Westside / Downtown Neighborhood Newsletter for Thursday, September 25

---

Good morning! It’s September 25 — here’s what’s going on in your community today…

Showers early this morning in Westside / Downtown

Today will be a couple of showers early this morning; areas of low clouds, then sun. There is a 60% chance of rain. The high will be 74 with a low of 58. Showers now, changing to cloudy at 9 a.m.

Looking ahead: Showers and a thunderstorm Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon

---

Westside / Downtown news

Inside a packed Del Mar Theatre last night, Lookout presented “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink,” a 2023 documentary by Rick Goldsmith that tracks the crumbling ecosystem of hyperlocal news outlets throughout the U.S. Goldsmith particularly focused on Wall Street hedge fund Alden Global Capital’s leading role in buying distressed newspapers and squeezing them dry. 

After the film, Lookout founder Ken Doctor joined CalMatters CEO Neil Chase and Julie Reynolds, a Santa Cruz-based investigative journalist and co-founder of Voices of Monterey Bay, to discuss the prospects for local news amid economic and political pressures, and how outlets such as Lookout and CalMatters are working to find a sustainable model for the future.

---

---

What’s new around you

▼︎ police incidents   ▼︎ food inspections   ▼︎ events

Read on to see the details about each item…

---

Things to do in Westside / Downtown

Add an event to our calendar

---

Roadwork is affecting traffic in the region

• A lane on southbound Highway 1 at Larkin Valley Road in Aptos is closed for drainage work. The closure is expected to end at 5:59 a.m. on September 29.
   
• There is a one-way traffic closure on North Highway 9 at Prospect Avenue in San Lorenzo Valley because of emergency work. The closure is expected to end at 3:59 p.m. on December 5.
   
• A lane on northbound Highway 17 at W Vine Hill Road in Scotts Valley is closed for tree work. The closure is expected to end at 4:01 a.m. today.
   

---

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.

• Sea & Sand Inn at 201 W Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, passed a county health inspection on September 23 with no critical issues.
   
• Woodstock’s Pizza at 710 Front St., Santa Cruz, passed a county health inspection on September 23 with no critical issues.
   

---

Community crime report

• A woman was cited for having a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors. The incident happened near Water St. and N River St. in Santa Cruz at midnight on September 23. (source)
   
• A person was cited and released for having illegal drug paraphernalia. The incident happened near the 1400 Block of Ocean St., Santa Cruz at midnight on September 23. (source)
   
• A man was arrested for using someone else’s debit card, which is a felony theft. The incident happened near the 100 Block of Cliff St., Santa Cruz, at 8 p.m. on September 22. (source)
   
• Lewd conduct was reported involving someone soliciting a lewd act (a misdemeanor). The incident happened near the 300 Block of Main St., Santa Cruz. It occurred at 4 p.m. on September 22. (source)
   
• A grand theft involving money, labor, or property was reported as a felony near the 1700 Block of Mission St., Santa Cruz. The incident happened at 11 a.m. on September 22. (source)
   
• Two people were cited for having illegal drug paraphernalia. The incident happened near the 800 Block of Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, at 10 a.m. on September 22. (source)
   
• A hit and run causing property damage was reported near the 400 Block of Beach Street in Santa Cruz. The incident happened at midnight on September 21. (source)
   
• A hit and run causing property damage was reported near the 100 Block of Chestnut Street, Santa Cruz. The incident happened at midnight on September 20. (source)
   
• A bicycle was stolen from an open garage in a burglary near the 100 Block of Alta Ave., Santa Cruz. The incident happened at 9 a.m. on September 16. (source)
   
• A hit and run causing property damage was reported. The incident happened near the 1500 Block of Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, at midnight on September 16. (source)
   
• A hit and run causing property damage was reported online. The incident happened near Hwy 1 and River Street, Santa Cruz, at midnight on September 16. (source)
   
• A hit and run causing property damage was reported near the 400 Block of Beach Street, Santa Cruz, at midnight on September 16. (source)
     
• A report of grand theft involving money, labor, or property was filed online. The incident happened near the 1500 Block of Delaware Ave., Santa Cruz, at midnight on September 5. (source)
    
• Vandalism causing less than $400 in damage was reported online near the 300 Block of Mission St., Santa Cruz at midnight on September 4. (source)
   
• A report of vandalism causing property damage was made online. The incident happened near Emmet St. & Mission St., Santa Cruz at midnight on September 4. (source)
   
• A report was filed online for vandalism causing less than $400 in damage. The incident happened near the 700 Block of Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, at midnight on September 4. (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.