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2 months ago | 
almanacnews.com | Angela Swartz |Eleanor Raab |Jennifer Yoshikoshi
The Portola Valley Conservation Committee, community volunteers and Scout troops invite the public to spend a couple of hours pulling French Broom. As they have since 2004, participants will pull the invasive weed from public lands and rights-of-way. Conditions are best during the rainy season for pulling the weed out. Once the ground becomes dry, it’s nearly impossible to yank it out of the ground, according to the town.
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2 months ago | 
almanacnews.com | Eleanor Raab |Jennifer Yoshikoshi |Angela Swartz
The Menlo Park Sister Cities organization is accepting applications for the city’s cultural exchange with Menlo Park’s sister city Bizen, Japan. The exchange will take place in late June/early July 2025. Exact dates are being finalized. As an ambassador for the city you will have the opportunity to meet with Bizen city officials, live with a local host family and participate in unique cultural experiences.
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Jan 17, 2025 | 
almanacnews.com | Jennifer Yoshikoshi
A dead mountain lion was found in Portola Valley near Portola Road and Willowbrook Drive earlier this week on Monday, Jan. 13. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, it is currently investigating the death and suspect the lion was struck by a vehicle. By the time CDFW responded to the report, the body was no longer there.
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Jan 15, 2025 | 
almanacnews.com | Jennifer Yoshikoshi
Thousands of residents in Los Angeles County have lost their homes to the multiple fires that sparked as early as Tuesday, Jan. 7. While hundreds of miles away from the blazes, local residents of the Peninsula are seeing the news and feel concerned about what would happen if a fire were to burn in their own neighborhoods. Questions are swirling in their minds like: Are there enough evacuation routes? What will new development mean for fire risk in their town?
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Jan 12, 2025 | 
almanacnews.com | Jennifer Yoshikoshi |Eleanor Raab
The Portola Valley School District’s facilities improvement project funded by Measure Z has successfully concluded and has been verified by the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, according to a PVSD press release.
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Jan 11, 2025 | 
almanacnews.com | Jennifer Yoshikoshi
As an art and nature lover, Arielle H., a sixth-grader at La Entrada Middle School, created a poster depicting ways people can be more “green.” Arielle’s poster, titled, “What can YOU do to help the environment?” won first place in the middle school category of ReThinkWaste’s 2024 poster contest. The theme of the contest was “My Green Routine,” encouraging students to create posters that illustrate their daily practices in helping the environment.
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Jan 9, 2025 | 
almanacnews.com | Jennifer Yoshikoshi
The Portola Valley Town Council unanimously voted to appoint Mark Linder as its interim town manager during a meeting on Jan. 8. Linder will start on Monday, Jan. 13, and fill the role until Dec. 12 or until the town hires a permanent town manager. The base salary for the role is set at $255,818 per year, equivalent to $122.99 per hour, and doesn’t include benefits, according to the staff report.
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Jan 8, 2025 | 
paloaltoonline.com | Jennifer Yoshikoshi
State public health officials are encouraging all members of the public, especially people who are pregnant and caregivers to infants, to receive the Tdap vaccinations as cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, rise across California. In San Mateo County, 114 cases have been reported in 2024 and one case has been reported in 2025, as of Jan. 8. Santa Clara County reported a total of 68 cases in 2024.
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Jan 8, 2025 | 
almanacnews.com | Jennifer Yoshikoshi
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors swore in District 1 Supervisor Jackie Speier and District 4 Supervisor Lisa Gauthier during its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The board voted unanimously to appoint District 5 Supervisor David Canepa as county president and District 2 Supervisor Noelia Corzo as vice president for 2025. Speier, who first joined the Board of Supervisors in 1980, has returned to the dias after serving as a state legislator and member of Congress for over three decades.
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Jan 6, 2025 | 
paloaltoonline.com | Jennifer Yoshikoshi
State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, has been appointed as chair of the Senate Committee on Energy Utilities and Communications by Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire, according to a press release from Becker’s office on Monday, Jan. 6. In his position as chair, Becker will be prioritizing initiatives aimed at lowering energy costs for California residents, expanding clean energy production and ensuring regulations promote an equitable energy system.
