Guest opinion: A special thank you to a Palo Alto billionaire

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (center) celebrates the company’s public stock offering alongside Facebook staff members in 2012. Photo by Zef Nikolla, courtesy Facebook. There are times when someone says or does something in an unexpected way that Ifind interesting or unusual. That happened this past week when I saw a full-page advertisement in our local newspaper headlined, “Holiday Thank You to Our Neighbor the Zuckerberg Family.” It was signed, Roger Smith, President, the Palo Alto Police Foundation. In the ad, Smith expressed thanks to “Priscilla, Mark and your family for your generosity, and for being our neighbor.” He also thanked Zuckerberg for his donation to the Police Foundation and “for all the other charities in Palo Alto the Zuckerbergs gave to this past year.” Smith then went one step further by surprisingly thanking Zuckerberg for starting Facebook, now Meta, in Palo Alto. “It is our understanding that the company now employs 75,000 people. This could equate to tens of thousands of families that benefit from this great organization. There is a plaque at 471 Emerson Street celebrating the founding of the firm near Lytton Plaza.” So why am I bothering to write about an advertisement he purchased in a local newspaper? Courtesy Diana Diamond Because who among us would think of thanking a billionaire for his gift to community organizations? Certainly not me. Such a kind gesture never dawned on me. But Smith thought of publicly thanking Zuckerberg for his many donations. I think this is an unusual and inspirational deed. The timing of Smith’s ad (Roger to me, I’ve known him for years) is interesting, because this billionaire has been the target of neighborhood discontent for several years. Zuckerberg also was highlighted in a Dec. 28 New York Times front-page article, “Palo Alto Confronts Billionaires Over Their Housing Compounds.” The Times writes that a new law has been proposed in Palo Alto to better regulate the city’s ability to lessen the disruptions that some billionaires living here can cause when they buy several nearby properties and create their own compound. During the past several years, Zuckerberg reportedly purchased 11 neighboring properties in the 1400 blocks of both Edgewood Drive and Hamilton Avenue in order to create his own compound. Most of these houses are hidden now behind tall bushes and trees, on these leafy streets. The neighbors have been complaining about the resultant noise, parking problems, and increased traffic due to construction workers that has occurred as each house was redeveloped by Zuckerberg. The Times story also touches on other billionaires in town who have expanded by purchasing other properties in town, in addition to their primary residence. Some residents have blamed the city for not controlling the billionaires enough and allowing them to create “compounds.” In response, Councilmember Greer Stone is proposing an ordinance that would, according to the Times, “restrict the way the town’s wealthiest homeowners can operate. To Stone, a high school teacher, it is as much about protecting residents from neighborhood chaos as it is about addressing the wealth disparity that has forced middle-class residents out of his city.” The council will discuss this issue later this or next month. This is an interesting, emerging issue in our community. Will it turn into a “Blame the billionaires” discussion? Some of us, I submit, simply assume that billionaires should give their money away, and therefore, need not be thanked — because they are rich, and well, we. expect them to be charitable – as it is their obligation to give money to us. Billionaires of late have become a national topic. Some people refer to them as “oligarchs” who are buying themselves power and influence and taking over leading institutions, including media organizations. And yes, I worry about some of these takeovers and object to the arrogance and greed of some of them. But now I’ve heard people say, “All billionaires” are bad people. I find this broad-brush indictment troublesome, unwarranted, and unfair. Of course there are some bad apples in any group of people, including billionaires. But there are a lot of wonderful rich people, like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, who have used their money to help people around the world. But back to Roger. He is an institution in this town. A co-founder and president of Silicon Valley Bank decades ago, he became active in community affairs for years, created multiple nonprofits, served on a humongous number of boards of directors of local organizations, and has been a generous philanthropist over the years. In 2022, he founded the Palo Alto Police Foundation with the goal of supporting the police department by funding important needs not covered by the city’s budget. This is just one example of how Smith tries to help our community. Roger went and thanked one of them. While an ad in a newspaper ad is a small gesture, it’s the thought behind it that counts. During this holiday season of giving, Roger has given a gift of thanks. The year has ended,  and I want to thank our city officials who have worked hard to keep our town functioning efficiently. My special thanks go  to Mayor Ed Lauing, who devoted a great deal of time addressing community needs. He’s been a good mayor. Ed, by the way, runs a great and efficient council meeting, doing his best to keep things moving along while gently controlling six council members, each of whom loves to talk. And thanks to City Manager Ed Shikada, who is open to suggestions and who can change his mind at times. That’s good. Thanks to our city staff, particularly the fire and police teams who keep our city safe. And to all who have contributed their time and energy to make Palo Alto a nice community. Let us all try this year to make our city – and our country — a kinder, gentler place to live. Diana Diamond is a longtime Palo Alto journalist, editor and author of the blog “An Alternative View” on Palo Alto Online. Most Popular Arsicault Bakery is expanding to Palo AltoJanuary 5, 2026 11:28 amPalo Alto schools to welcome four new principalsJanuary 8, 2026 2:00 pmRoost & Roast owners open fast-casual breakfast spot in Palo AltoJanuary 6, 2026 10:09 am

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