Be prepared for natural disasters and the scammers that follow them. Recent violent storms, tornadoes, wildfires, heat waves, and extreme flooding are a reminder that severe weather and natural disasters can happen anytime, anywhere, and with little warning. September is National Preparedness Month and it’s a great time to plan for whatever may come your way. Scammers are always looking for ways to steal people’s money and personal information. After emergencies, they often p

Courtesy California Black Media In November, California voters will decide on Proposition (Prop) 45, also known as the “Building an Affordable California Act" or the Expedited Environmental Review Process for Certain Projects Initiative. If approved, the initiative would change the environmental review process established under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. Enacted in 1970, CEQA requires state and local agencies to identify and disclose the potential en

Graphic illustration/East Palo Alto Today Suspect booked on assault charge; police say investigation remains ongoing A 52-year-old Menlo Park man died Thursday after suffering significant facial injuries in a reported assault on University Avenue in East Palo Alto, according to East Palo Alto Police Chief Jeff Liu. Officers were called to the 2300 block of University Avenue at approximately 2:21 p.m. on September 3, 2026, following reports of a man acting erratically and disr

Image Courtesy California Black Media Black voting rights advocates in California convened virtually Aug. 28 after a federal court temporarily blocked new U.S. Postal Service restrictions on mail ballots, a ruling civil rights leaders described as an important but temporary victory ahead of the November election. The restrictions are tied to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14399 and the Postal Service’s “Ballot Mail for Federal Elections” rule. Among other requiremen

A quarter of East Palo Alto’s 152 damaged sidewalks could pose a hazard to the city’s pedestrians. For pedestrians on some East Palo Alto streets, a simple walk down the block can mean navigating cracked pavement, uneven concrete and other sidewalk hazards. A citywide look at sidewalk conditions shows the problem is especially pronounced on Camellia Drive and in neighborhoods along Willow Road, which have some of the most damaged sidewalks in the city. There are 152

Courtesy AI They’re the worst of the absolute worst: scams that target people who have already lost money to a scam. If you or someone you know paid a scammer, here’s what to know to avoid scammers who pretend to be helpers. Refund and recovery scammers buy lists of people who’ve already been scammed, hoping they can be scammed again. The scammers contact you, saying they’ll help get your money back or recover the prize or merchandise you never got. To sound trustworthy, they

Courtesy California Black Media-Shutterstock Questions about election security, voter access and public confidence in elections have become some of the most closely watched issues in American politics. This November, California voters will weigh in on those debates through Proposition 39, a ballot measure that would establish new voter identification requirements while expanding citizenship verification and election auditing procedures. If approved, Proposition 39 woul

Courtesy-CBM-Shutterstock California’s homelessness crisis is increasingly becoming an aging crisis, as a growing number of older adults experience housing instability at a stage of life when health challenges, fixed incomes and mobility limitations can make finding stability far more difficult. Nearly half — about 48% — of single adults experiencing homelessness in California in 2023 were at least 50 years old, according to a University of California, San Francisco report

Courtesy - CBM - Shutterstock The Supreme Court rejected President Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship by executive order, reaffirming the longstanding constitutional principle that almost all children born in the United States are U.S. citizens. In the executive order, Trump asserted that, “the Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.” The order argues that children born in the Unite

Courtesy of California Black Media - Shutterstock Beginning July 1, several new California laws will take effect, bringing changes that affect workers, students, consumers, renters, and families across the state. While some of the new policies are administrative, others could have a direct impact on household finances, education, housing, and public safety.  Here are some of the most significant new laws Californians should know about: Healthcare Worker Minimum Wage (SB

Published June 30, 2026 - Updated as new information becomes available Editor's Note: EPA Today is publishing this notice to inform readers about fraudulent emails that falsely appeared to come from our organization and to explain the steps we have taken to protect our community. These emails were not sent by EPA Today. There is no evidence that EPA Today's email accounts or subscriber information were compromised. What happened? Several readers contacted EPA Today on June 30

East Palo Alto Today Volume 20 • No. 60 Featuring BANDALOOP's performance at EPACENTER, Eastside College Prep's 30th anniversary, Juneteenth celebrations, East Palo Alto City Council news, public opinion, and community features from East Palo Alto and Belle Haven. TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE STORIES Judge halts USDA from tying SNAP funds to anti-DEI polices................................ Page 1 Eastside College Prep turns 30 years old .......................................

Doug Fort, standing with sunglasses on, is shown with his family members and his grandmother, who is sitting behind her walker. Photo - Courtesy Douglass J. Fort How East Palo Alto’s elders built generational wealth—and why we must protect it before it disappears. In the photograph accompanying this article, several generations of my family surround the woman at the center of our story. To some readers, it may look like an ordinary family picture. To me, it represents nearly

Dr. Andrew Koutnik I was 16 when I ended up in a hospital bed and heard three words that changed my life: type 1 diabetes. What I didn’t know then -- and what too few doctors acknowledge today -- is that dietary changes are often the best way to combat the disease. For decades, doctors have treated type 1 diabetes as if insulin alone could manage it. But despite billions poured into drugs and devices, most people with type 1 diabetes still don’t achieve recommended blood sug

Where is civility? We’ve probably all heard that you can disagree without being disagreeable. That being said, we seem to live in a space where some people seem to pride themselves, not only on disagreeing, but also on being disagreeable. Civility seems to have been lost. Our leader in chief has made it acceptable to call people names, to even create memes where feces is dumped on the heads of those who disagree with him. If our president isn’t civil to people, why sh

Summer 2026 From the Summer 2026 print edition of East Palo Alto Today *Read the complete Summer 2026 issue (PDF) The following comments appeared in the Summer 2026 print edition of East Palo Alto Today. They were selected from remarks made during the June 16, 2026, East Palo Alto City Council meeting regarding proposed amendments to the City's Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected and Appointed Officials. The comments are presented in the order they appeared in the newspape

Princess Sinaitakala Tukuʻaho stands with former East Palo Alto Mayors Sharifa, Wilson, Mayor Webster Lincoln, Mayor Martha Barragan and three other event attendees. Photo by Art Lim Traditional songs, dancing, laughter, and cultural pride filled Cooley Landing in East Palo Alto during Global Engagement Week as community members gathered to celebrate the historic Sister City partnership between the City of East Palo Alto and the Kolofoʻou District of Tonga. The week-long cele

The East Palo Alto City Council is shown in the city council chambers during its June 16, 2026 meeting. East Palo Alto Council debates new meeting conduct rules The East Palo Alto City Council debated a proposed resolution that would establish formal procedures for handling disruptions, public comment, and meeting conduct during council meetings. The proposal was presented by the city attorney’s office in response to Senate Bill 707, a state law requiring public agencies t

BANDALOOP dancers perform their stunning high wire acts that leave audiences in awe. Photo courtesy BANDALOOP. On Wednesday, May 20, students at EPACenter Arts looked up and saw something different: dancers suspended by ropes from the rooftop, practicing against the side of the building. The performers were from BANDALOOP, the internationally known vertical dance company based in West Oakland. They were in East Palo Alto preparing for a May 30 performance with legendary perc