Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How Waymo’s Peninsula expansion could change getting around Menlo Park

Happening soon: Crossing Over with Psychic Medium John Edward live in San Francisco, CA! on the Menlo Park Patch calendar

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Tuesday December 16th Patch AM
Tuesday December 16th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hey hey Menlo Park! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How Waymo’s Peninsula expansion could change getting around Menlo Park
  • Why a Menlo Park spike strip may cost the city money
  • What changes with Menlo Park’s new mayor and looming housing vote?

Also on today's calendar: Crossing Over with Psychic Medium John Edward live in San Francisco, CA! and 7 more events.

Find out what's happening in Menlo Park-Athertonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

📸 Have a great pic of holiday decorations from around Menlo Park? Post it to Menlo Park photos of the day! ☃️ 🟢-🟠-🟣-🔴-🟡-🔵 ☃️

Today's riddle: Can February March? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Find out what's happening in Menlo Park-Athertonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Weather forecast:

  • Tuesday: Foggy in the morning, with a high of 61 and low of 56 degrees.
  • Wednesday: An a.m. shower; mostly cloudy, temps: high: 67, low: 48.
  • Thursday: Fog in the a.m.; mostly sunny, with a high of 65 and low of 53 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Waymo Expands Service to Entire Peninsula (machronicle.com) — Waymo’s quiet expansion now lets its driverless cars operate across the Peninsula, including Menlo Park and nearby schools, giving students and residents a new way to get around without a human driver. City officials say Menlo Park police will treat Waymo vehicles like any other traffic, while locals weigh the trade-offs of higher prices, safety perceptions, and sometimes confusing access rules.
   

2. Officer, don't forget your spike strip (padailypost.com) — Menlo Park residents may be interested in a driver seeking $1,519 from the city after his truck’s tires were punctured by a spike strip Menlo Park Police allegedly left in the road following a high-speed pursuit. The chase began after a truck was reported stolen in East Palo Alto and wound through residential streets before ending in a multi-car crash in North Fair Oaks, raising questions about police procedures and liability.
   

3. Menlo Park City Council selects Nash as mayor, Wise as vice mayor (almanacnews.com) — Menlo Park’s City Council has chosen Betsy Nash as mayor and Jennifer Wise as vice mayor for 2026, keeping leadership focused on ongoing housing debates. The story explains the largely procedural nature of the mayor’s role, highlights outgoing mayor Drew Combs’ reflections, and notes that residents will vote next November on whether downtown parking lot redevelopment must go to a citywide vote.
   

4. Here's What Was Happening in the World the Year You Were Born (rd.com) — Menlo Park gets a notable shout-out as the garage birthplace of Google in a wide-ranging look back at major world events from 1980 to 2000. The feature walks through everything from Mount St. Helens and Chernobyl to the fall of the Berlin Wall, cloning Dolly the sheep, and the end of apartheid, tying each year to a defining global moment.
   

📸 Around Menlo Park

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Menlo Park

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📣 Menlo Park Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

    Tuesday December 16
  • Bilingual Spanish/English Storytime | Hora de cuentos bilingüe
    Foster City Library , 1000 East Hillsdale Boulevard , Foster City
    10:30 am
  • Signs and Rhymes Storytime With Stay and Play!
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    10:30 am
  • Bilingual Spanish/English Storytime | Hora de cuentos bilingĂźe
    Foster City Library , 1000 East Hillsdale Boulevard , Foster City
    10:30 am
  • In-Person English Conversation Club
    East Palo Alto Library , 2415 University Avenue , East Palo Alto
    10:30 am

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Hello neighbor at 817 17th Ave in Menlo Park.
    A package was delivered to our house tonight, same house number but on 18th. I came by and rang the doorbell but no one answered so left it on your… (Nextdoor North Fair Oaks-Menlo)
  • Heads up I saw the same coyote 3 times today in sharon oaks.
    Trotting through the neighborhood during the day. Heads up may want to keep cats inside (Nextdoor Sharon Heights)
  • PacBio posted a job opening for Associate Director, District Sales (West Coast) in Menlo Park. Apply here.
  • Walgreens posted a job opening for Shift Lead in Menlo Park. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Menlo Park here.

Ok Menlo Park! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don't know, but April May!
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