Recent News

Monday, March 27, 2023

Wind advisory issued ahead of latest storm for much of Bay Area

Yet another big storm is forecast to blow through the Bay Area this week, with the biggest impacts expected throughout the day Tuesday.

Monday, 2:59 PM | No comments yet

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Who buys electric cars in California — and who doesn't?

Shiny electric cars are parked in the driveways of affluent Palo Alto and Atherton homes, but is the trend gaining ground in less-affluent communities and what might hinder it?

Sunday, 5:14 PM | 2 comments
Around Town: Stanford student's idea for California bill turns into proposal

In the latest column, read news about a Stanford doctoral student who won state Sen. Josh Becker's "Ought to Be a Law" contest and plans to honor late labor and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez in East Palo Alto.

Sunday, 8:35 AM | No comments yet

Saturday, March 25, 2023

State to audit Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

Santa Clara County's largest public transit agency will be audited by the state as one lawmaker looks to change up how it's run.

Saturday, 8:41 AM | 4 comments

Friday, March 24, 2023

Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel and a philanthropist who donated billions, dies

Gordon Moore, a pioneering Silicon Valley scientist and leading philanthropist, died on Friday, Intel Corporation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation jointly announced. He was 94.

Friday, 11:37 PM | 3 comments
State demands Palo Alto revise its housing plan

Palo Alto will have to revise its plan to add more than 6,000 housing units after the Department Housing and Community Development ruled Thursday, March 23, that the city's proposed Housing Element fails to meet state law.

Friday, 6:02 PM | 21 comments
California lifts target for 15% water conservation as yet another storm approaches

California ended its voluntary statewide target, triggering concerns from experts that many water supplies remain depleted.

Friday, 5:14 PM | 2 comments
GoFundMe set up for man killed by fallen tree in Portola Valley raises $82K

Jesus Ivan Cruz Diaz, 29, of San Jose died Tuesday when a tree hit his work van in Portola Valley. His employer has since created a GoFundMe to help the family pay for funeral expenses.

Friday, 4:27 PM | No comments yet
Palo Alto Unified announces leadership changes for next school year

Retirements and job changes are expected to bring new leaders to two Palo Alto schools this fall, with an interim principal taking over permanently at a third campus.

Friday, 9:57 AM | 2 comments
Palo Alto nears new deal with Pets In Need

After two years of tension, Palo Alto and Pets In Need are trying to mend their ties with a contract that will raise compensation while scaling back the city's commitments to improve its animal shelter.

Friday, 9:48 AM | No comments yet
Palo Alto schools to get more in-house mental health staff

A year after deciding to hire its own mental health workers rather than rely largely on outside contractors to care for its students, Palo Alto Unified is now looking to expand the program next school year.

Friday, 6:48 AM | 2 comments
After mighty oak comes crashing down, resident calls on Palo Alto to change heritage tree ordinance

Anneke Dempsey was concerned about the giant oak in her backyard for years. Its massive limbs could potentially cause the tree to fall onto her or her neighbor's home. On March 14, her fear was realized.

Friday, 6:48 AM | 25 comments

Thursday, March 23, 2023

PUBLIC AGENDA: Rebate plan for gas utilities customers; update on school construction projects

A preview of government meetings for the week of March 27.

Thursday, 3:49 PM | No comments yet
Remote work rises and Caltrain ridership plummets: How Sililcon Valley has changed three years since COVID

An annual report illustrates how the increasing cost of living is impacting residents -- and driving them away.

Thursday, 2:26 PM | 4 comments
'An eye in the sky': A new NASA project is developing drone technology to fight wildfires

As wildfire season on the West Coast stretches longer each year, with fires scorching through record levels of acreage, scientists at NASA Ames want to utilize drones to help modernize firefighting.

Thursday, 9:29 AM | No comments yet
Five new shops open at Town & Country Village

Four new sustainability-focused, fair-trade apparel and homegoods stores and a hand-crafted ice cream shop are the newest additions to Town & Country Village, the retail center announced Wednesday.

Thursday, 8:38 AM | 7 comments

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

In 'State of the City,' Mayor Lydia Kou assails state housing mandates

Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou took a swing on Wednesday at state housing mandates during her "State of the City" address and warned that recent laws could render the council helpless to prevent an onrush of large developments.

Wednesday, 11:50 PM | 44 comments
Man dies following car collision on Charleston Road

Police are looking for witnesses in a Monday morning collision in Palo Alto near the Mountain View border where a driver struck a pedestrian who died the next day.

Wednesday, 2:47 PM | 2 comments
New rules to phase out gas appliances stoke excitement, anxiety on the Peninsula

With the Bay Area adopting sweeping new rules to phase out gas-fueled appliances, city and county officials in Menlo Park, Palo Alto and the region are debating the risks and benefits of going fully electric.

Wednesday, 9:46 AM | 23 comments
For Palo Alto gas customers, relief is finally in sight

After a jarring spike in gas bills, Palo Alto customers could see some relief in the months ahead as the city prepares to roll out a rebate program and begin distributing money as part of a court settlement.

Wednesday, 9:31 AM | 4 comments

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Gusty storm claims a life: Tree falls on van in Portola Valley, killing the driver

A man died after a tree fell on his car at around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Ladera, shortly after high winds and rain picked up.

Tuesday, 4:10 PM | 1 comment
Thousands of utilities customers lose power as strong winds pass through Palo Alto, taking down large trees

Powerful winds returned Tuesday to Palo Alto, knocking out electricity for thousands of utilities customers, many of whom saw their service return that night. Another outage on Wednesday initially affected about 4,500 customers.

Tuesday, 1:49 PM | 11 comments
Condominium development proposed in Ventura neighborhood

A parking lot in the Ventura neighborhood may soon be transformed into a condominium community with 16 townhomes through an application now under the city's review.

Tuesday, 9:46 AM | 4 comments
Kia, Hyundai under scrutiny from attorneys general over lack of vehicle anti-theft devices

Attorney General Rob Bonta and nearly two dozen other attorneys general sent a letter to Kia and Hyundai executives over concerns that the companies failed to add anti-theft technology in their cars.

Tuesday, 9:20 AM | No comments yet
Homelessness, rehabilitation and health care: What to know about Newsom's legacy tour

Gov. Gavin Newsom starts defining his legacy on a statewide tour that focuses on priorities interrupted by crisis and the pandemic.

Tuesday, 9:10 AM | 5 comments
City to refund developer $900K in parking fees, court orders

Palo Alto will have to refund more than $900,000 to a downtown developer after a state appeals court ruled Monday that the city had illegally imposed parking fees without having a real plan to spend this money on parking.

Tuesday, 8:10 AM | 13 comments

Monday, March 20, 2023

Palo Alto set to receive $24M over utilities litigation

Palo Alto is expecting to receive about $24 million from the federal government following litigation between a consortium of northern California utilities and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Monday, 9:57 AM | 4 comments

Sunday, March 19, 2023

El Camino Health is first in the world to use new blood flow monitoring technology

El Camino Health will begin using a new blood flow monitoring technology called FloPatch, a wearable ultrasound system that allows clinicians to more effectively treat patients with sepsis.

Sunday, 8:00 AM | 1 comment

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Palo Alto Unified looks to revive negotiations on Cubberley redevelopment

Seeking a breakthrough after decades of frustrating and largely fruitless negotiations, the Palo Alto school board this month submitted a letter to the city soliciting proposals for the redevelopment of Cubberley Community Center.

Saturday, 8:51 AM | 6 comments
Santa Clara County sheriff reports over a dozen fentanyl overdoses in one week at correctional facility

Sheriff Robert Jonsen is drawing attention to a rash of fentanyl overdoses and exposures at Milpitas' Elmwood Correctional Facility.

Saturday, 8:37 AM | No comments yet

Friday, March 17, 2023

Judge hears Elizabeth Holmes' request to remain free while appeal resolved

At a court hearing on Friday, lawyers for convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes argued that her upcoming prison term should be delayed until a higher court has reviewed the case.

Friday, 1:49 PM | 5 comments
PUBLIC AGENDA: Changes to City Council protocols; proposed financial plans for utilities

A preview of government meetings for the week of March 20.

Friday, 12:13 PM | No comments yet
Malcolm Harris details the legacy of Stanford, Hoover, eugenics in interview

Malcolm Harris, author of "Palo Alto: A History of California Capitalism, and the World," joined Weekly staff to talk about the legacy of Leland Stanford and Herbert Hoover and his experiences in the city.

Friday, 9:55 AM | 17 comments
Two more atmospheric rivers could hit West Coast in next week, per preliminary forecasts

As many as two more atmospheric rivers could douse the already sodden West Coast in the next week, according to state weather experts.

Friday, 9:54 AM | No comments yet
Around Town: New documentary puts Aaron Persky's removal from bench back in the spotlight

Read news about a new documentary that reevaluates the recall of Aaron Persky as a Superior Court judge and current and former female mayors who dined together on International Women's Day.

Friday, 9:08 AM | 2 comments
When regulators took over Silicon Valley Bank, startups scrambled to make payroll

A bank run that prompted the country's 16th largest bank to become insolvent was a shocking reality that many in the local tech industry have dealt with over the past week.

Friday, 7:06 AM | 4 comments

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Tech CEO arrested for peeping into woman's restroom stall in January now connected to three more cases, police say

The Palo Alto tech company CEO was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of peeping into woman's bathroom stall in Mountain View.

Thursday, 11:05 AM | 1 comment
State Sen. Josh Becker revives effort to address police radio encryption

After falling just short in the final days of last year's legislative session, Becker is renewing his push for a law that would require law enforcement to make radio communications accessible to the media.

Thursday, 9:00 AM | No comments yet

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Woman allegedly lied about 2 sexual assaults at Stanford campus last year

A 25-year-old Stanford University employee is facing charges that she lied about being raped twice on campus last year, apparently in an effort to target a co-worker, Santa Clara County prosecutors said.

Wednesday, 5:52 PM | 9 comments
Community invited to discuss recent East Palo Alto power outages at forum

Local leaders and PG&E representatives are set to discuss the power outages that plagued East Palo Alto and surrounding areas in late February when a massive atmospheric river swept through northern California.

Wednesday, 5:29 PM | No comments yet
Palo Alto woman dies in Joshua Tree crash

A Palo Alto resident was killed in a crash with a pickup truck that left three others with moderate to major injuries in Joshua Tree over the weekend, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Wednesday, 4:40 PM | No comments yet
Man arrested after violent assault in downtown Palo Alto apartment complex

A Palo Alto man allegedly beat a woman with a metal object at a downtown apartment complex Tuesday morning, leaving her bleeding on the ground with serious injuries, police said.

Wednesday, 2:52 PM | No comments yet
Bomb threat called in to Stanford Shopping Center, search turns up nothing

A bomb threat called in to the Stanford Shopping Center on Wednesday prompted Palo Alto police to sweep the area in search of any explosives with the help of a K-9. The preliminary investigation turned up nothing.

Wednesday, 10:59 AM | 3 comments
Free textbooks? It could soon be a reality at California's community colleges

The California Community College Chancellor's Office has $115 million to spend to reduce the burden of textbook costs across its 115-campus system.

Wednesday, 9:30 AM | No comments yet
City Hall error jeopardizes man's plan to build a home

When Nitin Handa bought a parcel of land last November, he had every intention of building a home and few reasons to think that his plan would become the focus of neighborhood angst.

Wednesday, 9:12 AM | 22 comments

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Alameda County Coroner's Bureau trying to identify remains of 155 people from all over Bay Area

The Coroner's Bureau needs help identifying one body and the cremated remains of 154 other people recently found in a warehouse.

Tuesday, 5:24 PM | No comments yet
Fallen trees cause power outages for thousands of Palo Alto Utilities customers

Strong winds and stormy conditions caused trees to fall and electrical wires to go down in Palo Alto, where multiple power outages impacted thousands of utilities customers on Tuesday.

Tuesday, 12:20 PM | 36 comments
After collapse, Silicon Valley Bank halts plan for branch on California Avenue

Silicon Valley Bank is halting its plan to open a branch on California Avenue in Palo Alto following its spectacular collapse late last week and its subsequent takeover by the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission.

Tuesday, 9:40 AM | 6 comments
As retail trends shift, Palo Alto looks for new economic strategy

Faced with high vacancies and fewer daytime workers to support businesses, Palo Alto is moving to adopt a new economic development strategy aimed at revitalizing core commercial areas.

Tuesday, 9:30 AM | 21 comments
First Republic Bank, others affected by failure of Silicon Valley Bank

Another Bay Area bank was affected Monday by uncertainty in the financial markets following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank.

Tuesday, 9:07 AM | No comments yet

Stay informed.

Get the day's top headlines from Palo Alto Online sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.

Farm Bill and the Organic Movement (part 5) Plus: Global Plant Forward Summit, April 18 – 20
By Laura Stec | 23 comments | 3,938 views

How well is City Manager Ed Shikada performing his job?
By Diana Diamond | 18 comments | 2,842 views

Nori Nori brings Japanese hand rolls and steakhouse dining to downtown Mountain View
By The Peninsula Foodist | 0 comments | 2,530 views

Sharing That Just Works
By Sherry Listgarten | 3 comments | 1,157 views