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Connect with your community each week with the following updates on COVID-19, City services, events and programs, wellness opportunities, and family resources.

Coronavirus Report
Shop & Eat Local this Holiday Season
Car Free Streets Community Workshop Coming Up
Fire Transforms Artist Panel Series
City Manager Weekly Community Update

Coronavirus Report

The reporting frequency for national and statewide data is shifting as the need for daily data is decreasing. For national and statewide COVID-19 data, visit the CDC’s data dashboard and the California data dashboard. Santa Clara County continues to update cases more frequently: on November 16, Santa Clara County reported a 7-day rolling average of 240 new cases.

Palo Alto Art Center November COVID-19 Testing Dates

In partnership with the County, free COVID-19 testing will end later this month, with the last dates at the Palo Alto Art Center on November 23 and 30. Thank you to Santa Clara County for their partnership on this effort, spanning almost two years! Visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/Testing for these and other local testing opportunities.

Winter Virus Season is Here Early

The California Department of Public Health urges Californians to protect themselves and their families against many circulating viruses this holiday season, including the flu, COVID-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). A recent announcement provides five tips to stay healthy and protect yourself and family this winter.

Getting both the COVID-19 and flu vaccination remain the best defense against severe illness and hospitalization. If you test positive for COVID-19, talk with your doctor or go to a test-to-treat site to get treatment.
Stay home if you’re sick to protect others and take the time you need to heal.
Wear a mask, which can significantly slow the spread and protect babies and young children who don’t have built immunity yet or are too young to wear a mask.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Cover your cough or sneeze and remember to do so into your elbow, arm, or a tissue.

Community Recovery and City Updates

Shop & Eat Local this Holiday Season

The City is working to enhance Palo Alto’s community experience and economic vibrancy, and further the City’s Uplift Local effort. One way to support these goals this holiday season is for our residents and visitors to shop and eat local! What’s your favorite restaurant or local retail shop in Palo Alto? Encourage your local favorites to send us their holiday promotions. If you are a local Palo Alto business offering retail, menu or other fun holiday promotions, send them our way by November 21 here, to be in included in our upcoming shop and eat local holiday effort.

Car Free Streets Community Workshop Coming Up

Share input on the future of the City’s pedestrian friendly, car free streets on Cal Avenue and Ramona Streets. The City is seeking community and business feedback on Cal Ave. and Ramona St. street configurations and other visioning. Register for an in-person community workshop on December 7 at 6 p.m. at Performance Gains Gym. Go to www.cityofpaloalto.org/CarFreeStreets to learn more and save the date!

Fire Transforms Artist Panel Series

The current exhibition at the Palo Alto Art Center “Fire Transforms” shares work from artists who have lived with, learned with, and created with fire in their daily practice for years. Join upcoming panels featuring these artists. Living with Fire on November 18 at 5 p.m. shares artist experiences living with fire, and how this has found visual expression in their work. The conversation will focus on the power of art to heal, document, and transform, in our age of environmental crisis and climate change. During the Creating with Fire virtual conversation on December 9 at 5 p.m., learn about the ways art about fire transforms our understanding of environmental crisis and climate change, and how our artists use fire as an art medium. Learn more about the featured artists and visit the Fire Transforms exhibit through December 10.

City Manager Weekly Community Update: November 14, 2022

Each Council meeting, City Manager Ed Shikada shares community updates to inform the community on upcoming events, services and program changes and enhancements, and council discussions planned. This week’s updates include a recap of the Bloomington delegation visit and the Climate Collaboration Summit. Learn about upcoming Caltrain Electrification work with potential vehicular traffic, bicycle and pedestrian impacts, library service enhancements planned, a new shuttle service to begin this spring, and notable tentative council discussions. Read the update to catch up on the latest community news here.

Be Well

Month of Gratitude: November is the month of gratitude, and we want to say, “Thank you Palo Altans!” To celebrate, we’ve started a new social media series sharing a daily dose of gratitude, joy, and opportunities for community connection. This week we thanked the Palo Alto Fire Department for their work maintaining public safety and encouraged the community to visit a local park. Celebrate the season by following along on our social media and letting us know - what are you grateful for?

Gratitude Revealed: The AARP is screening the movie “Gratitude Revealed,” a documentary by Louie Schwartzberg that takes you on a journey forty years in the making. Learn how to live a more meaningful life with gratitude by viewing conversations with everyday people, thought leaders, and others who show how to reconnect in life, with yourself, the planet, and each other. Watch the free screening on Friday, November 18 at 5 p.m. and register here.

Recipe of the Week: The holiday season is here and with that comes the revival of family recipes. One of the bigger debates at the table is: canned or homemade cranberry sauce? If you decide to take a stab at making it by scratch this year, here’s a base recipe for that sweet and tart sauce to brighten up the table.

Family Resources

Endangered Bumble Bees – Science on the Threats and Recovery: This USGS online public lecture on today, November 17 at 6 p.m. features researcher John Mola of the Fort Collins Science Center. Learn about the basics of bumble bee biology, the history of species decline, and conservation, and more. The lecture is free to attend, and will take place on Teams.

Financial Health and Wellness How To Increase Cash Flow and Manage Debt: Join the Mitchell Park Library on November 19 at 2 p.m. as we welcome financial wellness instructor Brad Hamada of the Heartland Institute of Financial Education back for a series of workshops on financial health and wellness. This in-person workshop series brings back lessons shared on Zoom in a previous series. The series is free to attend with registration.

Annual Tree Lighting at Lytton Plaza: Gather your friends and family and come enjoy live entertainment for the City of Palo Alto's Tree Lighting at Lytton Plaza on Friday, December 2 from 5:30 - 7 p.m.

One Water Plan Community Meeting: We want to hear from you! The City will hold its second community workshop about the One Water Plan on December 6 at 5:30 p.m. at Mitchell Park Community Center to continue the conversation about water supply and conservation options and to review the draft evaluation criteria. The One Water Plan evaluates alternative water supplies for resiliency and assesses regional uncertainties and water supply risks such as projected shortages under multi-year droughts.

Sign Up for Palo Alto FireMed

Did you know that an emergency ambulance ride can cost between $250-700, even with medical insurance? A new program for Palo Alto residents and businesses makes sure you are not stuck with a bill during an emergency. Palo Alto FireMed is convenient and cost-effective, covering unlimited ambulance rides within the Palo Alto city limits for a low cost of $8 per household per month. Sign up today at www.cityofpaloalto.org/FireMed.