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City Council
Staff Report
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Human Resources
Meeting Date: December 15, 2025
Report #:2511-5573
TITLE
Adoption of a Resolution appointing Caio Arellano as Interim City Attorney
RECOMMENDATION
The Chair of the Council Appointed Officers Committee recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution appointing Caio Arellano as Interim City Attorney until Council completes its active and ongoing recruitment process and appoints a new City Attorney, and the new City Attorney begins service in Palo Alto.
BACKGROUND
City Attorney Molly Stump Informed Council earlier this year of her intention to retire at the end of the 2025 calendar year1. Stump’s advance notice to the Council allowed for an ample planning process which included review and selection of an executive recruitment firm, one on one stakeholder engagement meetings, as well as input from the public through the meetings of the Council Appointed Officers Committee2.
The application period for the City’s next City Attorney opened on Friday November 14, 2025, and will close on Sunday December 14, 2025. After the application period closes, Council will be presented with candidates for consideration and is expected to invite highly qualified applicants to interview in January 2026.
ANALYSIS
Executive recruitments of this level and nature routinely take 6 months to complete. This timeframe includes the initial planning phase, active recruitment and selection, as well as onboarding. Even with the ample noticed provided and the head start achieved, Council likely will not appoint a new City Attorney until the end of February or early March of 2026, with the new appointee beginning their service several weeks after that. This gap requires Council to appoint a qualified attorney to serve as City Attorney on an interim basis. 1 Stump’s service will formally conclude on January 9, 2026, but she will be on leave beginning December 27, 2025. 2 Sept. 9 meeting: https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=17948 and Sept. 22 https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=18033
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Caio Arellano joined the City of Palo Alto in February of 2022, serving as an Assistant City Attorney for 10 months before being promoted to Chief Assistant City Attorney in December of 2022. The Chief Assistant City Attorney is a practicing attorney who also assists the City Attorney in managing and directing the operations of the City Attorney’s Office. The Chief Assistant handles complex and high-consequence matters, and also acts as the designee and representative of the City Attorney as needed and in the City Attorney’s absence. Arellano has practiced municipal law for 17 years. Before joining the Palo Alto City Attorney’s Office, he served as an Assistant City Attorney in the cities of Santa Clara and San Mateo. Prior to that, as an Associate in the firm of Atchison, Barisone, Condotti and Kovacevich, Arellano provided legal services to Half Moon Bay and a number of other Northern California cities and special districts.
Arellano has experience and expertise in a wide variety of areas, including planning and development, municipal finance, utilities, and public works/construction.
The resolution before Council will appoint Arellano as City Attorney on an interim basis, effective December 27, 2025, consistent with the last in-office day of retiring City Attorney Stump. Consistent with standard City practice as outlined in the Management and Professional Compensation Plan, the Interim appointment will provide Arellano with working out of classification pay of 10% above his Chief Assistant salary for the duration of the working out of classification assignment. This assignment/pay is within the current salary range of the Chief Assistant City Attorney approved by City Council and the assignment/pay will be in effective from December 27, 2025 through and until the first day of employment of the City’s next City Attorney, or future action by Council specific to this interim assignment.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Costs associated with this temporary increase in pay will be accommodated within the City Attorney Office’s existing FY 2026 Adopted Operating Budget. No adjustment or action by Council is needed.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
As outlined in this memo the Council and the public have been engaged in the City Attorney recruitment process.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Council action on this item is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in that the amendments to the employment agreements are personnel-related actions. CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2).
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Resolution Interim Appointment Arellano
APPROVED BY:
Sandra Blanch, Human Resources Director