Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: REORGANIZATION OF CITY COUNCIL FOR CALENDAR
YEAR 2026
Date: December 9, 2025
Written by: Kevin Patterson, City Clerk
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council elect a Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members, to be effective January 1 through December 31, 2026.
Background
Per the City Council Rules (City Council Policy 2025-03), following the certification of the election and seating of new Councilmembers, the Mayor and Vice Mayor will be elected by a majority vote of a quorum of the City Council. The City Council shall consider the election of a Mayor and Vice Mayor for a one (1) year term at the first regular meeting in December of each year.
Analysis/Discussion
The new Mayor and Vice Mayor will assume their titles on January 1, 2026, and the new Mayor will chair the City Council meetings beginning at the first meeting in January.
For convenience, below is a summary of the recent Mayors and Vice Mayors.
Mayor Vice Mayor Year
Ben Ford Sylvia Lemus 2025
Laura Sparks Ben Ford 2024
Susan Harvey Laura Sparks 2023
Mark Landman Susan Harvey 2022
John Moore Mark Landman 2021
Past practice is that the current Vice Mayor will be appointed as Mayor for the subsequent year.
The City Councilmember with the longest gap since their last appointment as Mayor is then typically appointed as Vice Mayor. If City Councilmembers have the same term (elected in the same election), then the typical criteria to determine order of appointments is prior experience on other City bodies, with the more experienced member being appointed first.
If a nominated City Councilmember declines an appointment, the next City Councilmember in this rotational method is then typically appointed to Vice Mayor or Mayor, as applicable.
Financial Considerations
None.
Environmental Issues
The action of City Council reorganization does not constitute a project as defined by California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378; therefore, no further environmental review is required.