Eastside / Live Oak Neighborhood Newsletter for Monday, January 5

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Good morning! It’s January 5 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…

Cloudy with a little rain in Eastside / Live Oak

Today will be cloudy with a little rain. There is a 83% chance of rain. The high will be 59 with a low of 48. Cloudy now, changing to rain at 10 a.m.

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Eastside / Live Oak news

Seabright and harbor businesses struggled post-Murray Street Bridge closure with poor city support but strong community backing. RTC seeks input on Highway 1 coastal project; Watsonville police receive bike/pedestrian safety grant. Santa Cruz hosts 76% of county shelter beds, prompting calls for fairer distribution.

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What’s new around you

▼︎ police incidents   ▼︎ road incidents   ▼︎ real estate   ▼︎ food inspections

Read on to see the details about each item…

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Roadwork is affecting traffic in the region

• A gray Nissan Frontier spun out and ended up facing the wrong way in the center divider on southbound Highway 17 at the Fishhook near Ocean St. in Santa Cruz around 5:59 a.m. today. No one was hurt. The #1 lane was closed while crews responded and towed the vehicle, which was later turned around and exited at Ocean St.
   
• 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 end at 3:59 p.m. on April 1.
   

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Property development

• The Santa Cruz County Planning Department is currently accepting public comments on a zoning application for a project at No Situs – Paul Sweet Road, but will stop accepting comments after January 13. The proposed project seeks to extend the expiration date of an existing permit for the construction of a new, one-story, 4,815 square foot administrative office building for the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District’s ParaCruz program. Planned for the intersection of Soquel Drive and Paul Sweet Road, on the site of a former Park and Ride lot, the facility will include offices, a call center, a mobility center, conference and break rooms, and support spaces. The site plan features 27 vehicle parking spaces (including ADA and clean air vehicle spaces), 32 shuttle van parking spaces, 6 bicycle parking spaces, and 2 bike lockers, along with landscaping using native and drought-tolerant plants, stormwater management, lighting, signage, and accessible routes. The building will be up to 24 feet tall, fully sprinklered, and will include infrastructure for future electric vehicle charging stations and rooftop solar panels. (view application)
   

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Restaurant inspections

County officials regularly inspect food facilities to ensure compliance with state laws. Here, Lookout Santa Cruz reports both those who have passed the inspections and those that the county deems to have a “major” issue. The county’s full ongoing report can be accessed here.

• Popcorn Wagon at 2218 E Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, passed a county health inspection on December 30 with no critical issues.
   
• Starbucks #667 at 1955 41st Ave. Ste A1, Capitola, passed a county health inspection on December 30 with no critical issues.
   

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Community crime report

• A driver was reported for driving under the influence of alcohol and causing injury to someone. The incident happened near Seabright Ave. & Murray St., Santa Cruz at midnight on January 1. (source)
   
• A fraud involving forged checks or records was reported. The incident happened near the 1200 Block of Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, at 1 p.m. on December 31. (source)
    
• A report was filed online for a grand theft involving money, labor, or property. The incident happened near the 300 Block of S Branciforte in Santa Cruz around midnight on December 11. (source)
   
• A burglary was reported online. The incident happened near the 800 Block of Branciforte Ave., Santa Cruz, at midnight on November 30. (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.