A historic building dating back to the 1850s will have a new shot at life as a community hub after catastrophic floods from two years ago shuttered its doors famously designed by prominent California architect was home to the Pajaro library for many years before a series of atmospheric rivers brought torrential storms and flooding to the north Monterey County neighborhood causing substantial damage to the building the building has been closed off and the library has been operating out of the Bookmobile "We had three rooms on the main level," County Librarian Hillary Theyer said "If you went in the front door there were two rooms to the left and then we had the room to the right which is a smaller room with double doors that open up onto that beautiful front porch—that was all library space for collections and computers." The mansion's dining room was used for library programming and meetings who called the building's interior "beautiful" touting its high ceilings and fireplace in nearly every room Monterey County officials announced earlier this month that work to restore the historic building from flood damage will commence later this spring — residents may see scaffolding go up as early as May "We are excited to renovate this facility for use as a library and also a potential community center," said Florence Kabwasa-Green during the county's April 16 news conference as stewards of this historic facility to bring it back to life and restored for future generations." The Pajaro Vallejo Mansion has been on the National Registry of Historic Places since 1990 Part of the construction work will include repair or replacement of the building's roof windows and siding and repair of all interiors and the grand porch Flood waters entered into the crawl spaces impacting HVAC and fire suppression systems which will be replaced and restored to code The adjacent historic water tower will also be mothballed Assembly Bill 102 State Recovery Funds will be used for this project as well as additional county funds approved by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in April During public meetings regarding how to use state recovery funds repairing the building and expanding its use had community support After fixing the damage caused by the floods county officials aim to renovate the rest of the building including the previously sectioned off upper floors To make the second and third floors accessible to all visitors a new lift and staircase will be installed The interior will get a complete refresh with a new finish and fixtures and outdoor community space Kabwasa-Green said the new refurbishment will highlight historical features while bringing the facility to modern use "This is the main county-owned facility in Pajaro and by refurbishing the second and third floors we're going to have a number of community spaces available," said Kabwasa-Green adding that the new expanded facility could be used for early childhood education social services or to host community-led meetings and programs upgraded facility will provide ample space for the library and serve as a community hub in Pajaro "This has been something that has been lacking in the community and we really see this as a great opportunity," Kabwasa-Green said Official website of the State of California What you need to know: The Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project breaking ground today will provide 100-year flood risk reduction in the area – up from the existing eight-year level of protection The Governor has advanced funding and key legislation to move the project forward and protect local communities SACRAMENTO – State and federal partners today celebrated the groundbreaking of a project that will provide 100-year flood risk reduction to the City of Watsonville the Town of Pajaro and surrounding agricultural areas Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation to provide advanced funding for the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project cover 100 percent of non-federal costs and streamline environmental review The Governor traveled to Pajaro last year amid major flooding to pledge the state’s support for the community and work to protect against flood risk Existing levees that protect the area were built decades ago and provide only an eight-year level of flood protection from the lower Pajaro River and its tributaries The project under construction will provide 100-year flood risk reduction to the City of Watsonville and the Town of Pajaro Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency has invested a total of $560 million over the last two state budgets to support flood response and projects to protect communities from future flooding $125 million of this funding was made available to support flood preparedness and recovery projects in at-risk communities State action to safeguard Pajaro Valley communities News, Press Releases, Recent News News What you need to know: The Governor honored the contributions of fallen California law enforcement officers at the annual California Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony California – Honoring the contributions of fallen California peace officers,.. News What you need to know: California applied to the federal government today to update the state's benchmark plan which would expand coverage requirements for essential health benefits (EHBs) like hearing aids and wheelchairs in the individual and small group.. News What you need to know: California remains the #1 state for tourism with record-high tourism spending reaching $157.3 billion in 2024 the Trump administration’s policies and rhetoric are driving away tourists © Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) (KION-TV) -- “Our services can and are being cut in a drastic way.” That message rang loud and clear Tuesday morning as the Pajaro Valley Collaborative (PVC) alongside 23 local nonprofit organizations gathered for a rally in Watsonville to protest proposed state and federal budget cuts that threaten to dismantle essential social services services that tens of thousands of families in the Pajaro Valley region rely on for healthcare and food access Nonprofit leaders say the proposed cuts would disproportionately impact the most vulnerable “The federal government needs to keep their hands off social services CEO of Watsonville Community Hospital  said that help the people who grow our fruits and vegetables to keep food on their families tables.” PVC leaders warn that if funding is slashed “All of these things are vital services,” Gray said then that means it lessens our ability to provide robust Executive Director of Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance said 40% of Pajaro Valley residents rely on Medi-Cal if they can fill those federal funding gaps or not “People who lose access will lose coverage under Medi-Cal People will lose the services they rely on.” these meals are the most reliable source of nutrition they receive each day “We’re concerned about cuts or reductions to school meals,” Erica Padilla-Chavez “We know from history that when children can’t access food “When my ten-year-old comes to school and asks me will I still be able to get lunch at school," Barron Lu said even I’m feeling the effects of these proposed Medi-Cal cuts.” The rally also highlighted growing fears about potential reductions to the SNAP “Our biggest concern right now is the conversation around reductions to SNAP,” Padilla-Chavez said And we’re already doing everything we can to keep up.” Nonprofit leaders urged the community to take action KION 46 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here EEO Report | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | FCC Applications | Do Not Sell My Personal Information We use cookies and other technologies to better understand a visitor's experience and to help improve our websites. By continuing to use the website, you consent to Middlebury's use of cookies and other technologies as outlined in our Privacy Policy Flood waters receded in the Monterey County community of Pajaro in late 2023 “[Pajaro residents] wanted help but had such a hard time being able to access it. Even to get basic necessities, it was a struggle,” said Erin Lawrence, an environmental policy and management student That’s what we hear from them and what we want to share to get them the help they are still needing.” An early morning levee breach in March 2023 flooded more than 200 homes in the small, mainly Hispanic community of Pajaro. Many residents are farmworkers, laboring in nearby strawberry fields—which endured $160 million in losses during the floods CAB staff members surveyed nearly 250 people and the students engaged in multiple phases of data analysis identifying far-reaching effects of the flood “The flood impacted almost every aspect of their lives or had financial struggles and debt,” Lawrence said A lot have returned to a somewhat normal life While Lawrence had experience with similar projects this past summer’s internship was her first chance to work with community organizations outside of a classroom setting to meet a real and urgent need Before engaging in the project’s data analysis Lawrence completed a literature review to help understand the dynamics of the region and develop research questions Lawrence and Heller then analyzed the individuals’ survey responses with Heller helping with Spanish translation They found significant communication barriers for Pajaro residents and inadequate assistance during the long recovery period “People did not have enough time to prepare and evacuate or there were not enough avenues to reach people about the levee breach,” Lawrence said but the impact was so great that people just could not get enough of the support and resources they needed to recover from a natural disaster.” The top two themes that emerged from the surveys was that residents need more direct financial support and additional assistance from local organizations and the government Lawrence said 34 of her survey respondents were still recovering and many said it took between 30 days to one year to return to a sense of normalcy.   As Lawrence wrapped up her contribution to the project over the summer she hoped her work would help inform future emergency response work in Pajaro and similar communities “This survey analysis will inform a report for emergency response and recovery and policy recommendations,” Lawrence said but this data brings more concrete evidence that people suffered and need more resources.” The 2024-25 Environmental Ethics Fellows are focusing on the ethical dimensions of the 2023 levee failure in Pajaro and David DeCosse at the Pajaro Levee on March 1 The 2024-25 Environmental Ethics Fellows are working as a team to co-author a paper on the ethical dimensions of the levee failure in the unincorporated community of Pajaro resulting in the catastrophic flooding of Pajaro a predominantly agricultural and immigrant community The failure raised broad ethical questions about environmental justice and levee construction throughout California and the United States.  This year's environmental ethics fellows are continuing work that began in the previous academic year with the 2023-24 fellowship cohort and is led by Ethics Center Director of Religious and Catholic Ethics David DeCosse Professor Rocio Lilen Segura of civil engineering and Professor Iris Stewart-Frey of environmental studies the cohort will be building upon last year’s foundation by focusing on how the community of Pajaro has recovered since the flood.  Their work so far has included focus group conversations with residents centered on what they encountered during the flooding and how they’ve recovered organized with assistance from California Rural Legal Assistance They additionally met with community leaders of the Pajaro Business Group to understand how the community organized themselves to lobby for state funding and assistance particularly from Monterey County government The students’ work will culminate in the publishing of a research paper Jessica Garofalo ’25 present their research project at the SCU Sustainability and Environmental Justice Student Research Symposium on March 11 According to Environmental Ethics Fellow Jessica Garofalo ‘25 speaking with the president of the Pajaro Business Group coupled with viewing the magnitude of the community’s unhoused population and the lack of basic infrastructure was particularly impactful revealing how Pajaro is neglected by Monterey County.  “You learn a lot by being somewhere…we were able to walk on the levee see the way the water had flowed into town things like that that are really important to see to know what you’re talking about,” said DeCosse as they go beyond their time at Santa Clara.”  The 2024-25 Environmental Ethics Fellows—Arden DiCicco ’25, Jessica Garofalo ’25, Hannah Hamawi ’27, and Mahi Shah ’28—presented their research at the SCU Sustainability and Environmental Justice Student Research Symposium on March 11 Hamawi and Shah examined the ethical implications of the cost-benefit analysis used by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to determine the prioritization and timeline of levee repairs while DiCicco and Garofalo explored the impact of flood response strategies on vulnerable communities both EE Fellows and students at the SCU School of Engineering with a poster about ethical issues related to the cost-benefit analysis used by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize which levees to fix and when 2025 at the SCU Sustainability and Environmental Justice Student Research Symposium The Fellowship in Environmental Ethics is awarded to outstanding Santa Clara University undergraduates to support a project that examines the ethical implications of an environmental topic.  The work of this year’s team will continue to bring light not just to the events of Pajaro but to the vulnerabilities of unincorporated and low income communities across California and the United States These communities are disproportionately impacted by major weather events which will continue to unfold and intensify with climate change Mahi Shah ('24-'25 Environmental Ethics Fellow) and David DeCosse of the Ethics Center at the levee in Pajaro “My hope in completing this work is to increase awareness that environmental justice has impacts not just across the world or in some far away place but we can see its effects in our own backyards I have so appreciated being able to gain this unique perspective from the local community and be a part of increasing their voice in this space,” said Garofalo Learn more about this year’s team and the Fellowship in Environmental Ethics. Santa Clara University500 El Camino RealSanta Clara school board members of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) berated and accused the Jewish community of using its wealth and privilege to maintain power at the expense of black and Hispanic communities The comments were made during a PVUSD meeting centered on whether to renew its contract with Community Responsive Education (CRE) an organization led by Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales to provide professional development for Ethnic Studies Tintiangco-Cubales is a member of the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium (LESMCC) and an original author of the California State of Education’s model Ethnic Studies curriculum The curriculum had to be revised after widespread concerns over antisemitic content Tintiangco-Cubales subsequently removed her name from the finished product PVUSD had a previous working relationship with CRE when they developed PVUSD’s Ethnic Studies framework and helped with curriculum development and teacher training This relationship was severed after Tintiangco-Cubales’ public rejection of California’s model ethnic studies curriculum activists have fought for PVUSD to reinstate its contract with CRE Ethnic Studies will soon become a graduation requirement for California’s high schoolers As activists were quick to point out in last night’s meeting Ethnic Studies is not Multicultural Studies; it is not the study of different communities and their contributions to the United States Ethnic Studies is about identifying systems of power and oppression and learning how to dismantle them Systems do not materialize out of thin air If our liberal society is a “system of oppression” then it must have been purposefully designed by oppressors to maintain power Ethnic Studies teaches a Manichean worldview of good and bad That kind of simplistic thinking has always been a happy hunting ground for the antisemite and the conspiracist that as Ethnic Studies gets adopted in K-12 there is a rise of antisemitism in schools And this was perfectly displayed by the school board members who voted to approve the CRE contract last night assured the Jewish community that there was no hint of antisemitism in CRE’s work while simultaneously claiming that the Jewish community has economic power and white privilege that they are not using to benefit the wider community addressing Jewish community members in the audience: “You only show up to meetings when it’s beneficial for you so you can tell brown people who they are…the lies that you spewed here tonight were insane … if you want to continue to be segregationists like you have in the past …”   in regard to antisemitism in the CRE curriculum to every teacher who has been in this training we believe this one minority’ and maybe the fact they gave money to certain campaigns helps.” He went on to say “Turns out I’m part Ashkenazi Jew please renew CRE.” This last remark was met with jovial laughter This wasn’t just offensive — it was revealing with its obsession over systems of power and its binary moral structure aligns all too easily with antisemitic conspiracism it seems that PVUSD has adopted this worldview wholesale Let’s hope other districts don’t follow their lead Dr Mika Hackner is Senior Research Associate at the North American Values Institute elections in the 39th World Zionist Congress nears conclusion—voting closes May 4—American Zionist Movement (AZM) Executive Director Herbert Block said there were few barriers of entry to voting in what Jewish leaders are describing as a consequential election We are here today because Jewish fathers and mothers wanted more than happiness from their children The bipartisan group includes Los Angeles representatives Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) and Ted Lieu (D-West LA) Speaking ill of someone once most likely leads to a second time (KION-TV) -- The body found buried near the Pajaro River levee has now been identified after being found on the night of April 10 According to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office the body was found to be 36-year-old Jesus Alfonso Duarte Figueroa of Watsonville Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office confirmed that Duarte Figueroa was reported missing in Santa Cruz County on March 14 "Family said they had not heard from him in approximately one week and wanted to report him as a missing person our office generated a missing person flyer and distributed it to all local law enforcement agencies Sheriff’s detectives have been actively working with Figueroa’s family and Monterey County Sheriff’s investigators to develop leads on his possible whereabouts," Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office said in an email to KION the cause of death remains under investigation as evidence found helping to deem it a homicide investigation What that evidence is has yet to be disclosed at this time A toxicology report will also be performed at this time they also told KION that reports of a missing person from Santa Cruz helped in identifying the body MCSO will now begin the investigation hoping to speak with the unhoused population and local businesses (KION-TV) -- A body was found by the Pajaro River Levee on Thursday night Detectives received word that a body may have been buried by the connecting bridge between Pajaro and Watsonville according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office on the Pajaro side of the river west of the connecting bridge No identity has been disclosed as the investigation is currently active Sergio Berrueta has been in the news for quite awhile going from studying print media to entering the realm of broadcast Berrueta started his professional news career in Eureka as a newscast producer for North Coast News (now The Northstate’s News) at KAEF ABC 23 in 2022 He pivoted a year later in 2022 going from behind-the-scenes to in front of the camera as a multimedia journalist for Redwood News Channel 3 (KIEM/KVIQ) also in Eureka Berrueta studied journalism at Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) earning his Bachelor’s Degree social media manager and editor-in-chief of the university’s El Lenador the only bilingual publication in all of Humboldt County Berrueta had earned his Associate’s Degree at East Los Angeles College in 2019 after beginning his educational journey in 2012 He also was on staff for the ELAC’s publication Berrueta has also been in education as an AmeriCorps tutor in East Hollywood from 2017 to 2019 and served in a government role as a National Hometown Fellow for Lead for America with the City of Arcata in 2021 Berrueta is an avid amateur cinephile having written about films in free time attempting to get through a backlog of video games enjoys visiting new places along the California Coast and trying to keep up with the latest music and podcasts (KION-TV) -- The Pajaro Valley Collaborative (PVC) is facing proposed state and federal funding cuts A press conference is being held this Tuesday April 15th at 11 located at the Watsonville City Plaza The conference is hoping to help advocate for the recourses that many families within the community depend heavily on About 40% of Pajaro Valley residents rely on Medi-Cal and 41,000 residents of Santa Cruz county are dependent on CalFresh (California's SNAP program) The cuts are raising concerns within the communities about the increase in food insecurity The collaborative is a united network of 23 nonprofits protecting and ensuring the stability of residents ranging from farmworkers to the LGBTQIA+ youths the PVC is worried the protections could be lost causing more vulnerability throughout the county a key segment of the Pajaro River levee project could be delayed until next year by PG&E Cal State Monterey Bay announces partnerships with big tech companies that will incorporate AI into higher education KION is the sister station of NewsChannel 3-12 located in Salinas News Channel 3-12 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here Terms of Service Privacy Policy Community Guidelines FCC Public File EEO Public File Report FCC Applications 2025 – Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has identified a body that was located along the Pajaro River levee west of the Bridge that connects the community of Pajaro to the City of Watsonville Monterey County Sheriff’s Office detectives received information leading them to believe there was a possible body that had been buried along the Pajaro River levee Detectives responded and located a body that had been buried in the general area described a post-mortem forensic examination was performed This examination revealed details that now lead detectives to investigate this incident as a homicide The Monterey County Sheriff’s Coroner division was able to identify the subject as 36-year-old Jesus Alfonso Duarte Figueroa of Watsonville Duarte Figueroa had been previously reported as a missing person in Santa Cruz County and information from that report was used to identify him We continue to ask anyone with information that may be related to this incident to contact Monterey County Sheriff’s Detective Arras Wilson at 831-597-1225 or Detective Sergeant Nicholas Kennedy at 831-755-3773 or 831-597-1228 Related: Tip Leads to Discovery of a Body Along the Pajaro River Levee Between Pajaro and Watsonville in Monterey County (KION-TV) -- People in Pajaro say they're still recovering from storm damage.The County of Monterey is looking to provide relief for non-residential businesses by covering their sewer rates It has been over two years since the levee breach Some people I spoke with were vocal about their distrust in the county after they said they had not received much help in the last two years “We are still taking it step by step because I have already spent all my savings And right now business is completely slow," said María Elena Martínez Maria Elena still has pictures of how her business looked after the levee breach in March of 2023 Although her business shows no signs of major damage now Maria is still paying for the losses her store suffered For over 10 days — no sanitary sewer service was provided because of the flooding The county was able to provide refunds — and is now looking to provide a bit more relief.Relief is what Alejandra says a lot of her customers in Pajaro are searching for “Here clients say they haven't received much help from the county They are waiting to see what happens," said Alejandra who works in Pajaro The county of Monterey may soon provide funding for a 50-percent rebate for non-residential businesses that are still recovering from the floods for the 2024-2025 fiscal year this would help 58 people and would cost just over 217-thousand dollars.The money would be taken out through a general fund people like Maria Elena are still skeptical we're going to be the same as we've always been," said Maria The county may adopt this resolution in its meeting on March 18th Dania Romero is an reporter at KION News Channel 46 KQED Live EventsPRX Podcast Garage EventsEvents Around the Bay AreaMember Benefits with KQED LiveVideos from KQED LiveWatch recordings of recent KQED Live events FeaturedThat's My WordAn ongoing exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history See Senior Director of TV Programming Meredith Speight’s recommendations from this month’s KQED 9 Watch recordings of recent KQED Live events Support KQED by using your donor-advised fund to make a charitable gift flood agencies broke ground on Wednesday on a massive levee project to protect the river valley from future storms “We’re turning the page from decades of fighting for a project [to] now just a handful of years of constructing a project for a new safe and secure Pajaro Valley,” Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend said is expected to be finished early next decade The agencies will construct and enhance levees along the lower Pajaro River and its tributaries the agencies won’t begin on the groundwork in the area for several winters and residents fear another flood could interrupt their lives Pajaro is a community of around 3,000 people who work primarily in the Central Coast’s agricultural sector The levee wasn’t adequately designed for the small storms that dump rain on the region and storms have been made worse by human-caused climate change “This should’ve happened long ago,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) said at a Wednesday press conference to launch the project “The Pajaro Valley is a community that never gives up and that’s a testament to this community.” Years before the 2023 flood the Corps had officially rated the levee along the Pajaro River a “moderate” risk of flooding The Corps determined that the town wasn’t worth protecting because property values were too low according to levee records and interviews with several officials Almost 300 homes were damaged or destroyed, including Denia Escutia’s family home. Escutia, 19, delayed attending college because her family couldn’t find a home outside of Pajaro, so they moved across the street from the house the Pajaro River claimed as its own and I fear we’ll have to leave this one is fully funded by federal and state agencies and that’s why we stepped up for them,” state Sen “Let’s pray again that this project gets online before it’s really needed.” The Corps’ plan will prepare the most populated areas for a 1-in-100-year flood, yet some experts believe that is only half the needed protection Rivas said that when the new levee is complete it will be better “suited to meet the challenges of severe storms that we have seen more frequently due to climate change.” Work will start along Corralitos Creek on the northeastern edge of Watsonville Flood officials said it’s the most at-risk area along the river “This segment doesn’t have any levees right now,” said Mark Strudley executive director of the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency It flooded four times and overtopped its banks four times in 2023.” Officials want to set the new levee back 100 feet from where it is today to give the river room to expand during storms the local flood agency quickly rebuilt the 400 feet of levee that ruptured after the flood the portion of the levee was reconstructed again It has the same amount of flood protection as the failed levee meaning Pajaro will remain vulnerable every rainy season until the new levee is built “Downstream will still remain relatively unprotected until we improve those levees as well but it’s a huge step for us,” Strudley said “We are going to be working our hardest to make sure it doesn’t flood or break The reality that the makeshift levee could fail again worries Nancy Faulstich director of the nonprofit group Regeneración — Pájaro Valley Climate Action “It’s a ticking time bomb,” Faulstich said “We all know there are vulnerabilities here and with the acceleration of climate change To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy.  (Erin Malsbury/KAZU News)Here are the morning’s top stories on Friday The State of California gave Monterey County $20 million for recovery following the levee breach in Pajaro in 2023, with $10 million earmarked for direct aid to residents and businesses But the relief dollars have only trickled in from the county and philanthropists gathered in the community room at Sun Ridge Farms on Nov 15 for an event called Proudly Pajaro. They were there to discuss the current state of post-flood recovery efforts and to learn about the work that members of the community are doing to build greater economic stability in Pajaro Sister Rosa Dolores is a longtime Pajaro resident and executive director of Casa de la Cultura—a local nonprofit that supports migrant farm workers. “We’re meeting every Friday what can we do?” said Sister Dolores “What can each family do to prepare for if we have another disaster but earthquake and all those other things.” The most recent status report from Monterey County came out in late September just under $1.4 million out of $10 million had been distributed to residents and businesses 19 that he didn’t have a more recent figure but applications are constantly being processed The next formal update on the spending is scheduled for the January board of supervisors meeting. Many residents think it’s taking too long An atmospheric river storm has dumped heavy rainfall on Northern California for two straight days and is expected to continue into Friday,  before another storm will move into the region parts of the North Bay could receive 20 inches of rain elevating the risk from the next round of rain UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said Thursday The deluge is prompting major flood concerns in counties north of the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border The National Weather Service warns Eureka and Humboldt County could see extensive flooding The biggest area of concern is the Eel River it’s going to cut off a lot of roads said James White with the National Weather Service in Eureka “A lot of those farmers need to move their livestock as the river rises and so that can always be a dangerous situation if people get trapped out there.” Oil and gas company Phillips 66 has been charged with allegedly dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater into L.A.’s sewer system A grand jury handed down a six-count indictment Wednesday alleging the company’s Carson refinery twice released non-compliant wastewater into the sewers and then failed to alert L.A the incidents occurred in 2020 and again in 2021 the wastewater allegedly contained more than 300 times the allowed concentration of oil and grease