This week's update:
- Are you Interested in Running for Town Council?
- Town Council Passes Wildfire Evacuation Plan
- Modified Town Hall Hours
- Portola Valley Summer Concert Series 2024 - Second Concert August 8th
- Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip - What’s the ROI on Home Hardening?
- Conservation Committee What's Blooming Now - July
- New USPS Blue Mailboxes
- Fall Styrofoam Collection Event
- Upcoming Events
Are you Interested in Running for Town Council?
The Town of Portola Valley will have 2 seats open for the November 2024 Election.
Municipal elections in Portola Valley are scheduled on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years, to coincide with the Statewide General Election
Learn more about running for office by visiting the Portola Valley Elections Page.
Any member of the public who wishes to run for public office must:
- Be at least eighteen years of age
- Be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the State of California
- Be a registered voter of the Town of Portola Valley
Nomination Period Now Open for the November 5, 2024 Election
All potential candidates must obtain and complete the official nomination documents that are issued by the Office of the Town Clerk. This is done during the official nomination period, starting July 15, 2024 to August 9, 2024. All documents needed to qualify for candidacy are due by August 9, 2024. In the event an incumbent does not file nomination papers by that date and time, the period is extended to 5 pm. Wednesday, August 14, 2024 to non-incumbent candidates.
Town Council Passes Wildfire Evacuation Plan
On June 12th, the Town Council approved the Emergency Preparedness Committee’s final version of the Wildland Urban Interface Fire Evacuation Plan for Portola Valley. This plan is essential for protecting our families in case of emergencies like wildfires.
Evacuation is a key response to emergencies, moving people and animals to safety. The plan takes into account the type and size of the threat, how quickly it could happen, and how long it might last. This helps determine how many people need to evacuate, how far they should go, and what support services and security are needed.
Portola Valley faces particular challenges due to its geography, with only two main roads—Portola and Alpine—for entering and leaving the area. This makes planning especially important, particularly for key sites like schools, preschools, Woodside Priory School, and the Sequoias senior living facility. These places house vulnerable groups and need special attention during evacuations.
Our community must be ready for both small-scale evacuations, such as those involving single facilities, and large-scale ones that might cover the entire area. Being prepared and informed can help ensure everyone's safety.
For more details, you can download the full report or review emergency preparedness information on the Town's website here.
Modified Town Hall Hours
Town Hall will be temporarily modifying lobby hours. The Town Hall lobby will be open Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon.
Town Staff is available Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. by email or phone. You can find the staff contact list here. Appointments will be available for necessary in person meetings in the afternoons.
Portola Valley Summer Concert Series 2024 - Second Concert August 8th
The Portola Valley Summer Concert Series is an annual three-part concert series that takes place on Thursday evenings after the Farmers Market in the months of July, August and September. The events are organized by the Portola Valley Cultural Arts Committee, and funded by the Town of Portola Valley.
2024 Summer Concert Series
8/8/2024, 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM – Freddy Clarke & Wobbly World is a jazz, afro-cuban, funk, world music band that brings together talented musicians from around the world.
9/5/2024, 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM –Bundy Browne & Guitar Gypsy are PV local musicians playing a jammy, bluesy mix of originals and covers influenced by Americana and R&B.
Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip - What’s the ROI on home hardening?
What’s the ROI on home hardening?
How much should one spend on hardening their home? Are you considering a significant investment in mitigation?
As a possible approach, Science magazine published a policy piece by UCSD economist Judson Boomhower. He proposed a simplistic formula to calculate the 30-year ROI (Return on Investment) of the money a homeowner could spend to make their house more resistant to wildfire. We used his formula to calculate a few scenarios.
According to First Street Foundation, most of Portola Valley has a 3% probability of at least 1 wildfire over 30 years. While that sounds like a low number, in the eyes of insurers, that puts PV in the top 1/3 of homes at risk. We then assume a standard discount rate of 5% and that the house costs $1.5M to replace. We then calculated how much to spend if a mitigation increased structure survivability probability (i.e. resilience) to 25%, 75%, or 100%.
For a $1.5M house, it pays to invest $6,047 to improve resilience to 25%
For a $1.5M house, it pays to invest $18,141 to improve resilience to 75%
For a $1.5M house, it pays to invest $24,189 to improve resilience to 100%
This is a theoretical financial model, and of course there is no way to know how much a mitigation would keep your house from igniting in a wildfire. Also, this formula doesn’t consider annual mitigations. But we present this as a way to think about hardening your home with a one-time investment.
Judson Boomhower, Adapting to growing wildfire property risk. Science 382, 638-641(2023). DOI:10.1126/science.adk7118
Conservation Committee What's Blooming Now
Wild Buckwheat
Eriogonum spp.
One standout class of summer-blooming plants are the buckwheats, members of the genus Eriogonum. They are tough, drought-tolerant (when established) and the flowers last forever.
These plants are so popular that there are way too many variants and cultivars to count, but as you can see from the photos above you won’t have any trouble matching your garden’s color scheme or finding one in the right size range. The whimsical flowers look like they came straight from the pages of Dr. Seuss.
- Buckwheats used to be a predominant part of California’s flora (E. fasciculatum and nudum are locally native to Portola Valley)
- Many butterfly species are dependent on the buckwheat genus and there are several examples of butterfly species that depend on specific buckwheat species
- Leave the dried seed heads on the plant and watch the birds enjoy the seed in the fall
- The seeds and roots, stems and leaves were all used as food and medicine by Native Americans
- The buckwheat used as a grain, Fagopyrum esculentum, is an entirely different genus of plants
New USPS Blue Mailboxes
The Town has two new blue USPS mailbox. The boxes replaces the old ones and are located next to PV Hardware and the Historic Schoolhouse.
The USPS's new blue mailboxes, also known as collection boxes, are designed to make it harder for criminals to steal mail. The boxes have a small slot instead of a handle and no drop-off slots for drivers, which can make them difficult for some customers to use. However, here are some tips for using the new blue mailboxes:
What you can put in the box
You can put first-class or certified mail letters or cards that weigh 3.5 ounces or less in the box. You can also put smaller packages in the box if they weigh less than 13 ounces and are sent using stamps. If your package weighs more than 13 ounces, you'll need to attach a pre-printed shipping label. For mail with Signature Confirmation or USPS Tracking, the item must meet additional requirements, such as having the correct postage and fees, return information, and being 1/2-inch thick or less if sent using stamps.
When to put mail in the box
Avoid putting mail in the box after the pickup time, on Sundays, or on federal holidays. You can find the latest pickup time for your area on a label inside the box.
What to do if you see suspicious activity
If you see someone who doesn't look like a postal employee going through the box, especially during non-working hours, you can report it to the police or call postal inspectors at (877) 876-2455. The USPS offers rewards of up to $10,000 for tips that help catch mail thieves.
Fall Styrofoam Collection Event
August 18 | 11:45 - 1PM
August 19, 20 | 10 - 2PM
Valley Presbyterian Church (Lane Family Hall)
945 Portola Rd.
The most effective way of preventing Styrofoam from harming our planet is to eliminate its use altogether, but we know this is not always possible.
VPC is once again collecting Styrofoam (polystyrene) blocks* and delivering it all to the Newby Island recycling plant in Milpitas. There it will be compressed into blocks to be sent on to sites that will find alternative uses for it, keeping it out of landfill and waterways.
* The blocks need to be clean, white, block, rigid, not squishy foam, and no peanuts. And please do not leave any outside the church after these hours.
Donations gladly accept to offset truck rental.
Upcoming Town Events
Councilmember Hufty Office Hours
Councilmember Hufty holds office hours in the Heritage Room every 2nd and 4th Wednesday 10 AM to 12 PM.
Every Thursday 2-5:30 PM - Farmers Market
The Portola Valley Farmers Market will be held rain or shine. The market is open from 2 - 5:30 PM each Thursday.
Styrofoam Collection Event August 18th
August 18 from 11:45 – 1PM and August 19, 20 from 10 – 2PM. Collection will be at Valley Presbyterian Church (Lane Family Hall) 945 Portola Rd.
Neighborhood Clean up - August 24th
Get ready for the next Neighborhood Clean-Up Day! Saturday August 24th 8am -11am.This event is free for Portola Valley residents - you will need to bring a copy of your GreenWaste garbage bill or the mailer insert as proof of residency.
Arts Fest 2024 - September 14th
Join local artists, authors, musicians, neighbors and friends at his celebration of the great creativity within our community. 10 AM-5 PM at Ladera Community Church. Hosted by PV Circle. Learn more: https://sites.google.com/view/portolavalleyartsfest/home
Town Picnic & Zotts to Tots September 21st
Save the date for the annual Town Picnic and the popular Zotts to Tots fun run and bike race.