At its meeting Tuesday, the Watsonville City Council will seek to appoint Assistant City Manager Tamara Vides, a seasoned bureaucrat, as interim city manager following the departure of Rene Mendez.
Watsonville
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Watsonville / Pajaro
Pajaro Valley Health Care District board to vote Wednesday on placing $105M bond measure on March ballot
The Pajaro Valley Health Care District board will vote Wednesday on whether to ask voters to support a $105 million bond measure to help Watsonville Community Hospital buy the hospital buildings and the land they sit on and to help fund health care services. The district currently pays about $4 million a year to lease […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Levee agreement marks a watershed moment for the people of Watsonville and Pajaro
A federal, state and local agreement signed last week officially greenlights the construction of a new Pajaro River levee, a project the community has been waiting for since the 1950s. Local officials say the moment has been a long time coming.
Posted inLatest News
After 68 years, a new Pajaro River levee is now all but guaranteed, set to begin summer 2024
Nothing is ever guaranteed, but officials say a new Pajaro River levee is as close as government gets after local and federal agencies signed an agreement to spend the money for the first section of the project. The largely low-income communities of Pajaro and parts of Watsonville have been waiting for reinforced flood protection for nearly 70 years.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
We have to do more to tighten pesticide regulation in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County holds an unwanted and embarrassing title, says organic agriculture activist Woody Rehanek: “No other county in California has such a high proportion of fumigant gases to overall pesticides applied.” In short, we continue to use far too many pesticides, he writes. And the state Department of Pesticide Regulation’s draft plan for the use of pesticides for 2024-28 falls short of what we need to protect farmworkers and ourselves.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Against the odds, Watsonville Community Hospital survived bankruptcy. Will it survive the next few years?
While Watsonville Community Hospital recently celebrated a year since its rescue from bankruptcy, it continues to face enormous challenges. Hailed as a success story in how to save a distressed California hospital from closure, the hospital’s leaders point to the changes they are making to keep the doors open. But the hospital’s financial woes still loom large.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Bad news for crab fleet, downtown food boom & numbers to know
In her weekly roundup of news and notes from the Santa Cruz County business community, Jessica M. Pasko talks to local fishermen about yet another delayed start to the Dungeness crab season, the latest openings and closings across the region and a $325,000 price tag for a fencing company that is up for sale.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Aromas vegetation fire prompts evacuations, school cancellation
A fire ignited in Aromas around 2 a.m. Tuesday on Quarry Road near the Pajaro River and the border of Santa Cruz County and San Benito counties. Just after 10 a.m., a local battalion chief said the blaze was 25% contained and was optimistic it would be fully safe within 24 hours.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
In Watsonville, farmworkers, students and activists demand state reduce pesticide use, boost organic farming
Students, farmworkers and doctors urged the state’s Department of Pesticide Regulation to restrict the use of harmful pesticides and push farmers to adopt organic practices during a gathering Monday in Watsonville. Residents shared personal stories of health issues, calling for greater protection for farmworkers and their communities. Some speakers drove from hundreds of miles away to participate in the meeting. The department will consider public comments before finalizing a new strategic plan.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Watsonville springs to life honoring the dead for Día de Los Muertos
“It’s really important that people know this is not Mexican Halloween,” the director of the Watsonville Film Festival says of Día de Los Muertos, being celebrated this weekend at the downtown plaza and elsewhere. “The essence of each is very different. Halloween is all about being scary and funny, and though Day of the Dead can be funny, too, they just come from different places.”