Good morning! It’s February 25 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…
Clouds giving way to some sun in Watsonville / Pajaro
Today will be cloudy this morning, then times of clouds and sun this afternoon. There is a 18% chance of rain. The high will be 69 with a low of 52. Allergy sufferers beware: there are high amounts of tree pollen in the air. Cloudy now, changing to intermittent clouds at 1 p.m.
Looking ahead: Pleasant Saturday
Watsonville / Pajaro news
Watsonville’s new police chief Brian Shab plans community engagement and addressing ICE and Flock camera issues. City Council postponed term limit extension talks. Multiple new businesses, including restaurants and services, registered in Santa Cruz County this week.
Watsonville City Council pushes discussion of extending term limits to March
By Tania Ortiz
Feb 25, 2026
What’s new around you
▼︎ police incidents ▼︎ road incidents
Read on to see the details about each item…
Roadwork is affecting traffic in the region
- South Highway 9 at Lorenzo Avenue in San Lorenzo Valley has one-way traffic because of emergency work. This closure will last until April 1.
- One lane is closed on North Highway 9 at Encinal Street in the Westside/Downtown area because of shoulder work. The closure will last until 3:01 p.m. on February 28.
Community crime report
- A person was involved in domestic violence, sexual battery, violating a protective order, and violating probation. The incident happened near Honeysuckle and Magnolia in Watsonville at 8 p.m. on February 14. (source)
- A person was arrested for several domestic violence-related offenses, including assault, violating a protective order, causing injury, vandalism, contempt of court, and driving a car without the owner’s permission. The incident happened near the 300 block of Rodriguez Street in Watsonville at 10 a.m. on February 19. (source)
- Police responded to a case involving giving false identification, probation violation, use or threat of force related to helping in a prosecution, domestic battery, and false imprisonment. The incident happened near the 400 block of Rodriguez St., Watsonville, at 2 p.m. on February 17. (source)
- A person was involved in domestic violence, vandalism, violating court orders, and breaking a protective order. The incident happened near Rodriguez and Second in Watsonville at 5 p.m. on February 10. (source)
- A shot was fired into the Catholic Charities building, breaking a window. The incident happened near the 600 Block of Main St., Watsonville, at midnight on February 20. (source)
- A person was charged with making threats to terrorize, vandalism, and entering a non-commercial building. The incident happened near Murphy Rd, Santa Cruz County at 1 a.m. on February 15. (source)
- A person was arrested for several charges, including battery, false imprisonment, shoplifting, and failing to appear in court. The incident happened near W Lake Ave. in Watsonville. It took place at 2 p.m. on February 11. (source)
- There were multiple violations of protective orders and vandalism, including breaking a domestic violence protective order and defacing property. The incident happened near Harkin Slough and Ohlone in Watsonville at 1 p.m. on February 9. (source)
- A domestic battery incident happened near Buena Vista Dr and Calabasas Rd in Santa Cruz County. It occurred at 2 a.m. on February 12. The person involved was released on February 11 at 12:16 p.m. (source)
- A person was arrested for several offenses, including driving with a suspended license related to a previous DUI, not using a hands-free device while driving, vandalism, driving under the influence, and obstructing a public officer. The incident happened near Blanca Ln, Santa Cruz County at 10 a.m. on February 10. (source)
- A person was stopped for DUI and several driving offenses, including driving with a suspended license, having an open container, and violating probation. The incident happened near the 100 block of Ponderosa Ave., Santa Cruz County, at 4 p.m. on February 19. (source)
- A person was stopped by police while riding a bicycle and then ran away, leading to a chase on foot. When officers caught up, they found the person had stolen property, illegal paraphernalia, and a hidden knife. The person was also arrested for resisting arrest and had outstanding warrants for previous crimes.
This happened near Harkins Slough Rd & Quiet Meadow Dr, Watsonville, at 1 a.m. on February 24. (source)
- A person was stopped by police while riding a bicycle and was found with stolen property and illegal drugs. The person was arrested and taken to county jail without any problems. This happened near W Beach St. & Walker St. in Watsonville at 9 p.m. on February 23. (source)
- A person was arrested for having illegal paraphernalia after being contacted by police for trespassing. The incident happened near W Beach St. & Rodriguez St. in Watsonville at 1 a.m. on February 23. The person was cited and released at the scene. (source)
- Police responded to a report of someone having illegal drug paraphernalia, possessing a controlled substance, and committing petty theft. The incident happened near Pajaro Lane and Airport Boulevard in Santa Cruz County at 3 p.m. on February 11. (source)
- A person was reported for bothering or disturbing someone under 18 years old. This happened near the 200 block of East Beach Street in Watsonville at 8 a.m. on February 12. (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 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.