Good morning! It’s January 12 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…
Sunny in San Lorenzo Valley
Today will be sunny. The high will be 68 with a low of 42. Mostly sunny now, changing to sunny at 11 a.m.
Looking ahead: Warm Friday
San Lorenzo Valley news
Prescribed burns at Big Basin, Henry Cowell, and Nisene Marks state parks this month may cause visible smoke but no trail closures. A public hearing on the 205 transportation plan will address West Cliff erosion responses Thursday.
Prescribed burns scheduled for state parks around Santa Cruz County this month
By Ashley Palma-Jimenez
Jan 12, 2026
What’s new around you
▼︎ road incidents ▼︎ real estate ▼︎ food inspections ▼︎ events
Read on to see the details about each item…
Things to do in San Lorenzo Valley
Knitting at the Library @ Felton
Join us every Monday at the Felton Branch for a knitting party. All you need to do is bring some yarn and knitting needles. All ages are welcome.
At Felton Branch Library on January 12
Repeats 24 more times until June 29
Open Mic Mondays @ Henflings of Ben Lomond
Ten minute time slots for spoken word, poetry, comedy, or solo/duet musical acts with Happy Hour prices at the bar. (No drum sets please.)
At Henflings on January 12
Mike Dawes | Fully Seated
“HE’S ONE OF THE FINEST I’VE EVER HEARD” Rick Beato Mike Dawes is an English guitarist known for composing, arranging and performing multiple parts si…
At Felton Music Hall on January 13
Roadwork is affecting traffic in the region
- South Highway 9 at Lorenzo Avenue is down to one-way traffic because of emergency work. This closure will last until April 1 at 3:59 p.m.
- CHP helped with construction on southbound Highway 1 at State Park in Aptos. Starting at 8:04 p.m. on January 11, traffic had to exit at Bay Porter and use Soquel to get to Park. The southbound Highway 1 reopened by 5:39 a.m. today.
- Long-term projects: Overnight traffic control on Highway 9 in Felton between Graham Hill Rd. and the San Lorenzo Valley schools complex will start today and continue for one week due to utility relocation work.
Property development
- The Santa Cruz County Planning Department has received a zoning application for a project at 11643 Alta Via Drive in Brookdale. The proposal involves transferring 1,711 square feet of land from one property (APN 079-131-01) to an adjacent property (APN 079-131-04) to resolve a structural encroachment issue. This land transfer would be accomplished through a lot line adjustment, increasing the size of APN 079-131-04 from 13,700 to 15,411 square feet (.315 to .354 acres) and decreasing APN 079-131-01 from 897,879 to 896,168 square feet (20.612 to 20.573 acres). The application does not include any plans for new construction or development. (view application)
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.
- San Lorenzo Valley School at 7135 Hwy 9, Felton, passed a county health inspection on January 8 with no critical issues.
- Masood’s Liquor & Deli at 7970 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond, passed a county health inspection on January 8 with no critical issues.
No crimes to report today
We checked with local police and there were no new incidents to report.
Disclosure: Traffic incidents and property development updates 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.