First Lady holds fundraiser in Atherton

First Lady Jill Biden visited Atherton on Wednesday, Nov. 15, for a presidential reelection campaign lunch while her husband, President Joe Biden, was at Filoli estate in Woodside to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

The event in Atherton for the "Biden Victory Fund" was hosted by Doug and Lisa Goldman and former state Controller Steve Westly and philanthropist Anita Yu Westly. The Westlys hosted an event for President Biden in June. The Goldmans run the nonprofit Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, which supports organizations that promote democracy and civil liberties, education, literacy and the environment.

Ticket prices ranged from $250 to the top-tier $10,000 "host" tickets, which included a photo with the first lady.

Peninsula Clean Energy hires new COO, CFO

Peninsula Clean Energy, a community choice energy program that San Mateo County formed in February 2016, has hired a new chief operating officer (COO) and chief financial officer (CFO), according to a Nov. 14 press release.

PCE's new COO is Shalini Swaroop, former chief legal and policy officer at MCE Clean Energy. Nick Bijur is the new CFO.

Bijur formerly worked at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), where he was vice president of finance and treasurer.

As COO, Swaroop will help lead internal efforts toward meeting Peninsula Clean Energy's strategic plan and will oversee the agency’s regulatory and legislative affairs, energy programs and marketing/community outreach departments. She will also provide executive leadership for the agency's recently adopted diversity, equity, access and inclusion plan.

Bijur will manage the PCE's more than $350 million annual operating budget and investment portfolio, stand up a new enterprise risk management function and help the agency balance decarbonization goals with the mandate of affordable clean energy at competitive rates, according to the press release. That includes continuing to implement electric generation rates that are at least 5% lower than generation rates charged by PG&E.

PCE's most recent CFO was Kristina Alagar Cordero, who served in the role from August 2022 to April 2023, according to a PCE press release and Alagar Cordero's LinkedIn page.

Shawn Marshall previously served as the PCE COO before stepping into the CEO role in July.

M-A Bears return home for NCAA Women's Soccer game

Menlo-Atherton High School alums Lexi Quinn and Evie Calhoon came to Stanford University for the second round of NCAA Women's Soccer competition at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17, at Cagan Stadium.

The women play for the Brown University Bears and will faced off against Mississippi State University.

Calhoon, a senior at Brown, is one of the captains of the Bears. Quinn, a junior at Brown, started playing soccer in Menlo Park AYSO.

Brown achieved a 7-0 Ivy League record this season and Brown's fourth Ivy League title in four years, according to a press release.

The two hoped to defeat Mississippi State and play Stanford University on Sunday, Nov. 19.