City of Palo Alto Overview

A prosperous economy, an educated populace and a scenic backdrop make Palo Alto a desirable place to live—so much so that housing and growth are hot-button issues on the Palo Alto City Council, where “residentialist” candidates square off against pro-growth candidates—both those who support commercial development and those who are pushing for more middle- and low-income housing. With passions running high, Palo Alto has become one of the most expensive cities to run for council, as demonstrated in a report by MapLight, a nonpartisan group that studies the influence of money in politics.