Menlo Park council now favors plan to open downtown road to traffic
Menlo Park City Council is trying to find a middle ground between building a community plaza downtown or reopening eastbound vehicle traffic on the 600 block of Santa Cruz Avenue for the first time in six years.
Voter Guide 2026
Get to know the candidates and measures on your ballot with The Almanac’s 2026 Voter Guide, including in-depth profiles, issue comparison grids and campaign finance coverage.
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City Council Candidate Forum
| Date | Thursday, Oct. 8 |
| Time | 6–7:30 p.m. |
| Location | Menlo Park City Council Chambers 701 Laurel St. Menlo Park |
Join us for an election forum to hear from the candidates for the Menlo Park City Council, where seats representing District 1, 2 and 4 are up for grabs. The event will be livestreamed to YouTube and a recording will be available afterwards.
More Local news
Stanford professor wins Nobel Prize for research on consumer behavior
Robert E. Hall, a Menlo Park resident and professor emeritus at Stanford University, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences this week for developing macroeconomic models of consumer behavior.
Día de los Muertos celebration returns to Redwood City Nov. 8
Redwood City’s annual Día de los Muertos celebration will return to Courthouse Square on Sunday, Nov. 8, with a theme inspired by the traditions and Indigenous heritage of Tlaxcala, Mexico.
TV show on Silicon Valley’s ‘outsized egos’ to film in Woodside this week
AMC’s dark comedy-drama “The Audacity,” set in Silicon Valley, will film in the Woodside Town Center area on Friday, Oct. 16, from 7 a.m. to noon, according to a notice sent to residents.
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Food
True Food Kitchen files for bankruptcy. Palo Alto location remains open
True Food Kitchen, a wellness-driven restaurant chain that’s been a tenant of Stanford Shopping Center since 2016, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Oct. 4. But despite the financial issues, the company maintains that the Palo Alto restaurant “is continuing to operate as usual,” according to a spokesperson.
Peninsula chefs share recipes to make the most of persimmon season
From pickled persimmons to persimmon desserts, here are four dishes to try at home.
This Mountain View food truck specializes in a cuisine rarely seen along the Peninsula
Parked in an unassuming Valero gas station in Mountain View is a food truck serving juicy shish kebab and flaky samsa cooked in a tandoor. The food is halal and created by a 23-year-old San Jose State student, Zhibek Zhusubalieva.
Arts & Culture
The Bard goes Broadway in ‘Something Rotten’
Woodside Musical Theatre presents show spoofing musicals, Shakespeare’s greatest hits, through Oct. 17.
‘Heathens’ chronicles five people challenging their fundamentalist upbringings
Peninsula filmmakers’ documentary will have its world premiere this month at the United Nations Association Film Festival. The festival, which highlights films about human rights, opens Oct. 15 in Palo Alto.
What’s up this week: Local author Marley-Rose Teter, Afro-Latin jazz, a spirited symphony opener and more
This week, local author Marley-Rose Teter shares her debut YA novel and slack-key masters bring Hawaii to the Peninsula. Plus, a Nashville singer-songwriter at The Guild, Bruno Mars at Levi’s Stadium and more.
Spotlight
Cardinal football is back — here’s what you need to know
New coach, upgraded stadium, standout players and plenty of Cardinal spirit—here’s what to watch this Stanford football 2026 season.
What to know about cyclosporiasis
The latest foodborne illness goes by the name cyclosporiasis (sigh-klo-spor-eye-uh-sis). Since the first known case in Michigan in June 2026, the parasitic disease has stricken thousands of people.
Community Calendar
Did you miss
Humans in the age of AI
Artificial intelligence is alternately billed as the most consequential technology in history or a speculative bubble that will pop and lead to economic chaos. For this project, a collaboration with photojournalist Mark Tuschman, we spoke to local residents and professionals…
Friends, family remember Jakub Solovsky, cyclist killed in Woodside head-on collision
Larry Abrahams remembers the rainy day that was the last time he rode with East Palo Alto resident Jakub Solovsky, a member of Western Wheelers who died July 11 in a head-on collision on Skyline Boulevard.
Real Estate
What $35M gets you in Atherton: 49ers legend Jerry Rice’s former home – and a gym with his original workout equipment
This French château-style estate in Atherton now on the market for $35 million offers a glimpse into the life of a football legend. Built for Jerry Rice in the early 2000s, when smart-home technology was still a novelty, the home…
What $975K to $18.3M gets you on the Peninsula
From multimillion-dollar estates to more modest homes, this week’s highest- and lowest-priced home sales offer a snapshot of the Peninsula real estate market. See what buyers paid for homes across the region, including an $18.3 million Menlo Park property on…
How AI is changing the apartment search: Is it working?
AI is changing how renters search for apartments, from chatbots that answer questions and schedule tours to tools that can narrow a search based on a renter’s preferences. But the technology still has limitations — and California is beginning to…
The Six Fifty
‘I realized there was a lot of demand for this’: A new Peninsula business offers rentals of curated baby and toddler toys
A desire to avoid filling up her house with unwanted stuff that her daughter would soon outgrow led Redwood City resident Amy Bearman to start her business BurbleBox.
How a Coastside forest therapy guide is helping people reconnect with nature in Peninsula parks
Wendy Figone leads a regular series of guided therapy walks in partnership with the San Mateo County Parks Foundation.
Meet the ‘Beetlelady’ bringing interactive bug classes to all corners of Silicon Valley
San Mateo resident Stephanie Dole shares her expertise with kids and adults alike, with the goal of helping folks better appreciate the creepy crawlies around us.
Blogs
State News from CalMatters
