City Council
Staff Report
From: City Clerk
Report Type: SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY
Lead Department: City Clerk
Meeting Date: March 2, 2026
Report #:2512-5763
TITLE
Review Applications and Select Candidates to Interview for the Historic Resources Board (HRB), Human Relations Commission (HRC), Planning & Transportation Commission (PTC), Stormwater Management Oversight Committee (SWMOC), and Utilities Advisory Commission (UAC) Vacancies; CEQA Status - Not a Project
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council review applications and select the following number of candidates to interview for each commission:
1. All 3 candidates for HRB (or direct staff to extend recruitment);
2. Up to 6 candidates to interview for HRC;
3. Up to 6 candidates to interview for PTC; and
4. Up to 8 candidates to interview for UAC.
In addition, staff recommends extending the recruitment for SWMOC as no applications were received. Council may decide to extend any of the recruitments at their discretion.
BACKGROUND
Vacancies
Per Council direction1, recruitment for Boards, Commissions, and Committees (BCCs) is split into fall and spring cycles. HRB, PTC, and UAC are included in the spring cycle. HRC and SWMOC are typically in the fall cycle, however, these BCCs have been included in the spring recruitment cycle to fill one unscheduled partial vacancy in each commission. HRC and SWMOC will have unscheduled vacancies starting on 4/1/2026. More details on openings, eligibility requirements, and term lengths for each vacancy are included in the analysis section below. 1 May 13, 2024, City Council Action Minutes, Agenda Item #12:
https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=43160
Interview and Appointment Process
At its May 5, 2025, meeting, the City Council approved a process to select which applicants to interview for BCC vacancies 3. Per the approved process, Councilmembers will vote on whom to interview, with each Councilmember allotted twice as many votes as openings. Candidates must receive a threshold of two votes to be interviewed4. The candidates receiving the top number of votes are interviewed. The number of candidates interviewed is based on the number of vacancies as follows:
Interview all candidates if there are 6 or fewer applicants Interview up to 6 candidates when there are 1-2 openings Interview up to 8 candidates when there are 3 openings Interview up to 10 candidates when there are 4 openings Councilmembers will submit their votes for whom to interview to the City Clerk, and the City Clerk will announce the results at the March 2, 2026 City Council meeting. BCC candidate interviews are tentatively scheduled for the March 23, 2026 City Council meeting. Each interview will be scheduled for 10 minutes. Candidates will have an opportunity to summarize their experiences, and the remaining time will be allocated to Councilmember questions.
Appointments are tentatively scheduled for the April 6, 2026 City Council Meeting.
Councilmembers will appoint candidates through live voting conducted during the meeting. The City Clerk will announce the results of the vote.
Given that appointments are tentatively scheduled for 4/6/26, which is shortly after terms expire on 3/31/26, current commissioners can continue serving during the interim per Ordinance 56435.
ANALYSIS
The Spring 2026 Boards and Commissions Recruitment opened on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, and closed on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. This cycle includes 10 vacancies across five BCCs.
A summary of the openings, eligibility requirements, and term lengths for each vacancy are included below. In addition to the eligibility requirements below, no commissioners can be Councilmembers, officers, or employees of the City.
3 City Council, May 5, 2025; Agenda Item #11, SR# 2504- 4537https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=83381 4 October 6, 2025, City Council Action Minutes; Agenda Item #2 https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=83755&dbid=0&repo=PaloAlto 5 Ordinance 5643 https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=48323 Historic Resources Board (HRB)
Vacancies and
Term Dates
Seat Numbers Number of
Applicants
Number of
Candidates to
Interview
Number of Votes
per Councilmember
3 Full Terms
4/1/26 – 3/31/29
1, 2, 3 3 3 N/A – Interview all
candidates or
direct staff to
extend recruitment
HRB Eligibility Requirements9:
Palo Alto residency is not required
All members shall have demonstrated interest in and knowledge of history, architecture or historic preservation.
Two members shall be professionals in the disciplines of architecture, architectural history, planning, landscape architecture, or related disciplines, or pre-historic and historic archeology, folklore, cultural anthropology, curation, or conservation. oThis requirement is currently fulfilled by three members of the commission, two of which do not have expiring terms. Therefore, this requirement will remain fulfilled regardless of applicant selection in this recruitment. At least one member shall possess academic education or practical experience in history or a related field such as American studies, American civilization, or cultural geography. oThis requirement is currently fulfilled by three members of the commission, and all three have expiring terms in this recruitment. At least one new appointment must meet this requirement.
Human Relations Commission (HRC)
Vacancies and
Term Dates
Seat Number Number of
Applicants
Number of
Candidates to
Interview
Number of
Votes per
Councilmember
1 Partial Term
4/1/26 – 10/31/26
4 9 Up to 6 2
HRC Eligibility Requirements10:
Palo Alto residency is required
9 Palo Alto Municipal Code 2.27.010 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0-0-0- 61517
10 Palo Alto Municipal Code 2.22.010 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0-0-0- 61312
Planning & Transportation Commission (PTC)
Vacancies and
Term Dates
Seat Numbers Number of
Applicants
Number of
Candidates to
Interview
Number of
Votes per
Councilmember
2 Full Terms
4/1/26 – 3/31/30
1, 4 11 Up to 6 4
PTC Eligibility Requirements13:
Palo Alto residency is required
Stormwater Management Oversight Commission (SWMOC)
Vacancies and
Term Dates
Seat Number Number of
Applicants
Number of
Candidates to
Interview
Number of
Votes per
Councilmember
1 Partial Term
4/1/26 – 10/31/26
4 0 N/A N/A
Staff recommends extending the recruitment for Stormwater Management Oversight Committee, as no applications have been received.
SWMOC Eligibility Requirements14:
Each Committee member shall be a resident of Palo Alto, an employee of a business located in Palo Alto or an owner of real property within the City. 13 Palo Alto Municipal Code 2.20.010 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0-0-0- 61274
14 Resolution 9969 https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=61425&dbid=0&repo=PaloAlto Utilities Advisory Commission (UAC)
Vacancies and
Term Dates
Seat Numbers Number of
Applicants
Number of
Candidates to
Interview
Number of
Votes per
Councilmember
3 Full Terms
4/1/26 – 3/31/29
3, 5, 6 10 Up to 8 6
UAC Eligibility Requirements17:
Each member shall be a utility customer or the authorized representative of a utility customer.
6 members of the commission shall at all times be residents of the City. oThe 4 commission members whose terms are not expiring in this recruitment are currently residents. Therefore, at least two Palo Alto residents must be appointed in this recruitment to maintain this requirement.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
None.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
City staff publicized the recruitment through the following methods:
Electronic distribution via the City’s Uplift Local community newsletter, City Clerk’s Office newsletter, City’s website, and City’s social media channels; Physical posting and distribution of flyers to 10 city locations including City Hall posting boards and public meetings, libraries, and community centers; Print and online ads in the Palo Alto Daily Post, as well as print ads in the Palo Alto Weekly; Paid LinkedIn Advertisement; and
Outreach to previous applicants, community-based organizations, and businesses related to the commissions’ purview.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Council action on this item is not a project as defined by CEQA because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5).
17 Palo Alto Municipal Code 2.23.010 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0-0-0- 61350
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: HRB Applications – Redacted
Attachment B: HRC Applications – Redacted
Attachment C: PTC Applications – Redacted
Attachment D: UAC Applications – Redacted
APPROVED BY:
Mahealani Ah Yun, City Clerk