Good morning! It’s December 3 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…
Partly sunny in Eastside / Live Oak
Today will be partly sunny. The high will be 61 with a low of 40. Mostly sunny now, changing to partly sunny at 10 a.m.
Looking ahead: Cool tonight
Eastside / Live Oak news
A developer plans to replace The Catalyst nightclub with a seven-story mixed-use building downtown. New businesses in Santa Cruz County include physical therapy, dental hygiene, wine, art, cleaning, vending, and tech services.
Cabrillo College governing board appoints former Watsonville mayor as new trustee
By Hillary Ojeda
Dec 2, 2025
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What’s new around you
▼︎ police incidents ▼︎ real estate ▼︎ code violations ▼︎ food inspections ▼︎ events
Read on to see the details about each item…
Things to do in Eastside / Live Oak
VOLUNTEER AT HOPES CLOSET / VOLUNTARIADO EN HOPES CLOSET
Are you passionate about helping people? Do you wish to serve the community? Volunteer at Hopes Closet and help underserved families provide for their…
At Hopes Closet on December 3
Repeats 190 more times until July 13
Property development
- The Santa Cruz County Planning Department has received a zoning application for a project at 860 41st Avenue. The proposal seeks to reconstruct an existing nonconforming commercial building at this location, and would require an Administrative Site Development Permit for approval. Residents interested in the future of this site may wish to follow the application process as it moves forward. (view application)
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 code violation notice has been issued for the property at 3700 Portola Dr, Santa Cruz, under case number NV25317. According to the ” COMPLIANCE CASE(S)” section, the property was cited for exceeding the allowable uses in the C-2 zoning district. The current use or work being conducted at the site required an updated use permit, which had not been obtained. As a result, the property was found to be operating outside the permitted uses for its zoning and without the necessary approvals.
- A “Notice and Order” has been issued for the property at 3650 Portola Dr, Santa Cruz 95062, following a code enforcement case (NV25318) processed on 12/02/2025. The violation cited is “Use in violation in a C-2 zone,” meaning the activities or operations at this address were found to be inconsistent with the permitted uses under the C-2 (Commercial) zoning regulations. This constitutes a zoning code violation, and the property owner has been formally notified by the city.
Roadwork is affecting traffic in the region
- Northbound Highway 9 at Prospect Avenue in San Lorenzo Valley is down to one-way traffic because of emergency work. This is expected to last until 3:59 p.m. on December 5.
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.
- Harbor Cafe at 535 7th Ave., Santa Cruz, passed a county health inspection on December 1 with no critical issues.
- Jazzland #2 at 2025 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, passed a county health inspection on December 1 with no critical issues.
- Whalers Carwash Inc at 2001 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, passed a county health inspection on December 1 with no critical issues.
Community crime report
- A person was arrested for trespassing in a closed area without permission. The incident happened near E. Levee & Felker St., Santa Cruz at 2 p.m. on December 1. (source)
- A man was arrested for assault and making criminal threats with intent to terrorize near the 100 Block of Frederick St., Santa Cruz, at 9 a.m. on November 20. (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, 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.