Opinion

In 1986 I worked for California’s Employment Development Department, where I processed amnesty seekers under President Ronald Reagan’s landmark immigration reform law called Immigration and Control Act (IRCA). The Watsonville office reviewed documents proving that applicants had worked in the local farming economy for...

Tempest fugit. That’s Greek, it translates to “time flies” in English and seems befitting usage as we are now into December and heading into a new year. Again, so soon. Or so it seems to me and probably to most of those whose majority...

Local column by Joanne Banuelos

I received an email from a fellow who lives out Jolon way, in which I was asked about a situation I had never really considered and I found that I was probably too close to the subject to have ever had the notion enter...

A scant few of you readers will recognize the source of today’s column title, which is understandable given the age of the film where the sentiment appeared. It was from Mel Brooks’ 1981 spoof “History of the World, Part II.” Of course, the utterance...

What a morning! I have been watching a series of videos on my computer that have given me some things to ponder over. I have thought that it was important to share, but haven’t had the time to do so. You know how you...

It was 2020 and, like a champ, I had the flu and the pneumonia vaccination in one foul swoop. It was recommended for us folks of a certain age. We weathered mild side effects from both shots, and I didn’t get either virus. Result…...

The Covid-19 pandemic has dominated the headlines for 18 months — and rightly so. But there is another respiratory virus that still demands our full attention. I’m referring to the all-too-common influenza, a viral infection that can be deadly, especially in high-risk groups. The flu...

At the heart of California’s $59 billion agricultural industry are the hardworking migrant farmworkers who harvest the food that feeds our nation. Their labor sustains our economy, but their children, who face extraordinary educational barriers due to the migratory nature of their parents’ work,...

While home confinement kept us safe during the worst of the pandemic, good health always begins with a regular routine of physical activity. The evidence is quite clear: Those who keep active demonstrate a decreased risk of chronic diseases and a more positive outlook...