Clean energy grant
Saratoga was awarded a $493,000 grant from Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The city applied for the Sunnyvale-based nonprofit’s Competitive Community Grant Program and is one of six grant recipients; the others are Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara County. SVCE awarded a total of $3.4 million to be used for projects and initiatives that support clean energy in buildings and transportation and inspire community engagement for clean, electric solutions. About $3 million will be used for capital improvement or demonstration projects, according to SVCE. The remaining $400,000 will be used for engagement programs.
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“As funding is cut at a federal level, these grants will help continue the momentum to build a clean energy future led by local action,” read an SVCE press release.
Saratoga City Councilmember Tina Walia, who served as chair of SVCE’s board of directors in 2024, expressed pride in the city’s efforts to expand capital funding for local clean energy projects.
“Together, we’re not just reducing emissions; we’re building a model for sustainability that other cities can look to,” Walia said in her statement. “I couldn’t be more proud of Saratoga and am deeply grateful for SVCE’s continued commitment to empowering local climate action.”
Walia added that the city plans to use the money to remove natural gas infrastructure from public buildings and replace it with all-electric HVAC systems and heat pump water heaters. These improvements would apply to the Saratoga Civic Theater, Joan Pisani Community Center and the Warner Hutton House. She said the improvements, specifically to the Warner Hutton House, would make the benefits of electrification more visible to the public.
“Located near City Hall, where local middle school students walk by daily, this project will inspire early interest in clean energy and help spread awareness throughout the community,” Walia said.
Successful student filmmaker
A Saratoga High School senior is earning recognition for her filmmaking and putting the school’s Media Arts Program on the map.
Rylee Stanton’s film “Year 99” won a National YoungArts Award, marking the second year in a row she’s won the award. The competition receives around 10,000 submissions every year across 10 artistic disciplines. In 2024, Stanton won with her film “In Blackwater Woods.”
Stanton was also a finalist for the Female Rising Star Award in the largest student film festival in the world for her film “Almost.” All three of the aforementioned films were also recognized at the All-American High School Film Festival, along with “Why America is Saving the Wrong Bee,” which was honored for Best Documentary.
Stanton will be attending New York University’s Film and Television program at the Tisch School of the Arts.
“Rylee’s festival acceptances are a testament to her dedication and talent, as well as the strength of the MAP program at SHS,” Acting Superintendent Heath Rocha said in a release.