Tracked Issues
Editorially curated live civic issues linked to meetings, organizations, statements, and news.
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Showing 10 active issues.
The Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing — Safety, Community, and Loss • Featured
active • Transit
Last activity: Apr 30, 2026
One of the most emotionally resonant civic debates in Palo Alto centers on the Churchill Avenue rail crossing — and what its future means for community safety and connectivity. Residents have clashed over a proposal to close the Churchill c…
"Ghost Homes" & Billionaire Compounds — Equity at the Extremes
active • Development & Neighborhoods
Last activity: Apr 30, 2026
Palo Alto is grappling with a uniquely Silicon Valley phenomenon: ultra-wealthy property owners purchasing and aggregating multiple homes — sometimes leaving them vacant for years — while the city struggles to meet its housing production go…
Budget Deficits — An Albatross Around the City's Neck • Featured
active • Budget priorities
Last activity: Apr 30, 2026
Palo Alto is facing a structural fiscal crisis that is constraining nearly every policy decision. A long-range financial forecast presented to the City Council shows budget deficits every fiscal year through 2032, larger than previous proje…
Cubberley Community Center — A November Ballot Gamble
active • Development & Neighborhoods
Last activity: Apr 30, 2026
Palo Alto's most consequential civic vote in years will come this November, when the City Council plans to ask residents to fund the redevelopment of Cubberley Community Center. The city's pollster FM3 has recommended that Palo Alto wait un…
SB 79 & the Housing Transformation of South Palo Alto • Featured
active • Housing affordability
Last activity: Apr 30, 2026
Palo Alto is confronting a housing mandate of 6,086 units by 2031 — and the arrival of SB 79 on July 1, 2026 is dramatically raising the stakes. One of the primary concerns for city officials is the numerous historic sites in the SB 79 "spl…
Transportation & Transit Future (VTA) • Featured
active • Transit
Last activity: Apr 25, 2026
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is navigating a dual mandate — running a regional transit system while developing affordable housing on underutilized land near stations. Ten VTA projects currently in active development…
Federal Funding Threats to County Services • Featured
active • Budget priorities
Last activity: Apr 25, 2026
The county is confronting $70 million in anticipated lost federal funding it will need to backfill, with the Office of Supportive Housing facing the largest losses of $29 million. Federal Medi-Cal cuts are driving multiple departmental shor…
Child Welfare System Failures
active • Youth
Last activity: Apr 25, 2026
The county's Department of Family and Children's Services has been placed under expanded state oversight following the death of toddler Jaxon Juarez in foster care. A county medical examiner report found that three child abuse-related death…
Homelessness & Housing Affordability
active • Homelessness
Last activity: Apr 25, 2026
Santa Clara County has a record number of more than 10,700 homeless people, according to a recent point-in-time count. Chronic homelessness has increased 21% since 2023, and more people are reporting being homeless for the first time — near…
Mental Health Services Budget Crisis • Featured
active • Mental health
Last activity: Apr 25, 2026
The Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services Department is facing a $100 million deficit for fiscal year 2026–27, driven by federal Medi-Cal cuts triggered by H.R. 1, changes in state funding, the end of one-time COVID-19 dollars, and …