Mountain View council approves public drinking zone downtown
With the soccer World Cup coming to the area this summer, the city of Mountain View is looking to boost the liveliness of its downtown area. One of the ways they plan to do this is by letting people drink alcohol outdoors in certain areas during city-sponsored events.
More Local news
Cities scramble to comply with or fight major state housing law
The final version of Senate Bill 79 offered local governments plenty of wiggle room over the where, when and how of the law. Cities across California are starting to wiggle.
Mountain View aims to give Shoreline’s burrowing owls a boost with more funding
Mountain View wants to increase funding for consultant services to monitor and protect the burrowing owl population at Shoreline Park, nearly two years after the abrupt departure of the city’s two wildlife biologists.
Mountain View looks to cash in on $100M opioid settlement – to the tune of $4,000
Mountain View is looking to take part in a national opioid settlement with six pharmaceutical distributors. While the proposed settlement payment totals nearly $100 million, the city’s share is expected to be less than $5,000.
Food
Singaporean restaurant finds its way back to downtown Menlo Park
After being forced out of its longtime Menlo Park home last year, Shiok! Singapore Kitchen has found its way back. The restaurant has reopened in a new space on Oak Grove Avenue with the same kitchen staff dishing up the same family recipes.
The buzz about Apisol: This sparkling honey drink is made on the Peninsula
When someone takes a sip of an Apisol beverage for the first time, “pretty much everybody is telling me, they’ve never had anything like that,” founder Ariana Wei said.
Half Moon Bay brunch destination Johnny’s now open in San Mateo
For the Del Fierro family, opening a second location of Johnny’s in downtown San Mateo feels like a homecoming.
Arts & Culture
Review: A dream weaver at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center
A new exhibition at the Cantor Arts Center explores how Maine artist Jeremy Frey takes an innovative approach to a traditional art form.
What’s up this week: A multimedia choral premiere, violin and sax improv jazz, 4/20 with renowned poet and more
This week, catch the world premiere of a new multimedia work with the Peninsula Women’s Chorus, plus jazz violinist Mads Tolling and saxophonist Larry Ochs, poet Willis Barnstone at Feldman’s and more.
Palo Alto gallery showcases artists in their element
Three female artists are exploring the beauty and power of Earth’s elements in two shows on view at Qualia Contemporary Art in downtown Palo Alto.
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
YouTuber 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, an alleged assault that police say was motivated by the YouTuber’s financial interest and desire for views.
Prosecutors allege Mountain View massage parlors were part of regional brothel network
From the outside, Relax Day Spa and Camino Massage Therapy presented themselves as massage parlors, but authorities allege the two Mountain View businesses were actually brothels. A criminal case is underway against the family accused of running the operation.
Real Estate
Spotting salt damage: A guide to protecting your Peninsula trees
Much of the Midpeninsula’s soil contains naturally occurring salt, a result of its proximity to the San Francisco Bay, which can quietly damage trees over time. Coastal flooding, storm surge and even the use of recycled irrigation water can introduce…
Palo Alto homes cost 5.6x more to buy than rent, study finds
Buying a home in Palo Alto now costs more than five times as much as renting, according to a new national analysis highlighting the widening divide between homeownership and affordability.
A tale of 2 housing markets: Spring reveals split in Peninsula real estate
The Midpeninsula’s spring housing market is shaping up as a tale of two buyers: confident, high-end purchasers driving competition and prices in the luxury market, and more cautious shoppers weighing layoffs, interest rates and global instability before making a move.
The Six Fifty
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…
Free in Silicon Valley: Where to find clothing and book swaps, fix-it clinics, plant exchanges and more
Swapping and sharing goods and skills is not only an environmentally friendly practice – it’s also a social and fun one.
Inside Facebook Marketplace’s thriving – and largely unregulated – food business
We spoke with several Peninsula bakers about their experiences using the platform to sell their homemade food.
