Good morning! It’s Sept. 17 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…
A.M. mist; clouds, then sun in Capitola / Soquel
Today could see spotty drizzle this morning; otherwise, low clouds giving way to sunshine. The high will be 72 with a low of 53.
Capitola / Soquel news
Lookout Santa Cruz welcomes arts correspondent Alia Yee Noll and expands free local election coverage with mayoral and city council forums. Meet newsroom members at Abbott Square Market on Oct. 6.
Inside Lookout: What’s ahead this fall, from election coverage to a new arts correspondent
By Richard Martin
Sep 16, 2026
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What’s new around you
▼︎ police incidents ▼︎ road incidents ▼︎ real estate ▼︎ events
Read on to see the details about each item…
Things to do in Capitola / Soquel
Swing into Fall with East Coast Swing Basics
If you love big band music, traditional or contemporary, then East Coast Swing is for you …
At Capitola Recreation Center on Sept. 17
Repeats 3 more times until Oct. 8
Roadwork is affecting traffic in the region
- South Highway 1 is facing closures at Park Avenue for paving work. The closure is expected to end on Nov. 19.
- The southbound Highway 1 off-ramp at Bay Avenue in Capitola is scheduled to be closed for approximately four months as crews reconstruct the ramp as part of the bus-on-shoulder facility. The closure began on Aug. 2.
Property development
- The Santa Cruz County Planning Department has received a zoning application for 4430 Portola Dr., Santa Cruz. The proposal seeks to renew a permit that allows a two-bedroom, non-hosted short-term rental within the existing single-family home at this address. If approved, the permit would continue to allow short-term stays of no more than thirty days at a time, in accordance with the county’s short-term rental regulations. The application is specifically for the continued operation of this rental under current county rules. (view application)
Community crime report
- A serious assault happened near the 4000 block of Capitola Avenue at 3 p.m. on Sept. 2. (source)
- A domestic violence incident happened near the 3200 block of Gross Road at 11 p.m. on Sept. 11. (source)
- A DUI involving alcohol or drugs that resulted in injuries happened near Soquel Drive and Porter Street at 11 p.m. on Sept. 11. (source)
- A violation of a court order related to domestic violence happened near the 700 block of Bay Avenue at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11. (source)
- A hit-and-run involving property damage and a DUI arrest happened near the 3300 block of Clares Street at 8 p.m. on Sept. 14. (source)
Note on today’s report: Some of the incidents listed are not recent. This can happen for a couple of reasons: Delays in agency reporting — sometimes officials don’t file reports right away, or agencies release batches of reports weeks later. Delays in public complaints — people may not notice or decide to contact police until some time after an incident. Please contact the responsible law-enforcement agency or your local elected officials if you have concerns about their delay in releasing information.
Disclosure: Traffic incidents, property development updates and police incidents are partially generated by artificial intelligence. We are constantly working to improve the accuracy and quality of our AI-generated content. However, there may still be errors or inaccuracies. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.