Hi Palo Alto! We have the latest buzz right here. Let's keep you in the loop and get this morning started right! ☀️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Flamenco de A and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: What did one wall say to the other? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Palo Alto council race: Bryna Chang wants city planners to be more responsive (padailypost.com) — Palo Alto council candidate Bryna Chang is running on a promise to make city planners more responsive to everyday safety and traffic concerns, especially around schools and downtown parking. She criticizes slow action on dangerous intersections, the city's handling of RV dwellers, and state housing mandates without transit upgrades, while calling for more resident‑focused customer service at City Hall.
2. Palo Alto council race: Vicki Veenker cites progress in addressing RV influx (padailypost.com) — Palo Alto Mayor Vicki Veenker is seeking a second term while defending the council's new limits on RV parking, which ban RVs from residential streets but allow a small number on city edges. She says she's pursuing more off‑street options, wants big employers like Stanford and Google to help house RV‑dwelling workers, and argues state housing mandates have gone too far in eroding local control.
3. Slashing of the passing (thecampanile.org) — Palo Alto and Gunn High Schools have cut passing periods from 10 to seven minutes this year, drawing criticism from students and parents who say it hurts access to teachers and on-time arrivals. Administrators argue the change aligns with regional norms, ends the school day earlier, and reduces lingering, while pledging to monitor tardiness data and remain open to feedback.
4. How Volunteer Fixers Are Bringing This California Community Together (ifixit.com) — Palo Alto's Repair Café is drawing up to 150 visitors per event, with dozens of volunteer fixers helping neighbors repair items instead of throwing them away. Founder Peter Skinner launched the grassroots effort in 2012, and it now partners with the city's Zero Waste Program and local hardware stores, offering a model other Palo Alto residents can replicate.
5. A Different Palo Alto (thecampanile.org) — Longtime residents and local experts reflect on how Palo Alto's downtown, shopping districts, and demographics have shifted with the tech boom, immigration, and rising housing costs. They describe disappearing independent shops, growing inequality, and worries that service workers and non‑tech families are being priced out, while also highlighting the city's diversity, cultural amenities, and hopes for preserving its character for future generations.
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Ok Palo Alto! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I'll meet you at the corner! (Thank you Gary M. for sending it in!)
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