Good morning! It’s February 26 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…
Nice with clouds and sun in Westside / Downtown
Today will be nice with times of clouds and sun. There is a 1% chance of rain. The high will be 73 with a low of 53. Partly sunny now, changing to partly cloudy at 6 p.m.
Looking ahead: Warm tomorrow
Westside / Downtown news
UC lecturers start contract talks March 5 for permanent jobs, higher pay, and academic freedom; Santa Cruz City Council considers e-bike age and speed limits to enhance safety and align with state regulations.
UC lecturers are bargaining for a new contract. Who are they and what are they asking for?
By Hillary Ojeda
Feb 26, 2026
Santa Cruz City Council explores age, speed limits for e-bikes as they zoom through the city
By Max Chun
Feb 26, 2026
First bird flu cases confirmed in California’s northern elephant seals
By Cassidy Beach
February 26, 2026
What’s new around you
▼︎ police incidents ▼︎ road incidents ▼︎ food inspections ▼︎ events
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 at 3:59 p.m.
- The right lane of northbound Highway 1 between Rio del Mar Blvd. and State Park Dr. in Aptos will be closed on Saturday, February 28, from 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Delays of up to 15 minutes are expected.
- A lane on North Highway 9 at Encinal Street is closed because of shoulder work. The closure will last until 3:01 p.m. on February 28.
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.
- Namaste Indian Cuisine at 1501 Mission St. Ste A, Santa Cruz, passed a county health inspection on February 24 with no critical issues.
Community crime report
- An assault involving a firearm and a semiautomatic firearm, along with possession of a controlled substance for sale, occurred near the 100 BLOCK of Fern St., Santa Cruz at 6 p.m. on February 11. (source)
- A person was arrested for several offenses, including causing injury to a spouse or partner, violating a protective order, violating probation and post-release supervision, and vandalism. The incident happened near the 400 block of 2nd Street in Santa Cruz around 1 p.m. on February 14. (source)
- A person was arrested for causing serious injury during a physical altercation and for battery. The incident happened near 259 WATER Street, Santa Cruz County, at 3 p.m. on February 10. (source)
- A DUI involving bodily injury occurred near 259 WATER St., Santa Cruz County on February 12 at 2 p.m. (source)
- Police investigated and reported on drug sales, possession of illegal substances, stolen property, and violations of parole and probation. The incident happened near the 100 Block of S River St., Santa Cruz, around 1 p.m. on February 25. (source)
- Someone was arrested for having drug paraphernalia and fighting in a public place. The incident happened near W Levee and the 100 block of S River in Santa Cruz at 11 a.m. on February 10. (source)
- A woman was arrested for being drunk in public and causing a disturbance. The incident happened near the 1100 Block of Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz at 8 p.m. on February 25. (source)
- A hit and run involving property damage and unsafe starting or backing of a vehicle happened near 259 WATER Street, Santa Cruz County. The incident occurred at 11 a.m. on February 11. (source)
- A hit and run collision causing property damage happened on private property near the 700 Block of Front St., Santa Cruz. The incident occurred at 11 a.m. on February 23. Police responded to the scene. (source)
- Police cited and released people for having illegal drug paraphernalia. The incident happened near the 800 Block of Ocean St., Santa Cruz at 2 a.m. on February 24. (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.