Watsonville, Pajaro flood victims file lawsuit
The people affected by the storms and floods that occurred between Dec. 31, 2022 and March 11, 2023 have filed two lawsuits against the counties of Monterey and Santa Cruz, as well as the flood management agencies in those counties, along with the City of Watsonville and the California Department of Transportation, alleging they did not take the proper measures to stop the damages caused by those disasters. The lawsuits allege that the defendants allowed the flood control systems of the lower Pajaro River watershed to remain in a “state of complete disrepair,” even after 10 flood events that occurred throughout the decades since the levee system was built in 1949. More than 500 plaintiffs are named in the lawsuits, from both Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.