East Palo Alto Mayor Webster Lincoln has been posting photos from his trip to Israel on Facebook.

HASHTAG DIPLOMACY … During East Palo Alto’s final budget meeting, some council members eagerly added new items to the city’s grocery list, despite an ongoing general fund deficit. Mayor Webster Lincoln ensured to retain funding for council member training and trips, as well as matching uniforms for the team. This weekend, he didn’t have to dip into those coveted funds, because the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest provided him and 14 other Bay Area leaders an all-expense-paid trip to Israel. He announced the news in a Facebook post reading, “Heading to Israel on Saturday #Diplomacy.” East Palo Alto staff said the trip is another example of Lincoln’s “commitment to international engagement” after helping finalize a Sister City partnership Kolofoʻou, Kingdom of Tonga, representing the large local population of Tongan residents. But Lincoln hopes to gather more anecdotal lessons from his trip to Israel. His planned visits to Western Negev, Haifa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among other sites, he wrote in a press release, represent the “diverse” nature of East Palo Alto. “Leadership begins with listening,” Lincoln wrote. “I’m joining this delegation to learn firsthand — to hear from people across communities and faiths, to better understand a complex region, and to bring those lessons in dialogue and coexistence back home to East Palo Alto.” On the second day of his trip, Lincoln reflected on his visit to the Nova Festival memorial in Western Negev, where approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 were abducted by Hamas, triggering a military campaign by Israel. Since then, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced and nearly all of Hamas’ leaders in Gaza have been killed, according to Associated Press. Residents and local leaders have expressed concern over Lincoln’s trip on social media with some contending that it was self-serving or connected to a recent city proclamation against antisemitism, which used the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of the word. Lincoln, who supported the declaration, was thanked by some residents and criticized by others, who contended that some community members now fear and occasionally face punishment for speaking about Palestine, criticising Israeli government actions and advocating for human rights.

SCHOOLS TO WATCH … Greene and JLS Middle Schools earned their first-ever “National Schools to Watch” designation for 2026, official confirmation of something PAUSD parents say they have suspected since their first PTA meeting. The recognition from the California League of Middle Schools celebrates schools that back up rigorous academics with the systems to actually make them work. At Greene, that means dedicated teacher office hours, a required 6th grade “exploratory wheel” that samples out art, tech, and world languages before students settle into a schedule, and core classes co-taught by general education teachers and education specialists. JLS, meanwhile, runs a “hanging fifth period” to cover reduced PE requirements under state law, plus “looping” counselors who track the same students from 6th grade through 8th. Both schools also hold weekly advisory periods mixing social-emotional learning with academic support sandwiched, as always, between algebra and the bell. 

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