East Palo Alto nonprofit supplies teachers with a helping hand
Andrea Quezada’s transitional kindergarten classroom at Los Robles Ronald McNair Academy is decorated with colorful posters, a play kitchen, dollhouse, hands-on tools and boxes of toys and nearly all of it was funded by a grant from the East Palo Alto Kids Foundation (EPAK).
More Local news
Local leaders testify at state capitol about millions owed to San Mateo County
San Mateo County Supervisor Jackie Speier and state Sen. Josh Becker testified Thursday at the State Capitol in Sacramento, pleading for the state to pay what the county says is more than $150 million in owed revenue.
Landmark Stanford research finds California’s education system lacks coherence
Stanford University on Thursday released a sweeping research project that takes a 360-degree, immersive look at all aspects and operations of public education in California, from preschool through high school, from special education to teacher certification, enrollment decline to high…
ICE rapid response director talks San Mateo County trends, resources
Faith in Action Bay Area Executive Director Lorena Melgarejo dedicated an hour of her Tuesday night to a private, unrecorded conversation with the community about immigration enforcement trends in San Mateo County and other safety tips.
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Food
This Southeast Asian ingredient is leading the next flavor trend in Silicon Valley
A fragrant green leaf is taking over coffee, cocktail and dessert menus along the Peninsula. Pandan – a sweet, grassy and floral ingredient often called the “vanilla of Southeast Asia” – is the latest flavor to go mainstream in Silicon Valley.
Laughing Monk Brewing joins Los Altos’ State Street Market, plans for The Pruneyard
For Sam Ghadiri, Laughing Monk’s pilsner was a staple in his fridge well before he acquired the San Francisco-based brewery. Now, he’s expanding Laughing Monk’s Silicon Valley footprint with a recent Los Altos addition and a Campbell location underway.
Lungo brings Thai fusion brunch to Mountain View
Lungo isn’t your typical Thai restaurant – the decor is edgy and bold, with a zebra print motif and neon lighting, and the menu features a mix of traditional Thai dishes and modern fusion takes.
Arts & Culture
Community centered: Silicon Valley Open Studios marks 40 years of meaningful connections
Some Midpeninsula artists who have taken part long-term in open studios share what makes the event so unique.
A ‘special hidden gem’: The newest landmark in San Mateo County is a 116-step mosaic staircase
Seen throughout San Francisco but less common in Silicon Valley, the new ‘Sea to Stars’ tiled stairway in Brisbane pays homage to the city’s history and California ecology.
Arts news: The Guild’s centennial concert series; longtime Peninsula band’s farewell tour and more
The Guild Theatre announces anniversary concert series; a longtime local band will kick off a farewell tour in July. Plus, Palo Alto Players’ new season and a call for entries for a tiny gallery.
Spotlight
Changing diet to generate a healthier microbiome and a healthy individual
Stanford microbiologists Justin and Erica Sonnenburg are working to understand the complex microbial community that resides within the human gut and its potential for helping people live healthier, longer lives.
Ivy League mentorship for college applications and career foundations through meaningful projects
Path Mentors was born out of dissatisfaction with the toxic high-pressure environment that college admissions has created. Founded in 2019 by Columbia graduates, the Path Mentors’ team of nearly 100 mentors from a wide range of professions including technology, finance,…
Community Calendar
Did you miss
Meta halts $3.5B project, leaving Belle Haven empty-handed
For the three decades that Peter Adams has lived in Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhood, he hasn’t had access to basic amenities such as a full-service grocery store. Now, he will have to wait even longer after Meta halted work…
YouTube ‘auditor’ provoked, pepper-sprayed shopper at Mountain View Costco, police say
Mountain View police arrested a Southern California YouTuber for blasting pepper spray at a man outside Mountain View’s Costco. He was with a group of “First Amendment auditors,” one of whom is being sued for pepper-spraying a man in downtown…
Real Estate
Inside cutting-edge Peninsula homes rarely open to the public
From sprawling walls of glass to airy open layouts, the 2026 Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour offers a rare chance to get an insider’s look at some of the best examples of modern architecture on the Peninsula from Atherton to…
Tuscan-inspired villa in Atherton’s Circus Club fetches $23.9M
Each week, Embarcadero Media takes a look at home sales activity along the Midpeninsula in the communities of Atherton, East Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Portola Valley and Woodside. Here’s what sold…
Eichler’s rare ‘home of tomorrow’ hits the market in San Mateo Highlands
One of the Bay Area’s most famous midcentury modern homes — the experimental steel-framed Eichler X-100 in the San Mateo Highlands — is on the market after an ambitious restoration returned the landmark house to its 1950s vision of the…
The Six Fifty
Walk and talk: 10 guided tours around the Peninsula
We’ve rounded up 10 spots on the Peninsula where you can take guided walks or tours, covering topics from cuisine and arts to history, agriculture and nature.
From upgrades at landmark parks to events in nature, here’s what’s happening outside in Silicon Valley this spring
Get the inside scoop on the outdoors with The Six Fifty’s latest roundup of parks and recreation happenings.
Año Nuevo’s iconic elephant seal viewing areas are reopening after a bird flu outbreak. Scientists have been hard at work the entire time
At its onset, no one knew how the bird flu would progress in the northern elephant seals at Año Nuevo, but this week, officials announced the reserve’s elephant seal viewing areas will reopen on Saturday, just a month and a…
