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
The East Palo Alto YMCA now offers free weekend access for residents. I visited to see how the sign-up works and what the facilities are like. The process was quick, the pool was clean, and the overall experience was positive—just remember to bring a towel.
Art
While walking to dinner in Hayes Valley, I spotted the “Talking Heads” sculpture—once in East Palo Alto. Its creator, local artist Oleg Lobykin, told me it was a temporary installation to spark conversation about public art. Now in San Francisco, it may return home someday.
Transportation
When my wife and I got married, we were offered the gift of a second car — and we said no. In car-dependent East Palo Alto, that choice might sound odd, but sharing one car has brought us closer, saved money, and made our daily commute an intentional part of our life together.
📈 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
Infrastructure
Good news — the ramp metering lights at Rengstorff Avenue in Mountain View are back on! After years of being dark and causing slowdowns on southbound Highway 101, Caltrans fixed the issue within days of being notified as part of its Adaptive Ramp Metering rollout.
Nature
East Palo Alto’s beloved community garden is finding new life on Demeter Street. Led by Fresh Approach, the new space reconnects the city with its agricultural roots and invites residents to grow, learn, and volunteer together.
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