CITY COUNCIL
Special Meeting
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Council Chambers & Hybrid
5:30 PM
Palo
Alto
City
Council
meetings
will
be
held
as
“hybrid”
meetings
with
the
option
to
attend
by
teleconference
or
in
person.
Information
on
how
the
public
may
observe
and
participate
in
the
meeting
is
located
at
the
end
of
the
agenda.
The
meeting
will
be
broadcast
on
Cable
TV
Channel
26,
live
on
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto
,
and
streamed
to
Midpen
Media
Center
https://midpenmedia.org
.
VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION
CLICK HERE TO JOIN
(
https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/362027238
)
Meeting ID: 362 027 238 Phone:1(669)900-6833
PUBLIC COMMENTS
General
Public
Comment
for
items
not
on
the
agenda
will
be
accepted
in
person
for
up
to
three
minutes
or
an
amount
of
time
determined
by
the
Chair.
General
public
comment
will
be
heard
for
30 minutes.
Additional
public
comments,
if
any,
will
be
heard
at
the
end
of
the
agenda.
Public
comments
for
agendized
items
will
be
accepted
both
in
person
and
via
Zoom
for
up
to
three
minutes
or
an
amount
of
time
determined
by
the
Chair.
Requests
to
speak
will
be
taken
until
5 minutes
after
the
staff’s
presentation
or
as
determined
by
the
Chair.
Written
public
comments
can
be
submitted
in
advance
to
and
will
be
provided
to
the
Council
and
available
for
inspection
on
the
City’s
website.
Please
clearly
indicate
which
agenda
item
you
are
referencing
in
your
subject
line.
Multiple
individuals
who
wish
to
speak
on
the
same
item
may
designate
a
spokesperson.
Spokespersons
must
be
representing
five
or
more
verified
individuals
who
are
present
either
in
person
or
via
zoom.
Spokespeople
will
be
allowed
up
to
10 minutes,
at
the
discretion
of
the
presiding
officer.
Speaking
time
may
be
reduced
if
the
presiding officer reduces the speaking time for individual speakers.
PowerPoints,
videos,
or
other
media
to
be
presented
during
public
comment
are
accepted
only
by
to
at
least
24 hours
prior
to
the
meeting.
Once
received,
the
Clerk
will
have
them
shared
at
public
comment
for
the
specified
item.
To
uphold
strong
cybersecurity
management
practices,
USB’s
or
other
physical
electronic
storage
devices
are
not
accepted.
Signs
and
symbolic
materials
less
than
2 feet
by
3 feet
are
permitted
provided
that:
(1)
sticks,
posts,
poles
or
similar/other
type
of
handle
objects
are
strictly
prohibited;
(2)
the
items
do
not
create
a
facility,
fire,
or
safety
hazard;
and
(3)
persons
with
such
items
remain
seated
when
displaying
them
and
must
not
raise
the
items
above
shoulder
level,
obstruct
the
view or passage of other attendees, or otherwise disturb the business of the meeting.
TIME ESTIMATES
Listed
times
are
estimates
only
and
are
subject
to
change
at
any
time,
including
while
the
meeting
is
in
progress.
The
Council
reserves
the
right
to
use
more
or
less
time
on
any
item,
to
change
the
order
of
items
and/or
to
continue
items
to
another
meeting.
Particular
items
may
be
heard
before
or
after
the
time
estimated
on
the
agenda.
This
may
occur
in
order
to
best
manage
the time at a meeting or to adapt to the participation of the public.
1 January 15, 2026
Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at www.paloalto.gov/agendas
.
CALL TO ORDER
CLOSED SESSION
1. Public Employee Appointment
Title: City Attorney
Authority: Gov. Code Section 54957(b)
2. Conference with Labor Negotiators
Authority: Gov. Code section 54957.6;
Agency representative: Sandra Blanch and Nicholas Raisch, Teri Black, Teri Black & Co.
Unrepresented Employee: City Attorney
AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS
ADJOURNMENT
OTHER INFORMATION
Standing Committee Meetings this week
Policy & Services Committee January 14, 2026
Public Comment Letters
Schedule of Meetings
2 January 15, 2026
Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at www.paloalto.gov/agendas
.
PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Members
of
the
Public
may
provide
public
comments
to
teleconference
meetings
via
email,
teleconference, or by phone.
1. Written public comments
may be submitted by email to
[email protected]
.
2. For
in
person
public
comments
please
complete
a
speaker
request
card
located
on
the
table
at
the
entrance
to
the
Council
Chambers
and
deliver
it
to
the
Clerk
prior
to
discussion of the item.
3. Spoken
public
comments
for
agendized
items
using
a
computer
or
smart
phone
will
be
accepted
through
the
teleconference
meeting.
To
address
the
Council,
click
on
the
link
below to access a Zoom-based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. ◦
You
may
download
the
Zoom
client
or
connect
to
the
meeting
in-
browser.
If
using
your
browser,
make
sure
you
are
using
a
current,
up-to-date
browser:
Chrome
30 ,
Firefox
27 ,
Microsoft
Edge
12 ,
Safari
7 .
Certain
functionality
may
be
disabled
in
older
browsers
including
Internet
Explorer.
Or
download
the
Zoom
application
onto
your
smart
phone
from
the
Apple
App
Store
or
Play
Store
and
enter
in
the
Meeting ID below.
◦
You
may
be
asked
to
enter
an
address
and
name.
We
request
that
you
identify
yourself
by
name
as
this
will
be
visible
online
and
will
be
used
to
notify
you
that it is your turn to speak.
◦
When
you
wish
to
speak
on
an
Agenda
Item,
click
on
“raise
hand.”
The
Clerk
will
activate
and
unmute
speakers
in
turn.
Speakers
will
be
notified
shortly
before
they
are called to speak.
◦
When
called,
please
limit
your
remarks
to
the
time
limit
allotted.
A
timer
will
be
shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments.
4. Spoken
public
comments
for
agendized
items
using
a
phone
use
the
telephone
number
listed
below.
When
you
wish
to
speak
on
an
agenda
item
hit
*9
on
your
phone
so
we
know
that
you
wish
to
speak.
You
will
be
asked
to
provide
your
first
and
last
name
before
addressing
the
Council.
You
will
be
advised
how
long
you
have
to
speak.
When
called
please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN
Meeting ID: 362-027-238 Phone: 1-669-900-6833
Americans
with
Disability
Act
(ADA)
It
is
the
policy
of
the
City
of
Palo
Alto
to
offer
its
public
programs,
services
and
meetings
in
a
manner
that
is
readily
accessible
to
all.
Persons
with
disabilities
who
require
materials
in
an
appropriate
alternative
format
or
who
require
auxiliary
aids
to
access
City
meetings,
programs,
or
services
may
contact
the
City’s
ADA
Coordinator
at
(650)
329-2550
(voice)
or
by
emailing
Requests
for
assistance
or
accommodations
must
be
submitted
at
least
24 hours
in
advance
of
the
meeting,
program,
or
service.
3 January 15, 2026
Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at www.paloalto.gov/agendas
.
California
Government
Code
§84308
,
commonly
referred
to
as
the
"Levine
Act,"
prohibits
an
elected
official
of
a
local
government
agency
from
participating
in
a
proceeding
involving
a
license,
permit,
or
other
entitlement
for
use
if
the
official
received
a
campaign
contribution
exceeding
$500
from
a
party
or
participant,
including
their
agents,
to
the
proceeding
within
the
last
12 months.
A
“license,
permit,
or
other
entitlement
for
use”
includes
most
land
use
and
planning
approvals
and
the
approval
of
contracts
that
are
not
subject
to
lowest
responsible
bid
procedures
and
have
a
value
over
$50,000.
A
“party”
is
a
person
who
files
an
application
for,
or
is
the
subject
of,
a
proceeding
involving
a
license,
permit,
or
other
entitlement
for
use.
A
“participant”
is
a
person
who
actively
supports
or
opposes
a
particular
decision
in
a
proceeding
involving
a
license,
permit,
or
other
entitlement
for
use,
and
has
a
financial
interest
in
the
decision.
The
Levine
Act
incorporates
the
definition
of
“financial
interest”
in
the
Political
Reform
Act,
which
encompasses
interests
in
business
entities,
real
property,
sources
of
income,
sources
of
gifts,
and
personal
finances
that
may
be
affected
by
the
Council’s
actions.
If
you
qualify
as
a
“party”
or
“participant”
to
a
proceeding,
and
you
have
made
a
campaign
contribution
to
a
Council
Member
exceeding
$500
made
within
the
last
12 months,
you
must
disclose
the
campaign contribution before making your comments.
4 January 15, 2026
Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at www.paloalto.gov/agendas
.