Fun run, emergency preparedness fair set for Saturday
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the City of Santa Cruz will be hosting Race the Wave, a 3K fun run event to raise tsunami awareness. The race culminates with a general emergency preparedness event at the finish area located at Mission Plaza Park.
Community members are invited to attend the fair to learn about resources that will help them be prepared for all kinds of emergencies.
Runners will be starting on the Santa Cruz Wharf, progressing down Pacific Avenue, through the Clock Tower Intersection and then up Mission Street to Mission Plaza Park. The run starts at 8am and will end no later than 10am.
Traffic will be temporarily paused along Pacific Avenue starting at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Front Street to Pacific Avenue and Mission Street from 7:30-8:30am. Participants will then run up Mission to Emmet streets and circle Mission Plaza Park to finish the race on Sylvar Street (temporary traffic controls will be removed as the final runner or walker passes through).
Race the Wave is not just a race — it’s a movement. Timing is critical when a tsunami hits. With a timed 3K route, participants will follow an evacuation route from a high-risk coastal location to higher ground.
For more information or to sign up, visit runsignup.com/Race/CA/SantaCruz/RaceTheWaveSantaCruz.
Lane closures scheduled for Highway 9 beginning Monday
Caltrans has announced scheduled lane and full highway closures along Highway 9, between Willow Brook Drive and north of Highway 236, to facilitate significant roadway improvements.
The work is set to begin on Sept. 15, and is expected to extend into September 2026, with varying schedules for lane restrictions and complete closures.
From Sept. 15 through May 20, 2026, single lane closures will occur Monday through Thursday evenings from 8pm-6am, and during daytime hours from 9am-3pm. No lane closures are planned after 6am on Fridays until 9pm on Sundays. Starting May 21, 2026, and continuing until Sept. 1, 2026, lane closures will shift slightly, occurring Monday through Thursday nights from 7pm-6am, with no closures on weekends.
North of Highway 236 near Big Basin Way, similar restrictions apply, with lane closures permitted Monday through Thursday evenings and limited daytime work. Travelers can expect minor delays of about 5-10 minutes, and a 10-foot lane will remain open for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians to share. Sidewalk disruptions are scheduled between Sept. 12 and Oct. 15.
In addition to lane restrictions, full highway closures will take place during winter and spring of 2026. From Dec. 22 to March 2, 2026, the highway will be closed from 10pm-4am daily, excluding holidays, on a section roughly a mile north of the Highway 9 and Highway 236 intersection. Another closure is planned from Feb. 9 to April 3, 2026, on a stretch north of Tin Can Rand Road, and a third from June 15 to Sept. 24, 2026, near Stapp Road.
During these closures, detours will reroute traffic via Highway 236 through Boulder Creek or Highway 35 and Bear Creek Road, adding approximately 30-40 minutes to travel times.
The purpose of these extensive improvements is to enhance road stability, safety and drainage through slope repairs, retaining wall construction, culvert replacements and paving. Caltrans urges travelers to exercise caution, slow down in construction zones and plan for extra travel time during this period.
Property owners to receive ballots on vector control funding
Property owners in Santa Cruz County are receiving official ballots in the mail asking them to decide on a proposed benefit assessment to maintain and improve mosquito and vector control services.
Since 1993, the Santa Cruz County Mosquito and Vector Control Division has been on the front lines of protecting public health by monitoring and controlling mosquitoes, ticks, rodents and other vectors that spread disease. The current assessment, which has not increased in nearly 30 years, no longer keeps pace with rising costs and emerging threats, including the local detection of invasive mosquitoes that can carry dengue, Zika and other viruses.
If approved, most families would pay the equivalent of $1 per month (yearly assessment amounts are listed on individual ballots), with all funds dedicated exclusively to local mosquito and vector control services and funds may not be used for any other purpose. Completed ballots must be received by Nov. 4.
Ballots may be returned by mail using the enclosed prepaid envelope or hand-delivered at the public hearing on Nov. 4 at 9am before the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, which will meet that day in the Watsonville City Council Chambers, 275 Main St., in Watsonville.
Vector control is one of the first lines of defense in preventing the spread of diseases in the community. Services include year-round mosquito testing for diseases, such as West Nile virus; free mosquito-eating fish for backyard water sources; free rodent exclusion inspections; tick identification and consultation; rapid response to residents’ mosquito, rodent or tick, or wasp concerns; yellowjacket/wasp control; and public education and community outreach on preventing vector-borne diseases.
For questions or more information, call 831-454-2590.
