What's new

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
Thank You, Palo Alto Voters
Service Enhancements Coming Soon: More Library Hours & On-Demand Transit Service
Share Feedback on Housing Priorities
Upcoming Caltrain Pedestrian Crossings & Road Closures
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 7, Santa Clara County reported a 7-day rolling average of 179 new cases.

Flu & COVID-19 Trend Data Available Through CalCAT

The California Communicable disease Assessment Tool (CalCAT) shares the most relevant infectious disease models together in one place. Check out current and projected trends by State, County or region. California Department of Public Health uses this data for public health policies and public health response. Find the CalCAT tool here.

Safety Reminders: Isolate Yourself If You’re Feeling Sick, Test, Get Vaccinated & Boosted

Whether you think you may have COVID-19 or the flu, please stay home and away from others to promote community health and wellbeing. Take a COVID-19 test, call your doctor if you feel symptoms, get vaccinated and boosted. If you’re having issues scheduling a vaccination or booster appointment, visit sccfreevax.org to schedule an appointment.

Community Recovery and City Updates

Thank You, Palo Alto Voters

Preliminary election results provide reason for optimism that voters have approved two Palo Alto ballot measures, K and L. These measures secure long-term stable funding for community priorities, generating $16.6 annually. Thank you, voters and all partners contributing to this major milestone! For more, go here.

Service Enhancements Coming Soon: More Library Hours & On-Demand Transit Service

New service enhancements are coming soon to the community, and we are featuring two here:

Once staff recruitments are completed, the Library will be able to expand hours at Downtown, Children's, and College Terrace branches to four days per week and Sunday at Mitchell Park and Rinconada will be added in the new year. For more details and current library hours, go here.
A new VTA grant-funded On-Demand Transit Service is on track to start service in Spring 2023. The service will have no predetermined routes, and instead it will be on-demand, serving citywide destinations and providing connectivity to other transit. Learn more here.

Share Feedback on Housing Priorities

Providing housing for all income levels is a focus for all Bay Area cities, including Palo Alto. Palo Alto has long been a leader in the production of affordable housing and currently has the second highest inventory of affordable housing in Santa Clara County (as a percentage of total housing stock). The draft Housing Element is the City's strategy for promoting safe, decent, and affordable housing. Read a new community update for details on what's included in the draft Housing Element, how this will guide future housing, and upcoming ways to share feedback.

Upcoming Caltrain Pedestrian Crossings & Road Closures

Heads up on upcoming transportation work at train crossings potentially impacting vehicular traffic, pedestrians, and bicyclists. As part of their Electrification project, Caltrain is installing ground wiring near the signal arms and attaching it to the poles for the signaling system at Alma, Churchill, E. Meadow, and Charleston rail crossings from November 14 - 30. This work will be done Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, Caltrain will be doing nightly repairs on the Oregon Expressway Caltrain Railroad Bridge at Alma Street and Oregon Expressway November 28 – December 5 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. resulting in single lane closures. For more, go here.

City Manager Weekly Community Update: November 7, 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 residential burglaries, safety tips and how to report concerns to the police department, resources to switch from gas to electric appliances in your home, and upcoming events such as the Cubberley Artist Studios open house and this weekend's Climate Collaboration Summit. 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 celebrated the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo’s impact on animal welfare and science education in Palo Alto and encouraged the community to set aside time for themselves. Celebrate the season by following along on our social media and letting us know - what are you grateful for?

Find Your Balance During Moments of Panic: Panic and worry manifest itself differently in everyone. It may inflame your body, or make one feel momentarily disconnected from reality, dizzy, or flooded with fear. It takes practice to be mindful and slow it down. Here are three guided mediations to help restore awareness of the body and find calm.

Can One Be Too Positive? Even for those who'd never heard of it before, toxic positivity became a part of mainstream consciousness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic when so many of us felt constantly upset or depressed. According to the article, toxic positivity is the maintenance of positive thinking even in situations where it’s not appropriate. This VeryWellMind article discusses toxic positivity and a healthier goal that can benefit individuals and communities.

Family Resources

Holiday Events and Local Promotions: Reminder that the Holiday Toy Drive kicks off next Monday, November 14. Donate gifts for local youth in need at Lucie Stern or Mitchell Park Community Centers. The City’s tree lighting takes place at Lytton Plaza on December 2 at 5:30 p.m. The community and businesses are also encouraged to send their holiday promotions to the City Manager’s Office here by November 21. Holiday promotions will be featured on UpliftLocal.org and other ways connecting the community to ways to eat and shop local this holiday season.

Seasonal Arastradero Trails Are Temporarily Closed Due to Rain: Effective Tuesday, November 8, the Arastradero Seasonal Trails at the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve are temporarily closed until a period of 48 hours has passed since the last rainfall. Conditions will be re-evaluated on Friday morning to determine if the trails are dry enough to be reopened. While these trails are closed, take advantage of other beautiful open spaces within Palo Alto such as the Baylands Nature Preserve and the Foothills Nature Preserve.

Book Sale: The Friends of Palo Alto Library is holding their monthly book sale this weekend on November 12 and 13 at the Cubberley Community Center 4000 Middlefield Road. Go here for more information.

Palo Alto Authors’ Panel: Local author Tarn Wilson will moderate the next Palo Alto Authors’ Panel that includes memoirist and poet John Evans, short story writer Anita Felicelli, young adult author Jane Kuo, nonfiction writer Julie Lythcott-Haims, and science fiction writer Carole Stivers. The panel will discuss writing, developing ideas and overcoming self-doubt in pursuit of producing a book for publication. This event will take place on Saturday, November 12 at Rinconada Library from 3 – 4:30 p.m. and is free to attend without registration.

Navigating College Admissions Successfully: Join this presentation on Wednesday, November 16 at 4 p.m. online to learn how COVID-19 has changed the college admissions landscape and how it affects Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen. It’s free to attend with registration.

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.