Good morning! It’s December 22 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…
Cloudy, a couple of showers in Westside / Downtown
Today will be cloudy with a couple of showers, mainly early in the day; rain can lead to poor visibility and slow travel during the morning commute. There is a 84% chance of rain. The high will be 62 with a low of 53. Allergy sufferers beware: there are high amounts of mold in the air. Cloudy now, changing to showers at 11 a.m.
Looking ahead: An atmospheric river will bring flooding rain and locally damaging winds this week
Westside / Downtown news
RTC requests public input on the 205 transportation plan; state funds enhance local traffic safety.
OPINION: Five years post-CZU fire, county bureaucracy continues to sabotage my rebuild — it’s a warning for all Californians
By Justin Walker
Dec 21, 2025
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What’s new around you
▼︎ police incidents ▼︎ road incidents ▼︎ real estate ▼︎ food inspections ▼︎ events
Read on to see the details about each item…
Things to do in Westside / Downtown
Tea & Oracle, Insightful Oracle Readings & Relaxing Art Studio Tour
Enjoy tea paintings & abstracts while receiving a personal Oracle card reading with the Inner Light Moon Oracle. Deck included with reading. If you’re…
At Studio Hozuki on December 22
Repeats 23 more times until January 30
Roadwork is affecting traffic in the region
- A lane on North Highway 9 at Fern Street is closed for utility work. The closure is expected to end at 2:30 p.m. today.
- A single car crash happened at 2:03 a.m. on northbound Highway 17 at the El Rancho Drive offramp in the Eastside / Live Oak area. One person had minor injuries and was taken to Dominican Hospital. The car went off the road, emergency services responded, and CHP later closed the incident. The incident 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 last until 3:59 p.m. on April 1, 2026.
Property development
- A permit application has been filed for a project at 417 JOPPA Street in Paradise Park, CA 95060, located approximately 130 feet north of York Avenue. The proposal involves adding 76 square feet to an existing building that does not currently meet zoning standards. The applicant is seeking approval to allow the new addition to be just 2 feet from the front property line, rather than the required 10-foot setback. (view details)
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.
- Pho House at 1102 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, passed a county health inspection on December 18 with no critical issues.
- Georgiana Bruce Kirby Prep School at 425 Encinal St., Santa Cruz, passed a county health inspection on December 18 with no critical issues.
- Falafel Of Santa Cruz at 1501 Mission St., Santa Cruz, passed a county health inspection on December 18 with no critical issues.
Community crime report
- A restraining order was violated, which is against the law, near the 200 Block of Bay St., Santa Cruz, at 8 a.m. on October 28. (source)
- A burglary was reported through the online system. It happened near the 100 Block of Naglee Ave., Santa Cruz, at midnight on October 28. (source)
- A petty theft was reported online. The incident happened near Unknown, Santa Cruz at midnight on October 24. (source)
- A petty theft was reported online. The incident happened near Santa Cruz at midnight on October 24. (source)
- Multiple violations of a court restraining order were reported near the 200 Block of Bay St., Santa Cruz. The incident happened at 10 p.m. on October 23. (source)
- A juvenile attacked another juvenile, committing battery on school, hospital, or park property near the 400 Block of Walnut Avenue, Santa Cruz, at 8 a.m. on October 23. (source)
- A vehicle was broken into near Unknown, Santa Cruz on October 23 at midnight The incident was reported online through the Coplogic system. (source)
- A home was broken into near the 300 Block of Jessie St., Santa Cruz. The incident happened at 3 p.m. on October 20. (source)
- A petty theft was reported online near Santa Cruz at midnight on October 19. (source)
- A petty theft was reported online. The incident happened near Santa Cruz on October 18 at midnight (source)
- A petty theft was reported online. The incident happened near Santa Cruz on October 18 at midnight (source)
- A grand theft was reported online. The incident happened near Santa Cruz at 2 p.m. on October 17. (source)
- Shoplifting of goods valued under $950 was reported. The incident happened near Santa Cruz at midnight on October 17. (source)
- A grand theft was reported online. The incident happened near Santa Cruz at midnight on October 17. (source)
- A grand theft was reported online. The incident happened near Santa Cruz at midnight on October 16. (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 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.