Good morning! It’s January 6 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…
An a.m. shower; rather cloudy in Watsonville / Pajaro
Today will be a shower in spots early this morning; otherwise, mostly cloudy. There is a 49% chance of rain. The high will be 66 with a low of 46. Cloudy now, changing to mostly cloudy at 9 a.m.
Watsonville / Pajaro news
Santa Cruz County prepares for 2026 election with key seats open. Watsonville offers natural Christmas tree curbside pickup Jan. 12-16; remove decorations. Drop-off available at 320 Harvest Dr.
Yes, it’s time to get ready for the election year ahead: What’s up and who’s running
By Wallace Baine
Jan 6, 2026
City of Watsonville sets Jan. 12-16 for curbside Christmas tree pickup
By Ashley Palma-Jimenez
Jan 5, 2026
What’s new around you
▼︎ new businesses ▼︎ food inspections ▼︎ events
Read on to see the details about each item…
Things to do in Watsonville / Pajaro
Lego® Club!
Be a Master Builder at our Library Lego® Club! Join us on the first Tuesday of the month from 4:00-5:30pm and get creative with a provided theme or bu…
At Main Library – 275 Main Street on January 6
Repeats 9 more times until October 6
Family Movie Night
Event date: January 7 Event Time: 05:30 P.M. – 07:00 P.M. Location: 275 Main Street, Suite #100 Watsonville 95076 Description: Join us for a Family Mo…
At Watsonville Public Library on January 7
Bilingual Baby Laptime
Join us for some fun while helping your child build socialization and early literacy skills ~ our Bilingual Baby Laptime will take place in-person at …
At Watsonville Library on January 7
Repeats 43 more times until June 5
New local businesses
- A new business named ComShine was registered at 330 Pennsylvania Drive, Apt 1, Watsonville CA 95076 on January 2. The business was registered by Michael Steve Rico-ortega as an individual business.
Roadwork is affecting traffic in the region
- A vehicle hit a coyote in the fast lane of southbound Highway 17 at Scotts Valley Dr in Scotts Valley. The coyote was moved to the center divider for pickup. No one was hurt in the incident. This 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 end at 3:59 p.m. on April 1.
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.
- Dale’s Liquor & Grocery at 2139 Freedom Blvd., Freedom, passed a county health inspection on January 5 with no critical issues.
- Quik Stop Market #41 at 2140 Freedom Blvd., Freedom, passed a county health inspection on January 5 with no critical issues.
- Starbucks Coffee #8978 at 2024 Freedom Blvd., Freedom, passed a county health inspection on January 5 with no critical issues.
- Subway #18411 at 1964 Freedom Blvd., Freedom, passed a county health inspection on January 5 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 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.