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The town of Portola Valley is navigating a financial crisis, amending its housing element and filling staffing vacancies as the new year begins.
The community experienced many highs in 2025 with a successful rescue of three mountain lion cubs, the hiring of a new town manager and the pure joy of watching the Alpine Little League’s journey, which stopped just shy of the World Series.
In January, reports of a dead mountain lion on Portola Road had many residents worried about the possibility that the female lion was the mother of three cubs that were spotted on a local household’s security camera footage. Concerned for the orphaned cubs, community members began to work together to search for them.
A week and a half later, a resident spotted them in the neighborhood and the neighbors quickly took action to keep the cubs secured until wildlife specialists could capture and rescue them. The cubs, named Fern, Thistle and Spruce, were taken to the Oakland Zoo for rehabilitation and were later placed in their permanent homes in the Phoenix and Birmingham zoos.
Portola Valley also welcomed its interim Town Manager Mark Linder, who helped the town pick up pace with its housing element and budgeting process. In July, the town appointed its permanent Town Manager Darcy Smith.
Town staffing is starting to take shape. This year, the town hired Town Engineer Robert Burr and Town Clerk Veronica Dao. In December, Sarah Cawrse was hired as Portola Valley’s planning and building director.
“We are currently engaged in the recruitment process to fill two other vacancies, senior planner and senior development review technician,” according to the town.
The town also faced some challenges when the community expressed disapproval for the Dorothy Ford Park site as an affordable housing option in its original housing element proposal. In March, the Town Council explored four different sites that could accommodate the needed amount of housing units.
In May, the council approved changes to Ford Field’s site zoning ordinance to state that the housing element “shall exclude the existing Little League baseball field and the adjacent surface parking lot serving the baseball field.” Portola Valley residents and Little Leaguers called the field a “town gem” as they asked the town to save the field from potential demolition.
The town’s financial crisis began to stabilize throughout the year as the council adopted a new policy for the acceptance of donations and began to explore ways to enhance revenues. Finance Director Tony McFarlane helped the town stabilize its budget and is currently completing audits that were long overdue.
In May the community came together once more, this time for a difficult search. Margaret “Elaine” McKinely reportedly went missing while on a hike with her friends at Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. McKinley, 79, has dementia and still has not been found. San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and its search and rescue team continue to look for her – including in a large search in December – but have not found McKinley.
On Alpine Road, a new affordable and supportive housing project opened in June, welcoming tenants into the complex. Willow Commons provides adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities with supportive housing that encourages social interaction, community and autonomy.
In August, the Portola Valley community was watching closely as its Alpine Little League All-Stars’ went on to compete in the West Region Tournament in San Bernardino. Despite their loss against Fullerton’s Golden Hill Little League in an elimination game, the young players returned home as winners in the community.
The year ended with an acknowledgement of Councilmember Judith Hasko’s achievements during her time as mayor for 2025. She handed off the reins to Craig Taylor who previously served as vice mayor and will hold the mayoral seat for 2026.
