Fresh produce grown and harvested by local youth will be on sale Tuesdays through the summer in Watsonville, and youth empowerment and food justice organization FoodWhat?! also has set its annual benefit dinner for Oct. 1.
Watsonville
Posted inCity Life
The trivia boomlet: Post-pandemic, trivia events throughout Santa Cruz County bring in the crowds
In the wake of pandemic lockdowns, trivia nights occupy a comfortable middle space between an intimate dinner and a musical or theatrical performance, a way to engage with friends and strangers and still be home before vampire hours. There’s a wide variety of them across Santa Cruz County, including one starting up Tuesday hosted by Lookout and Wallace Baine.
Posted inFood & Drink
‘A flower that blossomed’: El Huarache grows despite modest beginnings, setbacks
From selling tlacoyos, tamales and empanadas alongside her mother on the streets of Mexico City to stalls at Watsonville farmers markets and now restaurants including downtown Santa Cruz’s El Huarache, Juliette Govea and her family members oversee a sprawling food business.
Posted inK-12 Education
For this Watsonville high school grad, a choppy past planted seeds for big dreams
Reyna, a recent graduate of St. Francis High School in Watsonville, will be heading to UC San Diego in September. After 18 years that have included time spent in the foster care system and multiple moves, she says she’s ready for college — and everything after that.
Posted inEducation
Aptos, Cajastaca, Costa Vista, Seacliff, Santa Cruz Coast: Cabrillo College’s potential new names spark debate
Community members weighed in Wednesday in person after Cabrillo College unveiled its renaming shortlist as it aims to move on from its association with explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. There will be two more in-person forums and two online meetings, plus an online survey, for those looking to make their voices heard.
Posted inEducation
Cabrillo College unveils shortlist of potential new names
At a community meeting Wednesday at Cabrillo College’s Aptos campus, officials unveiled five potential new names for the school: Aptos College, Cajastaca College, Costa Vista College, Seacliff College and Santa Cruz Coast College. There will be two more public forums before Cabrillo’s governing body is slated to vote on a new name.
Posted inEvents, Health & Wellness
Watsonville Community Hospital nurses protest staffing issues, virtual doctors, as contract negotiations begin
Nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital held a news conference Tuesday to highlight the departure of 42 nurses since new public ownership — Pajaro Valley Healthcare District — reduced the number of part-time positions available. They say they want a union contract with the district that addresses this and other daily challenges nurses face at the hospital.
Posted inFood & Drink
Lily Belli on Food: A ‘fungicle’ pop-up, Tortilla Flats touch-up and Farm Discovery’s 2023 season
Hello eaters! Jessica M. Pasko here. While Lily is out on parental leave, I’m pitching in on the latest local food news. A little about me — I’m a writer and a native of upstate New York, living in Santa Cruz for over a decade. Our rich food culture is just one of the many […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Farm Discovery kicks off summer season, plans fall feast
Summer camps are in full swing at Pajaro Valley nonprofit Farm Discovery, which is aiming to expand its mission of educating about food and building community connections to more youth in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Its Fall Feast in the Fields, set for Sept. 23 and featuring chef Jessica Yarr, is again a big piece of the fundraising puzzle.
Posted inHousing & Development
Civil grand jury dings Scotts Valley, Capitola over affordable housing — and exponential increases are still ahead
By 2031, under state mandates, Capitola will need to boost its affordable housing permitting by roughly 9,000% over what it permitted between 2015 and 2022; Scotts Valley will need to permit 803 new income-restricted units, a more than 4,000% increase. That comes after both jurisdictions struggled to meet state goals from 2015 through 2022, and both come in for criticism in a recent report by Santa Cruz County’s civil grand jury.