The Pajaronian

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday will consider renewing agreements that would continue placing law enforcement officers on three comprehensive high school campuses for the 2026-27 school year, a program that has remained one of the district’s more divisive issues.

The board is scheduled to vote on an agreement with the Watsonville Police Department to provide two part-time officers at Watsonville High School and Pajaro Valley High School, along with an amended agreement with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office for one full-time deputy at Aptos High School. The meeting begins at 5:30pm in the district boardroom, 294 Green Valley Road.

The proposal is likely to draw supporters and critics, as it has in previous years.

Opponents argue that the presence of armed, uniformed officers creates a climate of fear for many students—particularly immigrant families—an issue they say has become even more acute amid stepped-up federal immigration enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Supporters counter that school resource officers provide an important layer of campus security and help build relationships with students while responding to emergencies. 

Many point to the Aug. 31, 2021 fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Gerardo Sarabia Aguilar at Aptos High School, which occurred months after the board eliminated the SRO program. Following the stabbing, trustees reversed course and reinstated officers on campuses.

What the agreements would do

The Watsonville agreement would provide two part-time officers—one each at Watsonville High and Pajaro Valley High—from Aug. 10, 2026 through June 4, 2027. The district would reimburse the city up to $152,053 for the school year. The officers would work approximately 27 hours per week, with schedules tailored to each campus.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s agreement extends the existing contract through June 30, 2027 for a deputy assigned to Aptos High School. The district would reimburse the county $925 per day, for a total estimated annual cost of $166,500.70, reflecting increased personnel costs over last year.

New emphasis on restorative practices

Accompanying both contracts are new memorandums of understanding that place greater emphasis on restorative practices, student wellness and limiting law enforcement involvement in routine discipline.

The MOUs state that SROs are intended to serve as “connectors, mentors, and protectors,” rather than disciplinarians. They explicitly prohibit officers from enforcing school rules involving dress code violations, tardiness, classroom behavior, cell phone use or other administrative matters.

Instead, officers would focus on emergency response, criminal investigations, threat assessments, safety education and community-building activities. They would also participate in restorative circles and receive training in trauma-informed practices, de-escalation, implicit bias, LGBTQ+ awareness, disability rights and adolescent development.

The agreements also require annual reporting to the Board of Trustees on student interactions with SROs, including disaggregated data on arrests, citations and referrals by race, gender and disability status. School officials would be required to notify parents if a student is questioned, searched, detained or cited by an officer, and district staff would document enforcement interactions.

Background

The district’s relationship with school resource officers has shifted repeatedly over the past several years.

Trustees voted to eliminate the program in 2021 amid concerns about the disproportionate impact of police on students of color and a desire to invest more heavily in restorative justice and mental health services.

That decision was reversed after the fatal stabbing at Aptos High School prompted calls from parents, educators and law enforcement officials for a renewed police presence on campuses.

Wednesday’s meeting will determine whether the district continues that program for another school year while operating under updated guidelines intended to more clearly define officers’ roles and limit their involvement in student discipline.

The public tests their rhythmic skills alongside members of Watsonville Taiko during the annual Obon Festival in 2025 at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple. The annual event is scheduled for Sunday at noon at 423 Bridge St. The free event includes entertainment, a vendor’s market, children’s games and an array of traditional foods. The festival culminates in a dance, known as Bon-Odori. For Buddhists, the Obon Festival is a time to honor deceased ancestors by inviting them back into their homes. Many consider it a time to honor past generations and their contributions to the living, organizers said. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)

In order to be the champ, one must beat the champ. 

The Watsonville 14U All-Stars squad did exactly just that following an 8-1 victory against defending back-to-back champion Santa Cruz All-Stars in the PONY NorCal Coast Region championship at Franich Field in Watsonville on July 5.

“It’s a big accomplishment because we’ve always been in that race to battle with Santa Cruz or Mid County,” Watsonville coach Moises Leonor said. “We’re like the three-headed monster when it comes to Santa Cruz County.”

During the Coast Region tourney, Watsonville opened with an 8-1 win over Marina All-Stars, followed by a 2-0 triumph against Mid-County All-Stars behind a combined one-hit performance.

Watsonville has showcased balanced baseball in every phase of the game throughout the regional tournament. 

On the mound, pitchers Andrew Ruiz, Mel Martinez, Andre Diaz and Dante Ponce combined for a 0.00 earned run average in three games.

Behind the plate, catcher Julien Montes helped anchor the defense by throwing out six of seven attempted base stealers during the regional tournament, while the offense received contributions throughout the batting lineup.

Others on the roster include Robin Casella-Kummerer, Aaron Garcia, Adrian Garcia, Adam Guerrero, Avery Keller, Carmelo Luna, Mateo Luna, Freddie Deion Martinez and Isaac Paz-Vargas.

On Tuesday, the youngsters proved that resilience, teamwork and timely hitting can carry a team a long way. They wasted no time carrying that momentum into the next stage of postseason play. 

Watsonville rallied from a 5-0 deficit entering the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat Paso Robles All-Stars, 6-5, in dramatic fashion in the teams’ opener of the Super Regional tournament at Bel Passi Ballpark in Modesto.

“It was pretty nerve-wracking,” said Leonor, who refused to hang his head and give up while watching from the dugout. “I’m telling the boys the same thing, game isn’t over, don’t let the time run out on you.” 

Leonor said they were in a situation where anything could’ve happened, and all they needed was one batter to reach base to get the ball rolling.

Paz-Vargas began the rally by drawing a walk, and the rest was history. 

“Eventually with that first guy getting on, it just kind of snowballed,” Leonor said.

Watsonville, which pounded out a total of 12 base hits, erupted for six runs in the sixth frame.

The inning was highlighted by Ponce’s two-run single, followed by Adrian Garcia delivering the game-winning RBI single to complete the come-from-behind win.

Ponce batted a perfect 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while “Freddie Ice” Martinez earned the win in relief while striking out five over three innings. 

Watsonville continues postseason play against hosts Bel Passi on Friday at 7:30pm. The winner will continue its journey toward the West Zone Tournament in West Covina and, ultimately, the PONY World Series in Washington, Pennsylvania.

If there’s one thing Leonor, along with fellow coaches Mel Martinez Sr. and Cesar Garcia, have to tell the players moving forward it’s, “Never give up,” Leonor said. “It ain’t over until you know who sings.”

#tdi_1 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item1 { background: url(https://pajaronian.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/PAJ2628-Watsonville-PONY-2026-Coast-Regionals-celebration-WEB-80x60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat; } #tdi_1 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item2 { background: url(https://pajaronian.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/PAJ2628-Watsonville-PONY-2026-Coast-Regionals-Andre-Diaz-WEB-80x60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat; } #tdi_1 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item3 { background: url(https://pajaronian.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/PAJ2628-Watsonville-PONY-2026-Coast-Regionals-Mel-Martinez-WEB-80x60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat; } #tdi_1 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item4 { background: url(https://pajaronian.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/PAJ2628-Watsonville-PONY-2026-Super-Regionals-WEB-80x60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat; } #tdi_1 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item5 { background: url(https://pajaronian.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/PAJ2628-Watsonville-PONY-2026-Coast-Regionals-WEB-80x60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat; } 1 of 5 The Watsonville 14U All-Stars team celebrates on the field after capturing the PONY NorCal Coast Region title following an 8-1 victory over Santa Cruz All-Stars in the championship game at Franich Park in Watsonville on July 5. (contributed) Watsonville 14U All-Stars pitcher Andre Diaz helped the team capture the PONY NorCal Coast Region title following an 8-1 victory over Santa Cruz All-Stars in the championship game at Franich Park in Watsonville on July 5. (contributed) Watsonville 14U All-Stars pitcher Mel Martinez helped the team capture the PONY NorCal Coast Region title following an 8-1 victory over Santa Cruz All-Stars in the championship game at Franich Park in Watsonville on July 5. (contributed) The Watsonville 14U All-Stars team poses for a photo following a 6-5 victory over Paso Robles All-Stars in the teams’ opening game of the PONY NorCal Super Region tournament at Bel Passi Ballpark in Modesto on July 7. (contributed) The Watsonville 14U All-Stars team captured the PONY NorCal Coast Region title following an 8-1 victory over Santa Cruz All-Stars in the championship game at Franich Park in Watsonville on July 5. (contributed)

A June 11 stabbing in Watsonville that left a man injured has now led to a fourth arrest after the investigation led detectives into Arizona.

The attack happened on June 11 at the 7-Eleven on the 200 block of East Lake Avenue, where a 46-year-old man was stabbed, Watsonville Police said. The victim is expected to survive. Days later, three suspects were arrested.

The ongoing investigation took detectives to Arizona, where they worked with the Arizona Department of Public Safety State Gang Task Force where they identified a fourth suspect, Bryan Rascon, 33.

Officers from Watsonville and Arizona served a search warrant at a home, where Rascon was taken into custody. He will be extradited and booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on charges of attempted homicide.

Maria came to us with a molar that had been throbbing for months. She’d been managing the pain with ibuprofen—not because she was ignoring it, but because she couldn’t find a dentist who accepted Medi-Cal. As a farmworker in South County, she couldn’t afford to lose a day’s wages to sit in an emergency room, let alone pay for the care that would follow. By the time she found Dientes, the infection had spread. What could have been treated with a routine dental visit had become a serious health risk.

Maria is one of nearly 18,000 patients Dientes serves each year. Ninety-seven percent of our patients live at or below the federal poverty level. Nearly half are Latino, and many work in the very industries that keep California’s economy running. For them, access to dental care isn’t about convenience. It’s about staying healthy enough to work, care for their families, and live with dignity.

That is why the state budget signed this month brought welcome news.

California’s leaders made the difficult decision to delay the proposed reductions to Medi-Cal dental benefits for one year. In a budget year defined by extraordinary financial pressures, they recognized that preserving access to health care—even temporarily—was a priority worth protecting.

We are deeply grateful.

Here on the Central Coast, we are fortunate to be represented by legislators who understand both the importance of a strong safety net and the realities facing community health providers. Speaker Robert Rivas has consistently emphasized protecting working families. Assemblymember Dawn Addis brought thoughtful leadership to difficult budget conversations as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health. Senator John Laird, as Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, helped navigate extraordinarily challenging fiscal decisions while preserving essential health care services.

These were not easy choices. We thank them for making them.

But this is not the end of the story.

The proposed dental benefit reductions were postponed—not eliminated. The financial pressures facing California remain real, and federal actions continue to create uncertainty for the future of Medicaid and Medi-Cal funding. Unless we continue making the case for oral health, these same conversations will return next year.

We’ve seen what happens when dental benefits disappear. Patients delay care until pain becomes unbearable. Small infections become medical emergencies. Emergency departments become dental providers of last resort. Clinics struggle to absorb the demand while provider participation declines. Rebuilding that capacity takes years.

We cannot afford to repeat that cycle.

At Dientes, we also know that government funding alone has never been enough to meet the needs of our community. Every day, we rely on the generosity of donors, foundations, corporate partners, volunteers, and community organizations who step forward to help fill the gaps that public funding cannot. Their support allows us to provide care to uninsured patients, invest in modern equipment, expand services, and ensure that financial barriers never become barriers to health.

That partnership between public investment and private generosity is what makes our safety net resilient.

As we look toward next year’s budget, we hope policymakers continue building on this year’s progress. California has made remarkable strides in expanding access to dental care over the past decade. Protecting those gains requires sustained commitment—not only from elected leaders, but from health care providers, advocates, community organizations, and philanthropic partners who believe that oral health is an essential part of overall health.

Maria received the treatment she needed. Six months later, she returned for a routine cleaning—the first preventive dental visit she’d had in years.

That follow-up appointment may not seem remarkable. In truth, it is exactly what success looks like. A person receives care before a crisis develops. A family avoids unnecessary suffering. A worker stays healthy enough to earn a living.

That is the promise of Medi-Cal dental benefits. It is a promise worth protecting.

This year’s budget gave us time. We are grateful for the leadership that made that possible, and equally grateful for the community that stands beside us every day to ensure that, whatever challenges lie ahead, our neighbors continue to receive the care they deserve.

Human cost of pesticides should be considered

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District from 2017-2023 had a total of 14,486,224 pounds of pesticides applied in its boundaries—more than any other school district on the California coast or Salinas Valley.

During the same 7-year period, PVUSD had 152,651 pounds of organophosphates applied here. By the 2024-25 school year, PVUSD 15.61% of students in PVUSD qualified for special education—higher than the county or state averages. There may be a correlation here.

In cost/benefit analyses of organophosphate use, benefits to farmers are emphasized, while the losses of human learning and earning potential are rarely factored in. A largely ignored study, “Trends in Neurodevelopmental Disability Burden due to Early Life Chemical Exposure in the USA from 2001 to 2016,” by Abigail Gaylord et al. (2-

15-2020), calculated the potential economic losses that accompany collective and cumulative IQ losses in our country over a 15-year span, due to OP exposures in children.

The study quantified cases of Intellectual Disability, defined as IQ less than 70, and estimated the lifetime economic cost of each IQ point loss as $22,268 in 2018 dollars. Each case of Intellectual Disability was valued at a loss of $1,272,470 of potential lifetime productivity.

Overall, this study found that 26.66 million IQ points were lost due to OP exposures 2001-2016, with an estimated cost of over $594 billion. This is roughly equivalent to the total value of US crop and livestock production in 2025—an eye-opening comparison.

Big Ag and Big Chem playbooks often promote conventional chemical farming as essential to putting cheap “quality” food on the table, but OP use and its negative impacts on children’s learning and earning potential is but one example of the hidden costs of pesticide use.

Big Ag and Big Chem have been using the same “doubt, delay, & denial” tactics that Big Oil successfully used for decades to counter research showing that global warming would result from burning fossil fuels. Someday these multinational corporations will be held accountable and liable for their negative impacts on children’s learning and economic potential. The horse is out of the barn, the chickens are coming home to roost, and soon it may be time to pay the piper.

Woody Rehanek

Watsonville

•••

New housing requires careful consideration

Affordable housing is important, but taxpayers deserve an honest discussion about who pays the bills. California’s Property Tax Welfare Exemption under Revenue and Taxation Code Section 214 allows qualifying nonprofit organizations that provide low-income rental housing to pay little or no property taxes.

The City of Santa Cruz is planning for 3,736 new housing units by 2031, including hundreds of affordable units. Every new development increases demand for police and fire protection, roads, water and sewer systems, parks, libraries, and other public infrastructure.

When tax-exempt housing contributes little or nothing in property taxes, those costs don’t disappear. They are shifted to homeowners and businesses through higher taxes, fees, special assessments, or reduced public services. Santa Cruz already struggles with aging infrastructure, deteriorating roads, and rising public safety costs.

Affordable housing should also be fiscally responsible. Before approving additional tax-exempt developments, city leaders should require a comprehensive fiscal impact analysis to determine how infrastructure and service costs will be funded. Growth should benefit the entire community—not leave existing taxpayers responsible for an ever-increasing share of the bill.

Mike Lelieur

Santa Cruz

•••

PVFT Is misleading, the public and their members

They are negotiating for smaller class sizes and no cap on benefits. They already have class size reduction due to decreased enrollment of more than 20%. How much more do they need?

No cap on benefits misses the point that benefits have risen over 120% in the past 14 years and will double in the next seven. 14 years ago, benefits were 20% of wages. In three years, they will be greater than 91%, crowding out wage increases in bankrupt in the district. This will lead the state to take over the district, negating all union contracts, and dismissing the superintendent and the school board. Is this what PVFT wants? I do not think so.

One way to do this is to negotiate the total compensation rather than wages and benefits. Separately choices could be given to teachers to take either higher wages and less benefits or the reverse let the teachers decide individually their choice.

Bill Beecher

Aptos

Gisselle Padilla spent much of her childhood translating for her parents, who worked in the strawberry fields after immigrating from Mexico.

Years later, she found herself advocating for her own son during Individualized Education Program meetings, frustrated that she often felt unheard and unable to fully participate in discussions about his education.

Those experiences shaped her career as a therapist. Now, the Watsonville native has taken the next step by opening Innerlight Psychotherapy, a bilingual, bicultural mental health center designed to provide services that she says are deeply rooted in the community it serves.

The clinic, which opened in June, offers individual and group therapy, with a focus on children with special needs, agricultural workers and others seeking trauma-informed care. 

Padilla recently expanded from a single-office private practice by hiring two bilingual, bicultural clinicians who also grew up in Watsonville.

“I don’t think there’s a center quite like this,” she said. “When I see people who look like me, who come from families like mine, they don’t have to explain over and over where they’re coming from. They know that I understand.”

Padilla said cultural understanding can remove barriers that often prevent people from seeking mental health care.

“I’ve had individuals tell me, ‘When I see you, I can see myself,’” she said. “My parents were immigrants who worked in the strawberries for more than 40 years. That connection matters.”

Her own path to becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist was anything but traditional.

After graduating from Watsonville High School in 1992, Padilla earned an associate degree in business from Heald College before putting her education on hold to help support her family. She later married, spent 12 years as a stay-at-home mother and eventually returned to school, earning a bachelor’s degree from Argosy University before completing a master’s degree in counseling psychology at John F. Kennedy University.

She said the turning point came while raising her son, who has ADHD.

Repeatedly attending IEP meetings left her feeling intimidated and unable to advocate effectively for him.

“I said, ‘No, I need to advocate not only for my son, but for other families,’” she said.

Today, she often attends IEP meetings alongside parents as their therapist, helping educators understand the mental health challenges students face and ensuring families have a stronger voice in the process.

The new center reflects another goal: giving Watsonville families access to care close to home.

Instead of traveling to Santa Cruz or elsewhere for services, Padilla said residents now have more options locally through a team that understands the area’s culture and languages.

“We’ll be able to give more support to the families here in Watsonville,” she said.

The opening also represents a personal milestone.

Padilla had planned to open a similar center last year before being diagnosed with cancer shortly after returning from a vacation in Mexico. She abandoned those plans while undergoing treatment.

Earlier this year, however, the Watsonville space became available. Encouraged by her father, she decided to move forward despite continuing treatment at Stanford Health Care.

“He told me, ‘This is what you’ve always wanted. We never know how we’re going to leave the world, so you might as well take it,’” she said.

Padilla said that experience reinforced the philosophy that guides both her life and her practice.

“Hope is such a huge piece,” she said. “No matter what we’re going through, there is always hope. We might not be able to fix everything, but hope keeps us moving forward.”

For information, visit innerlightherapy.com.

Work has started on a lengthy trail for pedestrians and bicyclists along sections of Harkins Slough and Lee roads near Pajaro Valley High School. 

Watsonville Principal Patrice Theriot said the City contracted Monterey Peninsula Engineering to construct Phase 1 of the “Lee Road Trail” project.  

Designed by Mesiti-Miller Engineering, the $1.7 million first phase is expected to be completed by Fall 2026.

Plans call for a 2,000-linear-foot, 8-foot-wide multi-use trail and dedicated bike lanes.  The path begins at Pajaro Valley High School and terminates at a crosswalk connecting to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County’s Watsonville Slough Farm.  

Separately, the Slough Farm plans to build its own 5-mile public trail network on its property.

Phase 1 also features the installation of new guardrails, curbs, gutters, curb ramps, high-visibility crosswalks, and signage from the high school driveway to the Lee Road intersection. Four culverts to manage water runoff underneath the new trail and informational signs highlighting the surrounding environment are also in the works.

Additional work, still awaiting approval, calls for extending the trail across Struve Slough via a new pedestrian bridge, terminating at the Watsonville Slough on Lee Road.

People in six counties around the Bay Area and Watsonville came out on July 3 to voice their disapproval of a federal plan by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to build immigration detention facilities in Gilroy and Dublin. 

A crowd of around 20 people lined the Harkins Slough Road overcrossing to Highway 1 for 90 minutes of sign waving for passing motorists, including in large letters, “ICE out of Gilroy.”

“We are out here today because there are two ICE facilities now under construction or almost in operation in northern California,” said Olivia Millard, co-founder of Indivisible Pajaro Valley as she waved a large American flag from the Harkins Slough Bridge above Highway 1. “There haven’t been ICE facilities in northern California yet, and when they have facilities nearby it will mean that they’ll start to fill those facilities.”

The proposed site in Gilroy on Holsclaw Road shows the federal General Services Administration awarded a $26.5 million contract in 2025 to a Beverly Hills-based real estate firm connected to other ICE detention centers.

In a statement emailed to The Pajaronian, ICE said that the construction in Gilroy is for a new office.

“This is not a detention facility,” the statement reads. “The new Gilroy office will enable ICE to support local operations and enhance coordination with regional partners to ensure the enforcement of federal immigration laws at the operating standards of other offices nationwide.”

Sam Earnshaw of Aromas said, “I’m here because I feel we have to keep up our resistance to fascism that is going on in this country now. And coming out to protests like this is one of the many things we can do.”

Millard added that the protest Friday was running simultaneously across 30 bridges in six counties.

The Pajaronian has reached out to ICE for comment.

“ICE is so inhumane,” she said. “They are gulags, they are prison camps, they are ignoring due process. People disappear into the ICE system—they’re often not seen again or shipped off to some country in Africa.

She noted that “we’ve been relatively fortunate” in the Pajaro Valley thus far. “What has been happening in Minnesota might start happening here. That would be horrifying, so we are doing everything that we can to bring attention to this.”

In May my wife, Sarah, and I took a nine-day, 1,250-mile road trip to southern California with a goal of checking out coastal towns big and small. 

We headed south through Prunedale and caught Highway 101 south aiming for Santa Barbara where we had a one-night reservation at the Villa Rose Hotel. 

This was not the sort of journey where we just tried to rip through as many miles as possible, but rather, take in the color of the land and back roads and look into the history and culture of the state we call home.

STANDING HISTORY The San Miguel Mission is right off of Highway 101. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)

It’s hard to roll past San Miguel, right off of Hwy 101, without a brief stop at the 1797 San Miguel Mission, whose foundations were laid more than 200 years ago. The architecture, landscaping and rugged small town offers a rich array of our state’s history.

We sailed through Paso Robles, Atascadero and San Luis Obispo and found our way to the Dana Adobe at the eastern edge of ancient sand dunes which reach six miles from the coast and touch the Temetatte Hills as it blends into Nipomo Creek. The natural beauty and diverse biology of Rancho Nipomo and the region has long been a focal point for botanists, geologists and other scientists. Much of the Dana Adobe’s property is like it was nearly 200 years ago, when Captain Dana first arrived in Nipomo.

IN THE AIR A model of a blue cow keeps watch over the entrance to Lavender Fields Forever
on West Highway 246 in Buellton.  (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian) 

According to danaadobe.org, William Goodwin Dana was born in Boston on May 5, 1797. At 19 he left Boston on his first voyage where he circumnavigated the globe. In the mid-1820s, Dana moved to Santa Barbara and soon married his wife, Maria Josefa Carrillo. They eventually ended up in Rancho Nipomo where they had 21 children, 13 of which reached adulthood. Dana died in 1858 at 60 while Maria died at 71. The family continues to have a strong presence in Central California. 

Next, we stopped for a coffee break at Motensen’s Danish Patry in Solvang, the windmill place, in the Santa Ynez Valley. Described by some as the Danish Capital of America, the place was founded in 1911 when a group of Danish Americans purchased 9,000 acres, and in the 1940s began building a string of Danish-style structures including a bunch of windmills, which draws a lot of tourists.

Our first night was in Santa Barbara at the Villa Rose Inn, a Spanish Colonial-style place with a contemporary flair a few blocks off the beach. We learned the nearby pier, or Stearns Wharf, is the oldest working wood wharf in California, built in 1872 by John Peck Stearns to facilitate the transfer of cargo and people from ships to shore.

LIVE THEATER The Granada Theatre opened in 1924 as a movie palace and live performance venue on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara and continues as a premier live performance hub.  (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)

After checking in we roamed over to State Street, the main drag through downtown Santa Barbara and stumbled on Milk and Honey Tapas. On top of the warm and inviting atmosphere, their corn and shrimp tacos and calamari were fantastic.

In the next part of this series, we check out the wharf, find my grandparents’ graves for the first time and head south to Venice Beach.

Recent Watsonville High graduate Azucena Sandoval spent much of her education learning the fundamentals of science she will study this fall at Stanford University.

But she rarely got to put those concepts into practical use. That changed in late June when she participated in SkyLab, a first-of-its-kind partnership between UC Santa Cruz and Watsonville High School through the K-16 Collaborative.

During the two-week course, four students—from sophomores to seniors—designed, built and flew drones above Watsonville to collect real-world data about the atmosphere they experience every day.

“I love learning the fundamentals of science, but when it comes to application, that’s something I felt like I lacked,” she said. “It wasn’t just the conceptual stuff that I’m used to in the classroom.”

Beyond learning engineering skills, the students tackled one of the region’s most pressing issues: understanding how climate and air quality affect the Pajaro Valley.

For assistant professor Javier Gonzalez-Rocha, the program is about much more than teaching students how to build drones.

“It’s really about getting students exposed to science, technology, engineering and mathematics early on and helping them begin developing an identity around becoming an engineer, becoming a scientist, becoming a mathematician,” he said.

They learned computer programming, computer-aided design, 3D modeling, 3D printing and soldering before assembling drones capable of measuring temperature, atmospheric pressure and humidity. By the end of the course, they were flying the aircraft using first-person-view goggles that display a live camera feed from the drone.

“We went from no experience with flying drones to a first-person view,” Gonzalez-Rocha said. “We were surprised. We didn’t know how far we would get.”

Unlike commercially available drones that automatically stabilize themselves in flight, the first-person drones require constant control of altitude, direction and speed, making them significantly more challenging to operate.

The skills are paired with research that has direct relevance to the Pajaro Valley.

The drones collect data about the planetary boundary layer—the lowest part of the atmosphere where people live and work. Understanding how that layer changes throughout the day can help researchers determine how smoke, dust, pesticides and other airborne pollutants move through the valley.

Gonzalez-Rocha said the information could eventually help communities better prepare for wildfire smoke, prescribed burns and other air quality events that affect outdoor workers and residents.

“We’re thinking about climate resilience,” he said. “If there are wildfires, are we prepared to respond? Do we have the information that would enable us to make decisions? Should we go for a run? Should we be outside working?”

The work is especially meaningful in the Pajaro Valley, where geography can cause pollutants to settle in lower elevations.

“If we can measure and really understand how the atmosphere is evolving day to day, we can better understand if there are greater risks of some pollution event impacting the local community,” he said.

For the students, the experience brought classroom lessons to life.

“It was a good introductory experience, and I really liked all the hands-on work that we got,” said 16-year-old Leandro Serrano. “We learned how to solder, how to 3D model, how to do programming, and we also learned how to fly the drones, which was a really cool experience.”

The experience reinforced Serrano’s goal of pursuing engineering in college. He hopes to attend MIT, UCLA, USC or UC Berkeley and major in computer or mechanical engineering.

Jesus Contreras, 17, said he especially enjoyed learning skills that engineers use every day.

“My favorite parts were the 3D printing and soldering because they’re very hands-on,” he said. “I’m trying to get into the engineering field. I want to major in engineering, either mechanical or civil.”

The SkyLab program is part of the broader K-16 Collaborative, a partnership between UC Santa Cruz and Pajaro Valley Unified School District designed to create stronger pathways into science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.

Although invitations went out to students throughout the district, all four participants came from Watsonville High School. Gonzalez-Rocha hopes future sessions will attract more students as organizers work to reduce barriers such as transportation and scheduling.

He also hopes the program sparks curiosity—not only about engineering, but about the community students call home.

“The students live here,” he said. “They understand these issues because they experience them. This gives them another lens to understand what’s happening around them, and maybe someday help solve those problems.”

The skills are paired with research that has direct relevance to the Pajaro Valley.

The drones collect data about the planetary boundary layer—the lowest part of the atmosphere where people live and work. Understanding how that layer changes throughout the day can help researchers determine how smoke, dust, pesticides and other airborne pollutants move through the valley.

Gonzalez-Rocha said the information could eventually help communities better prepare for wildfire smoke, prescribed burns and other air quality events that affect outdoor workers and residents.

“We’re thinking about climate resilience,” he said. “If there are wildfires, are we prepared to respond? Do we have the information that would enable us to make decisions? Should we go for a run? Should we be outside working?”

The work is especially meaningful in the Pajaro Valley, where geography can cause pollutants to settle in lower elevations.

“If we can measure and really understand how the atmosphere is evolving day to day, we can better understand if there are greater risks of some pollution event impacting the local community,” he said.

For the students, the experience brought classroom lessons to life.

“It was a good introductory experience, and I really liked all the hands-on work that we got,” said 16-year-old Leandro Serrano. “We learned how to solder, how to 3D model, how to do programming, and we also learned how to fly the drones, which was a really cool experience.”

The experience reinforced Serrano’s goal of pursuing engineering in college. He hopes to attend MIT, UCLA, USC or UC Berkeley and major in computer or mechanical engineering.

Jesus Contreras, 17, said he especially enjoyed learning skills that engineers use every day.

“My favorite parts were the 3D printing and soldering because they’re very hands-on,” he said. “I’m trying to get into the engineering field. I want to major in engineering, either mechanical or civil.”

The Skylab program is part of the broader K-16 Collaborative, a partnership between UC Santa Cruz and Pajaro Valley Unified School District designed to create stronger pathways into science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.

Although invitations went out to students throughout the district, all four participants came from Watsonville High School. Gonzalez-Rocha hopes future sessions will attract more students as organizers work to reduce barriers such as transportation and scheduling.

He also hopes the program sparks curiosity—not only about engineering, but about the community students call home.

“The students live here,” he said. “They understand these issues because they experience them. This gives them another lens to understand what’s happening around them, and maybe someday help solve those problems.”

This article was contributed by CasinoBeats

City and county officials in Watsonville are paying closer attention to a shift that has been reshaping household budgets for years: the steady migration of leisure spending from local venues and retail stores to digital platforms. Streaming services, gaming subscriptions and online content have become fixed expenses for many Pajaro Valley residents, and local leaders are beginning to ask whether that trend helps or hurts the broader community economy.

The conversation is unfolding against a backdrop of active economic development efforts. Watsonville recently hired a national retail consulting firm, Retail Strategies, to attract new businesses and restaurants—a clear signal that officials are thinking carefully about where discretionary dollars go and how to keep more of them circulating locally.

City Officials Track Digital Spending Shifts

Watsonville’s push to recruit physical retailers reflects a recognition that competition for resident spending has changed fundamentally. Downtown businesses and local event venues now compete not just with neighboring cities but with platforms that have no physical footprint in the Pajaro Valley at all. A resident who spends an evening streaming movies or browsing digital content on a phone is effectively sending money to corporations headquartered outside Santa Cruz County.

City officials reviewing economic data are increasingly aware that digital leisure is not a fringe activity. It represents a substantial and growing share of what households spend each month. That awareness is shaping how planners frame questions about retail attraction, broadband investment and the overall health of the local tax base.

Where Resident Leisure Dollars Are Going

The scale of digital entertainment spending at the national level helps put the Watsonville picture in context. U.S. consumer spending on digital home entertainment reached over $56 billion in 2024, reflecting consistent year-over-year growth in streaming, gaming and related content. That number captures the sheer volume of money flowing out of local communities and into platform-based entertainment every year.

Fintech platforms have seen significant growth, with digital payment services and neobanks capturing spending that once flowed through local bank branches. Subscription-based software services—from productivity tools to creative platforms—represent another category where digital providers capture recurring revenue outside local tax jurisdictions. Streaming services, online gaming platforms and best online casinos in the United States—licensed across multiple state markets with transparent payout structures—all follow the same pattern. Interestingly, California has not legalized online casinos, meaning any revenue generated by residents wagering on regulated platforms flows to operators licensed in other states, entirely outside Watsonville’s fiscal reach.

Local Budget Implications Draw Council Attention

The financial stakes for Watsonville are real. When residents spend on streaming platforms, gaming apps, or out-of-state digital services, those transactions generate no local sales tax and support no local jobs directly. That dynamic sits uneasily alongside the city’s efforts to attract businesses that would generate both employment and tax revenue within city limits.

A Deloitte survey summarized by Variety in 2026 found that U.S. households spend an average of $69 per month on streaming video services, with roughly 90 percent of households holding at least one paid subscription. For Watsonville families already managing high housing and transportation costs, that monthly outlay is no longer optional—it functions more like a utility bill. Council members weighing budget priorities are effectively competing with that fixed spending for any slice of household discretionary income they hope to redirect toward local commerce.

What Regional Planners Are Watching Next

Regional planners across the Monterey Bay area are watching several trends simultaneously. Broadband investment, which expands access to all forms of digital content, is simultaneously a tool for economic opportunity and a driver of more spending on out-of-area platforms. That tension makes infrastructure decisions politically complicated—improving connectivity helps residents participate in the digital economy but also accelerates the outflow of entertainment dollars.

For Watsonville and the broader Pajaro Valley, the broader takeaway from these national trends is straightforward: digital leisure spending is large, growing and structurally difficult for local governments to influence through traditional economic development tools. The most productive path forward likely involves investing in physical amenities and community experiences compelling enough to compete with whatever is happening on a screen at home.

The editorial staff of The Pajaronian was not involved in the creation of this content. The content is for general information and does not constitute the financial, medical or professional advice of this publication. Readers should consult qualified professionals regarding their individual circumstances. The Pajaronian disclaims any liability for loss or damage resulting from reliance on this content.

Girl Scout leaders meet for a dinner in Watsonville in 1957.

The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday gave final approval to a new camping ordinance creating designated “no-encampment zones,” allowing the city to immediately remove encampments from certain public areas without providing the standard 72-hour notice.

The vote marked the ordinance’s second reading, making it final.

The council also approved a map identifying the city’s initial no encampment zones, which will serve as the official enforcement map.

Both items were placed on the consent agenda, which contains items expected to pass without debate or discussion.

The consent agenda was approved 4-0. Councilmembers Vanessa Quiroz-Carter and Maria Orozco, along with Mayor Kristal Salcido, were absent.

While the ordinance passed without comment Tuesday, its first reading on June 23 drew criticism from Quiroz-Carter, who called it “ridiculous.”

“We need to have adequate services for people,” she said. “We need to have adequate shelter for people. That’s a basic human right.”

Future changes to the map will require City Council approval.

The ordinance is intended to address what city officials describe as a recurring enforcement problem along Watsonville’s waterways, levees and other public spaces, where unhoused people often move their belongings just outside a cleanup area after receiving notice, creating new encampments that require another 72-hour warning before crews can return.

Under the new rules, people camping within designated no encampment zones will be considered to have already received notice and may be subject to immediate enforcement. The city will still collect and store qualifying personal property for 60 days at no cost, allowing owners to reclaim it. Signs posted at each zone will notify people that camping is prohibited, explain how to retrieve impounded belongings and provide information about available shelter and services.

The ordinance also expands the city’s definition of camping. It now includes storing unattended personal property on public land, constructing semi-permanent shelters, digging or altering the ground to create shelters, using portable cooking devices or fires on public property outside designated barbecue areas, and sleeping in parked vehicles.

The city says no encampment zones may be established around sensitive infrastructure, environmentally significant areas and homeless shelters or navigation centers to protect public health, safety, sanitation and access.

During the ordinance’s first reading on June 23, city officials said major waterways would be among the first locations designated as no encampment zones because cleanup efforts there have been especially difficult.

Supporters said the changes will help protect waterways, parks and public spaces while giving city crews a more effective way to address persistent encampments.

Critics, however, argued the ordinance criminalizes homelessness without providing enough shelter or housing options.

The ordinance takes effect 30 days after its adoption.

Watsonville Police are asking the public for help in finding an at-risk 12-year-old girl who has been reported missing.

Willowwind Crowbear was last seen Monday morning around 1:45am on the 500 block of Westridge Drive. She is believed to be wearing a black hoodie and jeans. 

She was also reported missing last month in Salinas, and returned home on June 24 before leaving 30 minutes later, police said.

Anyone with information of her whereabouts is asked to call 831.471.1151.

HISTORY ON WINGS People get a close-up look at a Douglas A-26C Invader, a famous twin engine medium bomber from the end of World War II. According to aviation buff Gary Plomp, the craft is powered by two 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engines rated at 2,000 horsepower each.  It is known for its speed and performance.  (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian) AIR SHOW The West Coast Ravens streak the sky with smoke trails. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian) ABOVE IT ALL A girl tests her climbing abilities on a portable climbing wall at the Fire in the Sky event. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian) thanks to a crew from Fireworks America and the Bay Area Bandits, a local chapter of the GymAct Gymnastics. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)

Thousands of people lines the mainstreets of Aptos and Watsonville for their annual Fourth of July parades, some staking out their roadside seats the night before. Below is a collection of images from the events.

SPIRIT OF WATSONVILLE

All Watsonville photos by Tarmo Hannula

AIR SHOW A group of airplanes leaves smoke trails above Main Street at the start of the parade. FIRST PICK This year’s Grand Marshal was Second Harvest Food Bank. REVERED DOCUMENTS This man carries a flag in front of a poster of the Declaration of Independence in the parade. TRUCKS AND ENGINES A file of old and new fire rigs from Watsonville Fire Department rolls down Main Street. IN A ROW The Agricultural History Project brought their collection of early-day tractors and a model of a cow to the parade. CULTURAL FLAVORS The group Diablos Herencia Mixteca bring their bizarre costumes from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico to the streets of Watsonville. HUGE SHOWING Thousands of people crowd the sidewalks of a closed off Main Street to watch the parade unfold. CLASSIC A spiffed-up Cadillac is part of the Watsonville Impalas entry in the parade. MEXICAN CULTURE Several groups of Folkloric dancers brought their colorful attire to the event.


TROT ON Fancy horses thrill the crowd. IN STEP Youths of Centro Portugues work their way down Main Street.

APTOS WORLD’S SHORTEST PARADE

All Aptos photos by Todd Guild

kids 2
BEDECKED These girls were decked out in patriotic gear before the parade began.
 PARTADE MARTIAL Students from Sanford Martial Arts in Soquel perform a kata for the crowd. OFFICIAL Santa Cruz County 2nd District Supervisor Kim De Serpa greets the crowd. TOGETHER This family watches the parade go by.  PATRIOTIC POOCH Several people brought their pets to the parade. THRONGS Several thousand people lined Soquel Avenue, with some placing chairs as placeholders the night before. OLDIES The parade featured several classic cars.  CLASSIC Parade participants ride in a vintage car. CHAMPS Players from the Aptos All-Stars wave to the crowd. LEADING Two California Highway Patrol officers lead the Aptos parade.

Everyone is invited to pedal along in a community bike ride July 5. Grab your bikes and bring the whole family for a fun ride on the Ohlone Loop Trail. The route, described as gently challenging, starts at 150 Westridge Drive in Watsonville.

The free event features 

• Learn about Bike Safety

• Bike safety gear giveaways, raffle prizes and more.

• Free burritos and refreshments for all riders.

• Limited bikes available for those who need to borrow one. First come, first serve.

The event runs from 11am to 1pm.

For information, visit ev****@*****************ty.org

Nine months of late nights, countless repairs and more than 100 hours spent testing an underwater robot in a swimming pool paid off in a big way for a team of Santa Cruz County high school students.

Hephaestus Robotics, a 21-member team representing eight county high schools, captured first place in the Ranger Class at the 2026 MATE ROV World Championship on June 27 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, earning the program’s first world title after finishing third in each of the past two years.

The victory came against 47 high school teams from 13 countries competing in the Ranger division, one of several classes at the international competition, which featured 86 teams from 16 countries.

Among the team members was Pajaro Valley High School student Raul Lopez, who said the experience changed the way he thinks about engineering and teamwork.

“This experience taught me how to work within a big team made of smaller teams, an experience I hope to contribute to building a MATE ROV college team at CSUMB,” said Lopez, who will attend Cal State Monterey Bay this fall to study mechatronics.

The team qualified for the world championship by winning the MATE Monterey Bay Regional ROV Competition in April.

At the three-day world championship, students operated a remotely operated underwater vehicle in facilities designed to simulate real ocean conditions, including a 1.7 million-liter flume tank and a wave basin.

Their robot completed a series of tasks modeled after real marine science and offshore engineering work, including replacing a simulated environmental DNA sensor, recovering an anchor buoy and deploying an autonomous float capable of maintaining depth while collecting data.

Students also used professional sonar equipment to locate simulated marine debris.

“Rather than simply simulating operations within a controlled pool, our team rose to the challenge of performing real-world ocean protection,” said Santa Cruz High School student Elle Williams, who piloted the robot during the bonus mission. “We deployed a professional sonar tool on our ROV to scan for and identify ghost gear and debris in the Atlantic Ocean. That was amazing.”

The competition extends well beyond building a robot.

Teams operate as mock engineering companies, preparing technical reports, budgets, marketing materials and formal presentations that are judged by professionals from the marine technology industry.

Mission Director Sam Imahara of Kirby School said the championship reflected months of persistence.

“Competing on the world stage against so many talented teams was an unforgettable experience,” he said. “As the electronics lead, seeing our countless hours of late-night troubleshooting, complex wiring, and system integration culminate in a world title is wildly rewarding.”

Float Team Vice President Amber Williams of Pacific Collegiate School said the team’s success was especially satisfying after setbacks earlier in the season.

“These many months of continuously fixing issues and dedication led us to finally achieving the full 85 points, something only three out of 47 teams managed to do,” she said. “After watching the float fail at regionals, having everything come together at worlds felt incredible.”

The team includes students from Pacific Collegiate, Sequoia, Soquel, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Pajaro Valley, Sapphire and Kirby schools.

Tim Sylvester, founder of nonprofit X Academy and the team’s lead mentor, said the championship reflects the diversity of the students involved and the commitment they showed throughout the school year.

“Our team brought together students from across Santa Cruz County, including the children of Silicon Valley tech workers, doctors, carpenters, electricians, and farmworkers,” he said. “After nine months of hard work and more than 100 hours of practice in the pool, they truly earned this win.”

Hephaestus Robotics is part of the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s X Academy Robotics Clubs, a partnership that gives students free, hands-on experience in engineering, computer science, entrepreneurship and project management.

Since the partnership began in 2023, X Academy mentors have worked with more than 200 students from 15 high schools through weekly robotics sessions in Santa Cruz and Watsonville.

Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah said the world championship highlights what students can accomplish when they have access to hands-on learning opportunities.

“This championship is the result of years of student leadership, mentorship, problem-solving, and persistence,” Sabbah said. “The Hephaestus Robotics Team has shown what is possible when students have access to rigorous, hands-on learning and a community of mentors who believe in them.”

For graduating Sequoia High School student Carlos Ortiz-Lopez, the lessons learned extend beyond robotics.

“Being a part of the Hephaestus Team taught me to be relentless and to not give up no matter what gets thrown your way,” he said. “I will use this to help me become an apprentice electrician with the IBEW.”

Watsonville Police shove a Mazda pickup off of Freedom Boulevard Monday morning following a two-vehicle crash. Just before 11am a green Ford Ranger and a white Mazda pickup were traveling north on Freedom Boulevard. On the 1600 block, the male driver of the Mazda reportedly attempted a sudden U-turn causing the Ford, with a male driver, to smash into its driver’s side, Watsonville Police said. The Mazda driver was temporarily trapped in his truck with minor injuries. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)