CITY OF SAN MATEO
CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 20 Section Name: CONSENT CALENDAR Account Number: 10-1511 File ID: 26-11473 TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: City Clerk's Office
MEETING DATE: July 20, 2026
SUBJECT:
Boards and Commission Appointment Subcommittee — Appointment Recommendation RECOMMENDATION:
Appoint Seema Patel to the Planning Commission for a full term from July 20, 2026, through June 10, 2030.
BACKGROUND:
On June 1, 2026, the City Council appointed James Horsman to the Planning Commission for a full four-year term beginning June 10, 2026, and ending June 10, 2030. As part of the same appointment process, the City Council also established a six-month eligibility list for potential future appointments, placing Seema Patel first in priority order and Thomas Braham second.
On June 10, 2026, Mr. Horsman submitted his resignation from the Planning Commission due to a new conflict with his employment schedule, creating an unscheduled vacancy.
Chapter 11, Section 2.J.1 of the City Council’s adopted Rules and Procedures for Boards and Commissions establishes the process for filling unscheduled vacancies (which is also referenced in Chapter 13, Section 3.N.1 of the City Council Rules and Procedures). Subject to the requirements of the Maddy Act (Government Code Section 54970 et seq.), the City Council may fill an unscheduled vacancy by either:
1. Appointing an individual from an existing eligibility list, if one is available; or
2. Directing staff to conduct a new recruitment process.
Because a current eligibility list was established as part of the June 1, 2026, appointment process, the City Council considered options for filling the vacancy at its June 15, 2026, Special Meeting. At that meeting, the City Council directed staff to return with a Consent Calendar item to appoint Seema Patel, the first-priority candidate on the eligibility list, to fill the unscheduled vacancy on the Planning Commission.
BUDGET IMPACT:
There is no budgetary impact associated with this administrative action.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This appointment recommendation is not a project subject to 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).)
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
This staff report supports the Organizational Health and Good Governance initiative.
CITY OF SAN MATEO
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – Boards, Commissions and Committees List
STAFF CONTACT
Martin McTaggart, City Clerk
[email protected]
(650) 522-7042