City Council
Staff Report
From: City Clerk
Report Type: STUDY SESSION
Lead Department: City Clerk
Meeting Date: November 3, 2025
Report #:2510-5328
TITLE
Establishing the City Council Annual Calendar of Meetings, Recesses, and City Council Events for the Calendar Year 2026; CEQA status – not a project
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council provide direction on the preferred Annual Retreat/Priority Setting Meeting date and on Option 1 vs. Option 2 for special City Council meetings, and establish its calendar of meetings, recesses, and City Council events for calendar year 2026.
BACKGROUND
The City Council annually adopts a schedule of meetings and recesses for the upcoming calendar year. Following Council direction tonight, staff will agendize a resolution establishing its calendar on consent for Council consideration. This year is the second iteration of a calendar setting process that implements Item 1.3 of the City’s Equity Action Plan (Create a process that includes the Human Relations Commission (HRC) for annual calendar setting related to holidays and heritage months) 1. The goal of this process is to create an inclusive City Council calendar that considers cultural observances that could prevent the public from participating in meetings and provide an opportunity for input from the public, City Council, and HRC. This process will continue to evolve in response to community and City Council feedback.
Palo Alto’s Municipal Code sets the City Council’s regular meeting time as 5:30pm on the first three Mondays of the month 2. Staff, in consultation with the Mayor and Vice Mayor, may reschedule regular meetings and schedule additional special meetings, should they be necessary to conduct City Council business.
1 2024 and 2025 Equity Action Plan: https://www.paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/city-manager/wellness-and- belonging/equity-workplan-2024.pdf
2 Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 2.04.010 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0- 0-0-60060
Staff has developed a list of dates to avoid scheduling City Council meetings based on feedback from the public, City Council, and HRC. These dates fall into two categories:
Days on which City administrative offices are closed
Certain cultural dates of significance that could fall on a Monday and whose main celebrations begin in the evening, which would prevent observants from participating in City Council meetings.
Based on City Council and HRC’s 2024 recommendations, the days to avoid scheduling City Council meeting dates are:
New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Lunar New Year
Presidents’ Day
Eid al-Fitr
Passover
Memorial Day
Eid al-Adha
Juneteenth
Fourth of July
Labor Day
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Day after Thanksgiving
Christmas
ANALYSIS
Staff does not propose any changes to the list of dates to avoid scheduling meetings. The proposed 2026 City Council meeting calendar is included as Attachment A.
The following dates occur on Mondays in 2026, and thus the draft calendar shows rescheduled dates for regular City Council meetings that would conflict with these holidays. The City Council has expressed interest in scheduling special meetings on the third Wednesday of the month instead of the fourth Monday. This is reflected in italics as Option 1 and Option 2 in the draft calendar.
Observance Date Option 1
(3rd Wednesday)
Option 2
(4th Monday)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 19, 2026 January 21, 2026 January 26, 2026 Presidents’ Day February 16, 2026 February 18, 2026 February 23, 2026 Labor Day September 7, 2026 September 8, 2026 n/a
Yom Kippur September 21, 2026 September 16, 2026 September 28, 2026 Indigenous Peoples’ Day October 12, 2026 October 21, 2026 October 26, 2026 HRC provided input on the calendar and dates of significance at its October 16, 2025 meeting.
The commission asked staff to explore adding Diwali given the presence of Palo Alto residents who may celebrate the holiday and the recent addition of Diwali to the list of state holidays state employees and public schools and community colleges may choose to take off. Upon further research, staff found that unlike other holidays on the list, Diwali’s primary observance is not tied to an evening celebration. HRC also suggested additions to the dates of significance list, which staff have incorporated into Attachment B.
Equity Action Plan item 1.3 and this item are intended to provide a consistent cadence for residents, HRC, City Council, and staff to review and update the lists of dates to avoid scheduling meetings and the citywide dates of significance. It is an opportunity to engage with the City to help expand awareness and visibility about the many observances significant to members of the Palo Alto community. Staff also asks for any City Council feedback on the Attachment B list of dates of significance.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
None
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Staff the City Manager’s Office, City Clerk’s Office, and Community Services Department collaborated on the proposed schedule and citywide dates to of significance. The HRC discussed and provided feedback the proposed calendar at its October 16, 2025 public meeting.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action is not a project under section 15378(b)(25) of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines (administrative activities that will not result in direct or indirect physical change in the environment).
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Proposed 2026 City Council Meeting Schedule Attachment B: Citywide Dates of Significance
APPROVED BY:
Mahealani Ah Yun, City Clerk