City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Office of Emergency Services
Meeting Date: March 23, 2026
Report #: 2602-5930
TITLE
Approval of a Facility Agreement and Pet Addendum between the City of Palo Alto and the American Red Cross for the use of designated city facilities during disasters. CEQA Status – Not a Project
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council approve and authorize the City Manager to execute the Facility Use Agreement (Attachment A) and the Pet Addendum (Attachment B) with the American Red Cross to authorize the use of the Cubberley Community Center, Mitchell Park Community Center, and Lucie Stern Community Center facilities, grounds and equipment for emergency congregant shelters required during disasters and to meet the mass care needs of disaster survivors. The Red Cross survey documents are included for the above, with the exception of Lucie Stern, since that facility is not anticipated to be used for sheltering near-term, but could have other supportive roles.
BACKGROUND
In 1973 the City of Palo Alto entered into an agreement with the American Red Cross to provide disaster shelter at the Cubberley Community Center. This agreement benefited both the City and Red Cross by providing City staff assistance and a City facility to serve the residents of Palo Alto as a shelter during a disaster. The City updated this agreement in 20041 and again in 2008. It has not been updated since that time.
The identification and evaluation of all potential sheltering facilities and locations to serve as an emergency congregant center was an objective listed in the City of Palo Alto’s Emergency 1 City Council, June 28, 2004; CMR: 300:04
https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=77210&dbid=0&repo=PaloAlto&cr=1b
Management Plan3 ). Each update of the City’s Emergency Operations Plan has identified Shelter and Mass Care services as an emergency function the City should be ready to provide.
Since that time Cubberley Community Center has been the only city-owned property with a facility agreement with the Red Cross for use as a disaster shelter.
The Cubberley Community Center served as an emergency congregant shelter during the 1998 flood, sheltering approximately 200 residents in the Pavilion building. There has not been a significant disaster since 1998 requiring the activation of an emergency shelter, although there have been times since then where small numbers of individuals have been housed in hotels following periodic residential fires and flooding in 2023.
The American Red Cross maintains a national shelter database of all the facilities in the United States with a facility agreement. This is known as the National Shelter System (NSS) and in Palo Alto it includes not only city-owned properties, but also facilities owned by other agencies who also have existing agreements.
ANALYSIS
Palo Alto is required to plan for sheltering displaced residents per the City’s Emergency Operations Plan4. When the need to establish Red Cross shelters arises, the City and the Red Cross will coordinate the mass care needs of the community. When activated by the City’s Director of Emergency Services, this agreement will allow the Red Cross the use of Cubberley Community Center, and the Mitchell Park Community Center facilities, grounds and equipment as an emergency congregant shelter and to support mass care needs for disaster survivors. This agreement is inclusive of an addendum that grants permission to the Red Cross to permit its clients while occupying a portion of the Premises (“Client”) to keep only those pet(s) as specified in the addendum and in compliance with its terms and conditions.
Per the agreement, a facility may be activated upon request by the Red Cross and if feasible, permitted by the owner to occupy and use the facility on a temporary basis to conduct emergency, disaster-related activities. This decision will be based on the type and scale of an incident and availability of the facility at the time of the incident. The Red Cross will notify the Owner or Facility Coordinator of the date when the Red Cross will vacate the Facility, which will trigger a set of actions to deactivate the shelter.
3City Council, January 11, 1999; CMR: 379:98
https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=64162&page=1&dbid=0&repo=PaloAlto&searchid= 91162235-a12a-47b1-b282-5e8fcd36b79b&cr=1
4 City of Palo Alto Emergency Operations Plan, 2025;
https://www.paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/oes/plans/palo-alto-2025-emergency-operations-plan-final.pdf The operation of emergency shelter locations is a joint responsibility of the City of Palo Alto and the Red Cross. The Red Cross designates a Red Cross official to manage the activities at the facility. The City of Palo Alto designates a Facility Coordinator to coordinate with the Red Cross Manager. The City of Palo Alto will also provide staff and volunteer support within capabilities, to augment the efforts of Red Cross volunteers.
The Red Cross agrees to reimburse the City for any damage to the facility during use and replace foods or supplies that may be provided by the City and used by the Red Cross in the conduct of its relief activities as a shelter.
The Memorandum of Understanding shall remain in effect until terminated with written notice of non-renewal by either the City or the American Red Cross.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
This activity does not have financial impact. If the facility is used by the Red Cross during a disaster, the City will seek reimbursement for our costs from either the Red Cross, CalOES, or FEMA if eligible.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The Office of Emergency Services coordinated this staff report with the City Attorney’s Office and the Community Services Department.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed action is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as it involves a facility use agreement with no physical changes to the site.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Facility Use Agreement with the American Red Cross Attachment B: Pet Addendum to Facility Use Agreement
Attachment C: Red Cross Shelter Survey for Cubberley Community Center Attachment D: Red Cross Shelter Survey for Mitchell Park Community Center APPROVED BY:
OES Chief Kenneth Dueker, Director Office of Emergency Services