City of Palo Alto Government News

Concerned about the health and environmental impacts of synthetic turf, Palo Alto has halted its plans to resurface the playing fields at El Camino Park as it weighs the costs and benefits of plastic and grass.

Facing criticism from downtown merchants, Palo Alto is preparing to drop a policy that allows restaurants to extend their dining areas into adjacent properties, even without consent from neighbors.

As Palo Alto’s most critical infrastructure project nears the finish line, the city remains embroiled in a dispute with the main contractor, a conflict that is threatening to further raise the costs of the $120-million public safety building.

California Avenue will finally get some love next month, when Palo Alto’s contractors start painting two-way bike lanes, implementing colored paving and installing planters at the entrance points of the eclectic retail district that expelled cars and welcomed dining tents during the early days of pandemic.

Palo Alto Police Department’s latest crime-fighting tool is silent, passive and largely invisible unless you know where to look.

Citing surging demand in emergency room visits, Stanford Health Care is asking the city of Palo Alto for permission to add 70 beds in its hospital buildings, raising the maximum total to 670, according to an application that the hospital system submitted last month.