Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-08-13

CELEBRATING THE ALMANAC'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY

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Context

On 2026-08-13, Representative Sam T. Liccardo (D-CA-16) delivered a floor speech titled "CELEBRATING THE ALMANAC'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY" in the House.

Full Text

CELEBRATING THE ALMANAC'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 132 (Thursday, August 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 132 (Thursday, August 13, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E786] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CELEBRATING THE ALMANAC'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY ______ HON. SAM T. LICCARDO of california in the house of representatives Thursday, August 13, 2026 Mr. LICCARDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Almanac newspaper on the occasion of its 60th anniversary. It's important to honor those local news sources that have survived the industry's many financial challenges to provide an essential public service to our democracy, particularly in this moment when our First Amendment has come under repeated and serious threat. The Almanac has provided critical community-focused journalism for Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley for six decades. Throughout its history, it has brought news and information to local residents without fear or favor. Its journalists have always believed strong journalism builds better communities. In 1965, three Portola Valley mothers, troubled by the lack of coverage of local issues, and the defeat of a Portola Valley school bond measure, met for lunch among the eucalyptus trees on the Stanford Campus to develop a solution. Soon after, Hedy Boissevain, Betty Fry, and Jean Heflin, got to work at their kitchen tables and family garages and published the first four-page edition of what was then called ``The Country Almanac.'' The paper then found its first real home at the corner of Woodside and Canada roads in Woodside, and the founders' children and friends delivered the papers--a year's subscription cost two dollars. From its modest stall, the paper continued to grow and by 1975, the newspaper could afford its first full-time reporter, Pam Jones, who was often the first to tell residents what was going on in their towns. In the 1980s, local newspaperman Mort Levine and his wife, Elaine, acquired the Almanac and the coverage area expanded to include Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Woodside, and Atherton, In 1993, Embarcadero Publishing Co., founded by Bill Johnson, bought The Almanac and added it to its family of newspapers. Today that family includes newspapers and websites serving Midpeninsula communities including Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Redwood City. Today, as local newsrooms across the country are shrinking or shutting their doors entirely, the Almanac continues to endure and adapt to meet the needs of its communities. Its three dedicated staffers, Editor Andrea Gemmet and staff writers Jennifer Yoshikoshi and Arden Margulis, provide local and accountable journalism that residents trust. In 2026, the California News Publishers Association honored the Almanac with 22 California Journalism Awards, including six first-place honors for Breaking News, Photo Essay, Layout and Design, Housing and Land-Use Coverage, and Coverage of Youth and Education--a testament to a small newsroom doing outsized work. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the founders, staff, and readers of The Almanac on six decades of delivering the news, and in wishing them continued strength as they carry local journalism forward for the Midpeninsula in the decades to come. ____________________

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CELEBRATING THE ALMANAC'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 132 (Thursday, August 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 132 (Thursday, August 13, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E786] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CELEBRATING THE ALMANAC'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY ______ HON. SAM T. LICCARDO of california in the house of representatives Thursday, August 13, 2026 Mr. LICCARDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Almanac newspaper on the occasion of its 60th anniversary. It's important to honor those local news sources that have survived the industry's many financial challenges to provide an essential public service to our democracy, particularly in this moment when our First Amendment has come under repeated and serious threat. The Almanac has provided critical community-focused journalism for Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley for six decades. Throughout its history, it has brought news and information to local residents without fear or favor. Its journalists have always believed strong journalism builds better communities. In 1965, three Portola Valley mothers, troubled by the lack of coverage of local issues, and the defeat of a Portola Valley school bond measure, met for lunch among the eucalyptus trees on the Stanford Campus to develop a solution. Soon after, Hedy Boissevain, Betty Fry, and Jean Heflin, got to work at their kitchen tables and family garages and published the first four-page edition of what was then called ``The Country Almanac.'' The paper then found its first real home at the corner of Woodside and Canada roads in Woodside, and the founders' children and friends delivered the papers--a year's subscription cost two dollars. From its modest stall, the paper continued to grow and by 1975, the newspaper could afford its first full-time reporter, Pam Jones, who was often the first to tell residents what was going on in their towns. In the 1980s, local newspaperman Mort Levine and his wife, Elaine, acquired the Almanac and the coverage area expanded to include Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Woodside, and Atherton, In 1993, Embarcadero Publishing Co., founded by Bill Johnson, bought The Almanac and added it to its family of newspapers. Today that family includes newspapers and websites serving Midpeninsula communities including Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Redwood City. Today, as local newsrooms across the country are shrinking or shutting their doors entirely, the Almanac continues to endure and adapt to meet the needs of its communities. Its three dedicated staffers, Editor Andrea Gemmet and staff writers Jennifer Yoshikoshi and Arden Margulis, provide local and accountable journalism that residents trust. In 2026, the California News Publishers Association honored the Almanac with 22 California Journalism Awards, including six first-place honors for Breaking News, Photo Essay, Layout and Design, Housing and Land-Use Coverage, and Coverage of Youth and Education--a testament to a small newsroom doing outsized work. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the founders, staff, and readers of The Almanac on six decades of delivering the news, and in wishing them continued strength as they carry local journalism forward for the Midpeninsula in the decades to come. ____________________