City Council
Staff Report
Report Type: SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY
Lead Department: City Clerk
Meeting Date: August 24, 2026
Report #:2605-6350
TITLE
Review Applications and Select Candidates to Interview for Vacancies on the Historic Resources Board (HRB); CEQA Status – Not a Project
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council review applications, select all three (3) candidates to interview for the Historic Resources Board, and provide direction on continuing HRB recruitment efforts.
BACKGROUND
The Spring 2026 Boards & Commissions recruitment opened on January 13, 2026, and closed on February 18, 2026. Three full-term positions on the HRB were included in the recruitment, and three applications were received for the HRB during the initial recruitment period. Recruitment for the Historic Resources Board was extended to remain open until a sufficient number of qualified applications were received.
The City Clerk’s Office has continued additional recruitment efforts, including additional outreach and advertising. Two applicants from the initial recruitment period are still under consideration, and one applicant has since withdrawn. One additional application was received during the extended recruitment period, totaling three applications currently under consideration.
Staff recommends moving forward with interviews for the three current applicants to avoid further delays in filling the HRB vacancies, and to allow timely consideration of applicants who have been awaiting the next steps in the recruitment process.
Council may direct staff to continue the extended recruitment. Ordinance 55291 allows for commissioners with expired terms to continue serving on a temporary basis until appointments are made. Two commissioners have continued to serve on expired terms while recruitment is 1 Ordinance 5529 https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=47708&dbid=0&repo=PaloAlto
open, though only one of these commissioners is seeking reappointment. One commissioner with an expiring term chose not to continue serving during extended recruitment. While the holdover provision provides continuity during the recruitment process, relying on commissioners to serve beyond their appointed terms is intended to be temporary and may not be sustainable through continued recruitment extensions. Further delay in appointments may result in lack of quorum for the HRB.
Interview and Appointment Process
At its May 5, 2025, meeting, the City Council approved a process to select which applicants to interview for BCC vacancies3. 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 Based on the Council approved process, all three candidates would be invited to interview.
Council has the discretion to authorize a different process if directed. BCC candidate interviews are tentatively scheduled for the September 9, 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 September 14, 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.
ANALYSIS
A summary of the openings, eligibility requirements, and term lengths for the HRB vacancies 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# 2504-4537 https://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 Historic Resources Board (HRB)
Vacancies and Term
Dates
Seat Numbers Number of
Applicants
Number of Candidates
to Interview
3 Full Terms
4/1/26 – 3/31/29
1, 2, 3 3 3 (Interview all
candidates per Council’s
approved process7)
HRB Eligibility Requirements8:
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 expired terms in this recruitment. At least one new appointment must meet this requirement.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
None.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
City staff publicized the recruitment through the City’s Uplift Local community newsletter, City Clerk’s Office newsletters, the City’s website, the City’s social media channels, as well as LinkedIn advertising. The recruitment was advertised in both print and online in the Palo Alto Daily Post, and the Palo Alto Weekly print. Recruitment information was posted at Palo Alto 7 City Council, May 5, 2025; Agenda Item #11, SR# 2504-4537 https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=83381 8 Palo Alto Municipal Code 2.27.010 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0-0-0- 61517
libraries, City Hall, and public facing facilities. Information was emailed to previous applicants, community-based organizations, and businesses related to the commission’s issue areas.
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).
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: HRB Applications – Redacted
APPROVED BY:
Mahealani Ah Yun, City Clerk