Watsonville / Pajaro Neighborhood Newsletter for Tuesday, December 16

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Good morning! It’s December 16 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…

Rather cloudy in Watsonville / Pajaro

Today will be rather cloudy. There is a 4% chance of rain. The high will be 68 with a low of 52. Mostly cloudy now, changing to cloudy at 10 a.m.

Looking ahead: Expect showers late tonight

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Watsonville / Pajaro news

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What’s new around you

▼︎ police incidents   ▼︎ real estate   ▼︎ new businesses   ▼︎ food inspections   ▼︎ events

Read on to see the details about each item…

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Things to do in Watsonville / Pajaro

Add an event to our calendar

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Property development

• The Santa Cruz County Planning Department formally approved a zoning application on December 15, for a project at 602 Sand Dollar Drive in Watsonville. The project involves the renewal of a permit to operate a two-bedroom vacation rental within the existing single-family home at that address. This renewal required the approval of a vacation rental permit by the county. (view application)
   

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New local businesses

• A new business named ANDREWS AUTO BODY was registered at 413 Lakeview Rd, Watsonville CA 95076 on December 8. The business was registered by Andrew Ryan Fluent as an individual business.
   
• A new business named ACOSTA MOTORSPORTS was registered at 62 A Union St., Watsonville CA 95076 on December 8. The business was registered by Acosta Motorsports, LLC as a Limited Liability Company.
   
• A new business named GLOSS & GLAMMED was registered at 1459 Freedom Blvd. #4, Watsonville CA 95076 on December 11. The business was registered by Erica Renteria as an individual business.
   
• A new business named WATSONVILLE AUTO GROUP was registered at 1300 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville CA 95076 on December 12. The business was registered by 72 Hour LLC as a Limited Liability Company.
   

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Roadwork is affecting traffic in the region

• 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, 2026.
   

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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.

• Lakeview Middle School at 2350 E Lake Ave., Watsonville, passed a county health inspection on December 15 with no critical issues.
   

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Community crime report

• A driver was stopped for speeding and crossing double yellow lines, and was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. The incident happened near Airport Blvd. and Nielson St. in Watsonville at midnight on December 15. (source)
   
• Police arrested a man for having open containers of alcohol in public and for multiple outstanding warrants. A woman with him was released at the scene. The incident happened near Western Dr and Middlefield Ln in Watsonville at 9 p.m. on December 14. (source)
   
• A vehicle parked in a school staff lot was broken into, with the rear passenger window smashed and speakers and other electronic equipment stolen. This incident involved burglary, grand theft, and vandalism. It happened near the 100 Block of Holly Dr, Watsonville, at midnight on December 14. (source)
   
• A person was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol after failing field sobriety tests and a breath test. The incident happened near Walker St. & Ford St. in Watsonville at 11 p.m. on December 13. (source)
   
• A male juvenile who was not invited to a party threatened to shoot at people there and fought with police when they tried to detain him. He was arrested for resisting officers and being drunk and disorderly. The incident happened near the 200 Block of Bockius St., Watsonville at 11 p.m. on December 13. (source)
   
• Shoplifting from a retail store happened near the 1400 Block of Main St., Watsonville on December 13 at noon The person was arrested, cited, and then released by police. (source)
   
• A person was found unconscious in a running vehicle and showed clear signs of being drunk. They were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. The incident happened near the 100 Block of Dolores Ave., Watsonville, at 11 p.m. on December 12. (source)
   
• A person tried to open a car door and ran away from police officers. After a short chase on foot, the person was caught and arrested for resisting the officers and giving false identification. This happened near the 400 Block of Rodriguez St., Watsonville at 10 p.m. on December 12. (source)
   
• Reckless driving involving multiple vehicles happened in the Target Shopping Center parking lot near the 1400 Block of Main St., Watsonville at 9 p.m. on December 12. Police issued a seizure order for two vehicles and requested a warrant for one driver. The case is still open as officers try to locate the vehicles. (source)
   
• A driver was stopped for expired vehicle registration and found to be driving with a suspended license due to a previous DUI. The driver was cited, released, and given a DMV 310 form. The incident happened near Freedom Blvd. and Northbound Main St., Watsonville, at 9.m. on December 12. (source)
   
• A bottle was thrown at the rear windshield of a vehicle, causing vandalism. This happened near the 100 Block of E Beach St., Watsonville at 6 p.m. on December 12. (source)
   
• A person was found trespassing after being suspected of shoplifting and refusing to leave a business property. The incident happened near the 1000 Block of Main St., Watsonville at 6 p.m. on December 12. (source)
   
• A bicycle was stolen from a business. The incident happened near the 1000 Block of Main St., Watsonville at 5 p.m. on December 12. (source)
   
• A person shoplifted from a business and then got into a small fight with an employee when they returned. This happened near the 1000 Block of Main St., Watsonville, at 4 p.m. on December 12. Police arrived, identified the person, and arrested them for shoplifting. (source)
   
• A person was arrested for being drunk and acting disorderly in public. The incident happened near the 2000 Block of Freedom Blvd., Watsonville, at 8 a.m. on December 12. The person was taken to the Sobering Center. (source)
   

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.