Looking to cut down on pollution, Mountain View approved a citywide policy Tuesday that seeks to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. In a unanimous vote, the City Council backed major updates to a policy that requires developers to encourage sustainable forms of transportation, such as offering transit subsidies, bicycle facilities and carshare services. “I...
Former Palo Alto cannery celebrates history with new chapter
Few buildings epitomize the evolution of Silicon Valley better than the sprawling, lofty structure on Portage Avenue, which began its life as one of the nation’s largest fruit canneries and later evolved into one of Palo Alto’s major retail destinations, best known for Fry’s Electronics. On Tuesday, the 73,000-square-foot building that was once known as...
Months after opening, Palo Alto police headquarters is largely empty
It’s been nearly six months since Palo Alto leaders celebrated the grand opening of the city’s new public safety building, a $123.5-million facility near California Avenue that took decades of planning and five years of construction. Most of the work on the three-story building at 250 Sherman Ave. was completed by the summer of 2025,...
Santa Clara County DA ordered to recuse from Stanford vandalism trial
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Kelley Paul on Thursday ordered the recusal of District Attorney Jeff Rosen and his entire office from retrying a Stanford felony vandalism case, citing a conflict of interest. Rosen filed felony vandalism and conspiracy charges in April 2025 against 12 Stanford University students and allies, after they allegedly broke...
Silicon Valley buyers need $1M+ salaries for homes in priciest cities
A household now needs to earn more than $500,000 annually to afford a typical home in the San Jose metro area, according to a new national housing affordability analysis that again ranked the South Bay as the most expensive housing market in the U.S. The report by ConsumerAffairs found buyers in the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara...
Mountain View approves 8-story condos after parkland fee dispute
A developer’s plan to build an eight-story condominium complex at a prominent gateway to downtown Mountain View got the greenlight Tuesday evening after a legal dispute over parkland fees threatened to derail the project earlier this year. In a split 4-2 vote, the City Council approved a 140-unit condominium project with nearly 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail...
Embarcadero road improvements in Palo Alto scheduled for summer
Amid concerns about traffic congestion and emergency response times, one glaring issue that could arise if Palo Alto leaders decide to close the Churchill Avenue train crossing is the lack of an adequate detour for cyclists and pedestrians. For Palo Alto High School students trying to get to class, their most likely route would follow...
Mountain View new transportation team to lead project backlog
In the wake of multiple staff vacancies, Mountain View is setting up a new division within its public works department to address a backlog of transportation and street improvement projects. Public Works Director Jennifer Ng presented the plan for the new transportation division to the City Council earlier this month, as part of an update...
Palo Alto looks to rezoning to limit impacts of state bill
Concerned about a new housing law that encourages development near transit areas, Palo Alto is considering numerous zoning changes that would blunt the impacts of the new legislation in neighborhoods like Old Palo Alto and Greenmeadow, which are dominated by single-family homes. Palo Alto officials are looking to minimize the impacts of Senate Bill 79, a...
Mountain View homes without drinkable water after breach
Since last Friday, Mountain View resident Mark Tashima has been told by city officials that he can’t drink or otherwise use the tap water in his home in the Cuesta Park neighborhood. That puts him in the same boat as about 65 other nearby households. On April 24, a city contractor breached a water main at the...