Casa de Tableta · Photo: W Nowicki · CC BY 3.0Living in Portola Valley, CA: what to set up and who to call
Two school districts split the grades in Portola Valley: Portola Valley Elementary School District and Sequoia Union High School District. The closest public drop-off to Portola Valley is Stanford Recycling Center, 5 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Portola Valley, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Portola Valley.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Portola Valley. Its homes paid an average of 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $174 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 66% of PG&E’s home customers do, and PG&E still delivers it.
Start or move service: pgecorp.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from California Water Service - Bear Gulch
California Water Service - Bear Gulch supplies almost all of Portola Valley. It draws surface water (EPA lists San Francisco Regional Water System as seller) and serves 61,431 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 4.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 89% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. CA4110006.
7 home internet providers serve Portola Valley
98% of 1,626 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 22% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 97% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fixed wireless, Fiber | 83% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Etheric Networks | Fixed wireless | 38% | 250/100 |
| Cruzio | Fixed wireless | 25% | 1,000/1,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 22% | 100/20 |
| Ridge Wireless | Fixed wireless | 13% | 100/60 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 5 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Portola Valley.
Stanford Recycling Center
This isn’t Portola Valley’s own facility. Whether Portola Valley residents may use it is the town’s rule: check portolavalley.net.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Portola Valley is in two districts that split the grades: Portola Valley Elementary School District and Sequoia Union High School District.
ASchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Oct 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Portola Valley is in ZIP code 94028
ZIP codes where Portola Valley residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Portola Valley | ZIP’s residents in Portola Valley |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94028 | Portola Valley, CA | 100% | 65% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Portola Valley
Who supplies Portola Valley’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
California Water Service - Bear Gulch (EPA ID CA4110006). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 4.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Portola Valley?
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Portola Valley?
Xfinity, AT&T, Etheric Networks, Cruzio, T-Mobile, Ridge Wireless (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Portola Valley?
94028. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Portola Valley in?
Portola Valley Elementary School District and Sequoia Union High School District.
How do I register to vote in Portola Valley?
In California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the San Mateo County Clerk - Elections. Check your registration at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.