Braden Cartwright

1 day ago | padailypost.com | Braden Cartwright

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHTDaily Post Staff WriterCaltrain is ditching its plan to drastically increase the number of trains running per hour, but board members are still wondering if the agency is being realistic about its future. Caltrain currently runs four trains per hour in each direction during peak commute times. The agency’s “long-range service vision” approved in October 2019 calls for up to 16 trains per hour, including four high-speed rail trains in each direction.

2 days ago | padailypost.com | Braden Cartwright

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHTDaily Post Staff WriterThe Palo Alto Unified School District is getting ready to ask voters to renew its parcel tax, starting with a survey this summer that will help determine the tax rate. The district’s existing parcel tax expires in 2027 at $941 per parcel, consultant Charles Heath told the board on May 13. Heath is eying renewal at a special mail-in election on May 5, 2026. “That gives us the advantage of not having competing issues on the same ballot,” Heath said.

2 days ago | padailypost.com | Braden Cartwright

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHTDaily Post Staff WriterPalo Alto City Council has decided against putting bike lanes on major arteries like Middlefield Road. Instead, the city will improve routes for cyclists on quieter neighborhood streets. “I don’t want the fumes. I don’t want to see cars. I want the canopy that’s over on Cowper (Street),” Councilman Keith Reckdahl said on Monday, when council reviewed the city’s bicycle and pedestrian transportation plan.

4 days ago | padailypost.com | Braden Cartwright

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHTDaily Post Staff WriterBefore CEO Rick Callender went on leave from Valley Water, he booked five flights for himself and Chief of External Affairs Rachael Gibson that were paid for by his agency, according to public records obtained by the Post. Callender and Gibson went on a weekend trip to Dallas on Feb. 6 for $1,020, and Callender flew to New York City the following weekend for $652, records show.

1 week ago | padailypost.com | Braden Cartwright

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHTDaily Post Staff WriterCity Manager Ed Shikada and Palo Alto City Council are taking a closer look at their use of consultants, who cost the city $27 million last year. “I think we have lost some trust in the community with how we have been using them,” Vice Mayor Vicki Veenker said at a Policy and Services Committee meeting on Wednesday. “I’m sure everybody is kind of in agreement: We probably over-utilize consultants a bit,” Councilman Greer Stone said.