Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.

Public Safety
View MoreNew Palo Alto Police officers were among 40 recruits who graduated Thursday, Sept. 24, from the Santa Clara County Justice Training Center's Basic Academy Class 36, a boost for a department that reported 12 vacant sworn positions as recently as June.

Public Safety
View MoreFormer Santa Clara County Undersheriff Rick Sung pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to two felony bribery charges tied to trading concealed-carry permits for iPads and Sharks tickets, closing an eight-year corruption case with no prison time and a sentencing date of Oct. 19.

Public Safety
View MoreA National Weather Service Coastal Flood Advisory took effect Monday morning for San Francisco Bay shoreline areas, including Palo Alto's baylands, warning of up to 1.2 feet of water above ground level and possible road closures through 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1.

Public Safety
View MorePalo Alto's low-lying Baylands and flood-prone areas face elevated risk this winter after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Sept. 21 ahead of a potentially historic El Niño season, with forecasters warning of record sea levels and king tides.

Public Safety
View MoreA tree fell next to the Caltrain tracks at Palo Alto High School on Sept. 22, temporarily blocking a campus parking lot exit and shaking nearby classrooms, with the district's landscaping crew having clocked out just two minutes before.

Public Safety
View MoreA multi-agency wildfire prevention project along I-280 near Page Mill Road begins vegetation removal the week of Sept. 21, bringing periodic weekday lane closures through summer 2027.

Public Safety
View MoreMore than 130 Palo Alto homes in the foothills must comply with California's new Zone 0 fire-landscaping rules, which require removing combustible materials within five feet of structures over a phased three-to-five-year timeline.

Public Safety
View MoreThe National Weather Service issued a Heat Advisory for the Bay Area from 10 a.m. Wednesday through 10 p.m. Thursday, with interior highs up to 105°F and poor overnight cooling; Palo Alto residents can find cooling resources at 250 Hamilton Ave. or by calling (650) 329-2100.

Public Safety
View MoreCaltrain launched a month-long rail safety and suicide prevention campaign across the Peninsula in September, but none of the listed events are at Palo Alto crossings, where three in four recent youth suicides have occurred.

Public Safety
View MoreCalifornia killed its fifth consecutive bill to regulate license plate reader cameras on the final day of the legislative session, leaving Palo Alto to navigate its own Flock Safety review without a state framework as the city weighs dropping its 30-camera system.

Public Safety
View MoreSanta Clara County has recorded 11 wildfires since May, and federal forecasters project a greater than 90% chance of a very strong El Niño this winter, raising concerns for Palo Alto's 130-plus homes in the wildland-urban interface.

Public Safety
View MoreThieves broke into CardVault by Tom Brady at Town & Country Village on Aug. 22, stealing about 60 trading cards valued at over $12,000 just a week after the store's grand opening; suspects remain at large.
©2026 Palo Alto Ledger
Powered by Surround Sound Media
©2026 Palo Alto Ledger
Powered by Surround Sound Media
©2026 Palo Alto Ledger
Powered by Surround Sound Media