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Menlo briefs: Disaster-preparedness fair at USGS

A free safety fair emphasizing family preparedness kicks off Saturday, Sept. 18, hosted by the Menlo Park branch of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and San Mateo County.

Attendees can look forward to demonstrations of emergency equipment, survival tips, and tchotchkes. They can also learn basic CPR for free. The first 500 families to arrive will receive a mystery gift, said Leslie Gordon, USGS spokesperson.

Seismologist Walter Mooney will give a lecture on lessons learned from the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, while economist Anne Wein will talk about what could happen if a massive storm strikes the Bay Area, Ms. Gordon said.

The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the USGS campus at 345 Middlefield Rd. Signs will be posted to show families where to go.

Smoking ordinance

After taking an extended Labor Day weekend, the Menlo Park City Council meets again in council chambers at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14.

On the agenda: Planned revisions to the city's smoking ordinance, which would ban smoking in the common areas of housing units, and service areas like ATM lines, but allow pedestrians to smoke while walking along the street.

New pharmacy

The arrival of a new pharmacy in Menlo Park has been greeted with less outrage than Beverages & More's plans to open a local store, although Pharmaca Integrative also appears to be a chain retailer.

The 4,700-square-foot Menlo Park store will be the 23rd pharmacy for its Colorado-based parent company. It will replace the Xanadu Gallery at 871 Santa Cruz Ave., which shut down in October 2009.

Pharmaca spokesperson Elexis Mariash said the store should open in early November. The company hosted a job fair last week in Palo Alto and 30 people attended, she said. The company plans to hire eight licensed practitioners to work in its newest store, which will offer conventional and alternative health care.