Bygone Portola Valley roadhouses talk

Tune in Sunday, April 11, for a webinar on the history of Portola Valley's reputation as the "Roadhouse Valley," a reference to the lineup of restaurants and hotels in town, according to event organizer Bo Crane.

Some of the more notable bygone roadhouses that opened in Portola Valley after the Prohibition era included Mama Garcia's La Casa Blanca, The Portola Club, Jan's Valley Inn (briefly Maloney's), and Mangini's (briefly Rudy's), according to the Palo Alto Historical Association, which is hosting the event. Their "once existence seems almost mythical," members write on the association's website.

The free webinar is from 2 to 3 p.m. on April 11 here.

Atherton hosting e-waste event

The town of Atherton will be hosting a recycling event on Saturday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Holbrook-Palmer Park, 150 Watkins Ave.

Acceptable e-waste items include TVs, computers, printers, monitors, laptops, cables/cords, cellphones, MP3 and DVD players, and more (working or not). Residents may come pick up up to 1 cubic yard of compost for free during the event. The town will provide shovels and bags while supplies last. Proof of residency is required.

For questions about the community e-waste collection, paper shredding and compost giveaway, contact Anthony Suber at asuber@ci.atherton.ca.us or Francesca Reyes at freyes@ci.atherton.ca.us, or call 650-752-0500.

For more information, go here.

Portola Valley company announces $350 million in investments

Portola Valley-based venture capital firm Canvas Ventures announced Tuesday, March 30, it is investing $350 million to fund investments for early stage fintech, digital health, marketplaces and logistics companies, according to a press release.

Clients of Canvas, which was founded in 2013, include Thrive Global, Arianna Huffington's business that provides health and wellness tips for companies' employees; Zola, an online wedding registry; and Casetex, a legal research tool.

Atherton committee applications open

The town of Atherton is recruiting for several committees.

The Audit and Finance Committee has two vacancies for four-year terms.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee has two vacancies. One of the appointments is for a term ending in June 2023 and the second is for a term ending in June 2025.

The Environmental Programs Committee has one vacancy for a four-year term.

The Parks and Recreation Committee has one vacancy for a two-year term. The appointee must be a member of the Holbrook-Palmer Park Foundation.

The Planning Commission Committee has one vacancy for a four-year term.

The Rail Committee has four vacancies, one for a term ending in June 2022 and three others for four-year terms.

The Transportation Committee has a vacancy for a four-year term.

Submit applications on the town's website by June 7 by 5 p.m. They can also be submitted to the Office of the City Clerk at 150 Watkins Ave., Atherton, CA 94027.

Application open for M-A principal position

The Sequoia Union High School has posted the application for a soon-to-open principal position at Menlo-Atherton High School for the 2021-22 school year. Simone Rick-Kennel is leaving the post on June 30 to take on an administrative role with the district.

The district writes in the posting that it is "committed to ensuring that all students are welcomed in a safe environment that values diversity and multicultural backgrounds," given the school's "racially and socioeconomically diverse student body."

Multilingual educators and those with experience teaching in diverse and underserved communities are strongly encouraged to apply, the posting states.

The salary is listed as between $182,617 and $210,698, plus a $1,456 for holding a master's or doctorate degree.

The application is open until April 30 at noon on EDJOIN.Org.