Palo Alto Online

Home prices climbed 8% in Palo Alto, 9% in Menlo Park and 17% in Atherton during the first eight months of 2026, even as the number of homes for sale remained largely unchanged. In Atherton, nearly 1 in 5 homes sold for more than $1 million above asking. Find out which Midpeninsula markets saw the biggest price gains and most activity. The post $1M over-asking still isn’t bringing more homes to market on the Midpeninsula appeared first on Palo Alto Online.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Ballots are going out in less than a month, and California remains locked in a legal battle with the Trump administration over the president’s push to rein in universal mail-in voting. The back-and-forth has some California voters likely wondering whether they’ll be able […] The post With mail-in rules uncertain, here’s how Californians can prepare to vote in November appeared first on Palo Alto Online.

For residents living in areas of high wildfire risk on the Peninsula, landscaping is no longer just about creating a lush, private yard. California is moving to require wildfire-safe landscaping for thousands of homeowners, turning long-standing recommendations for defensible space into rules that will be phased in over the next several years. The post How to prepare for California’s new fire-smart landscaping guidelines appeared first on Palo Alto Online.

A cool breeze swept through Palo Alto’s Baylands Nature Preserve as local and federal representatives opened the Bay Area’s first nature-based horizontal levee — a project that officials hope protects against rising sea level and helps filter wastewater going into the Bay, while boosting the native marshland ecosystem. The post Bay Area’s first ‘living levee’ opens at Palo Alto Baylands appeared first on Palo Alto Online.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. California schools will test all kindergartners, first- and second-graders in basic math skills and provide them tutoring if they need it, under a bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, a Democrat from San Diego, is […] The post California math scores are far below grade level. This screener will test students’ skills early appeared first on Palo Alto Online.