Last night’s East Palo Alto City Council meeting was packed with significant updates. Here is a streamlined summary of the key decisions: Financial & Administrative Updates * Debt Reduction: Council approved a staff recommendation to retire redevelopment debt, a strategic move designed to save the city money. * Council Term Limits:
There has been significant discussion recently regarding Flock safety cameras. Some have argued that East Palo Alto should disable these license plate readers, fearing they could be used by ICE for immigration enforcement. However, the facts are straightforward: ICE does not use Flock cameras, nor do they need them to
I have been tracking the Ravenswood School District’s CAASPP performance for several years, and this year brings some very encouraging news from Costaño School of the Arts. CAASPP tests are state exams testing basic proficiency in subjects like Math and English. Test scores have risen dramatically; while they remain
The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) is the state's official system for academic testing. Established in 2014, it replaced the older STAR program to align with more rigorous academic standards designed to prepare students forcollege and career readiness. The CAASPP is primarily a computer-based assessment
The Impact of East Palo Alto's 2.5% Rental Tax (Measure JJ) East Palo Alto imposes a 2.5% tax on gross rental income. Although originally presented to voters as a fee paid exclusively by landlords, the economic reality is that this is a tax paid by tenants.
On Thursday, December 18, I attended a community meeting at East Palo Alto City Hall regarding a new proposal from Swenson Development and Construction. They are planning a 135-unit Single Room Occupancy (SRO) development at the corner of Bay Road and University Avenue, adjacent to the old post office. Project
I was sworn into East Palo Alto’s City Council a year ago on December 17th, 2024. It has been a tremendous honor serving on East Palo Alto's City Council as Vice-Mayor with Mayor Martha Barragan. We got a lot done! I remain very grateful to the voters
📈 East Palo Alto's Property Tax Advantage and the Urgency of Development City's Share of Property Tax Revenue The bar chart above visualizes the property tax revenue share for each city, sorted from highest to lowest percentage. CityShare (%)East Palo Alto36.00Redwood City18.00South San Francisco17.00Mountain
Many people have discussed East Palo Alto City Council's decision to remove Carlos Romero from regional boards and commissions following his repeated violation of East Palo Alto's Code of Conduct for Elected Officials. The Code of Conduct for Elected Officials can be found here: Code of
Many in East Palo Alto were excited when the Korean grocery chain Megamart opened in the former Target building. It’s a great addition to the city, and it appears to be doing well. However, East Palo Alto is a city of about 30,000 residents, and a legacy of
When I was running for office last year, I knocked on doors in every neighborhood of East Palo Alto. One of the most memorable conversations I had was with a Guatemalan woman in the Gardens. Her family had lived in the same house for over ten years, during which the
I was sworn in last December and I wanted to share an update on what we've accomplished - especially for those who don't follow local government closely. The East Palo Alto City Council has five members: Ruben Abrica, Martha Barragan, Mark Dinan, Webster Lincoln, and Carlos