Good morning! It’s December 17 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…
A morning shower in the area in Corralitos / Freedom
Today will be low clouds this morning with a shower in spots followed by clouds giving way to some sun. There is a 40% chance of rain. The high will be 66 with a low of 47. Showers now, changing to cloudy at 9 a.m.
Looking ahead: Rain, some heavy, to affect the area from late Saturday night into late Sunday night
Corralitos / Freedom news
New businesses in Santa Cruz County span restaurants, home care, auto services, therapy, and retail shops across Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Capitola, Aptos, Soquel, Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, and Scotts Valley.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: County ranked in GoFundMe’s top 10 for donations; investors snapping up local homes
By Jessica M. Pasko
Dec 17, 2025
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What’s new around you
▼︎ police incidents ▼︎ road incidents ▼︎ code violations ▼︎ events
Read on to see the details about each item…
Things to do in Corralitos / Freedom
Bean Creek
When Bean Creek founding member Peter Hicks passed away in 2022, the future of the local bluegrass outfit seemed uncertain. However, local musicians H…
At El Vaquero Winery on December 21
Corralitos Farm and Garden Market
A small but mighty amazing community market. In beautiful Corralitos, which is located in south Santa Cruz county. The country feel is real with local…
At Corralitos farm and garden market on December 21
Repeats 53 more times until December 27
Roadwork is affecting traffic in the region
- A car hit a deer at 6:07 a.m. today on southbound Highway 1 at the Airport Blvd. offramp. No one was hurt. Fluids were leaking from the car, and fire crews were on the way. A tow truck was called and was expected within 25 minutes.
- A hit and run happened on northbound Highway 17 at El Rancho in the Eastside / Live Oak area. No injuries were reported. The incident was reported today.
- There is a one-way traffic closure on South Highway 9 at Lorenzo Avenue in San Lorenzo Valley because of emergency work. The closure is expected to last until 3:59 p.m. on April 1, 2026.
Property code violations
County officials cite property owners for issues such as substandard housing, illegal uses of buildings, property maintenance, abandoned appliances or furniture, construction without permits, and other issues that affect public safety and quality of life.
- A Notice of Violation (NOV) has been issued for the property at 151 Via Del Sol, Watsonville 95076-0347, following a site inspection on December 15. According to case number NV25322, the property was cited for multiple building code violations related to unpermitted construction activities. These violations include an unpermitted remodel of the south-facing wall, which involved reducing the number of windows and adding a new door, as well as the rebuilding of elevated decks to provide egress without the required permits. Inspectors also found several unpermitted outdoor amenities, such as a swim spa, cold plunge, hot tub, sauna, outdoor shower, and outdoor tub. Additionally, ongoing construction of an outdoor kitchen was observed, with framing in progress at the time of inspection.
Community crime report
- A person was arrested for misdemeanor battery after refusing to leave Watsonville Community Hospital and swinging at someone. The incident happened near the 100 Block of Nielson Street in Watsonville around midnight on December 15. (source)
Disclosure: Traffic incidents, code violations 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.