrication at Cabrillo College's Makerspace, shows 3-D face shields being made at the facility. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Aptos High sophomore Erin Schmidt is lifted by senior Emma Setafnini after they defeated Mills High in the Central Coast Section D-III Championship on Saturday. (Juan Reyes — The Pajaronian)
Children react to one of several homemade contraptions hitting the ground during an annual egg drop competition in Watsonville as part of Engineers Week. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Pajaro Valley High junior Jasmin Castillo, left, and senior Gali Carrillo celebrate after they beat Soledad High in Tuesday night's PCAL play-in game at Watsonville High. With the win, the Grizzlies automatically qualify for the CCS playoffs. (Juan Reyes — The Pajaronian)
These kids use the newly opened Seacliff Skate Park Tuesday afternoon. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Mas and Marcia Hashimoto talk about their upcoming 50th anniversary at their Watsonville home. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Roman Acosta runs through a drill with Jazmine Quiñones (left) and Elizabeth Segoviano at the site of a new proposed soccer field behind Freedom Elementary School. —Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
Watsonville native Kabwasa (left) has collaborated with Watsonville organizations, artists and car clubs to produce his music videos. —photo by Joey Rodriguez Ontiveros
Christy Licker, left, who owns Caroline's Thrift, presents a check to Cece Pinhero and Dee Teutschel of the Special Parents Information Network. — Todd Guild/The Pajaronian
Tricia Potts and her son, Oliver, address a huge crowd at the opening of LEO's Haven Saturday in Santa Cruz. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian
A group of young inventors from around California pose with lawmakers in the State Capitol on Jan. 13. — contributed
