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Home My WebLink AboutStaff Report 2508-5097CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL Special Meeting Wednesday, October 22, 2025 Council Chambers & Hybrid 5:30 PM Agenda Item 1.Appointment of Candidates to the Human Relations Commission (HRC), Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC), and Public Art Commission (PAC); CEQA Status: Not a Project Staff Presentation City Council Staff Report Report Type: BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES APPOINTMENTS Lead Department: City Clerk Meeting Date: October 22, 2025 Report #:2508-5097 TITLE Appointment of Candidates to the Human Relations Commission (HRC), Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC), and Public Art Commission (PAC); CEQA Status: Not a Project RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the City Council appoint members to fill 3 vacancies on HRC, 3 vacancies on PRC, and 3 vacancies on PAC. BACKGROUND Recruitment The Fall 2025 Boards and Commissions recruitment opened on August 22, 2025, and closed on September 24, 2025. Details on the vacancies and recruitment are summarized in the below table. Applications may be accessed online1. The City Council conducted interviews on October 15, 2025, which may be viewed on the City’s YouTube Channel2 . Commission Membership Requirements Membership requirements for HRC, PRC, and PAC are listed below. Additionally, no commissioners can be Councilmembers, officers, or employees of the City. 1 City Council, October 6, 2025; Agenda Item #2; SR # 2508-5096 https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=83629&dbid=0&repo=PaloAlto 2 City of Palo Alto YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@cityofpaloalto Human Relations Commission – Palo Alto residency5 Parks and Recreation Commission – Palo Alto residency and demonstrated interest in parks, open space and recreation matters6 Public Art Commission - shall be either members of the architectural review board or professional visual artists, professional visual arts educators, professional visual arts scholars, or visual arts collectors whose authorities and skills are known and respected in the community and, whenever feasible, who have demonstrated an interest in, and have participated in, the arts program of the city7 Voting The City Clerk will conduct live voting during the meeting and will announce the results and how each Councilmember voted. Each Councilmember may select up to 3 applicants per commission. A majority of 4 votes is required to appoint a candidate. Additional rounds of voting may be required if there is a tie or no candidates receive a majority of votes. 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, and the City’s social media channels. The recruitment was also advertised in both print and online in the Palo Alto Daily Post and Palo Alto Weekly. Recruitment information was also posted at Palo Alto libraries and City Hall and emailed to previous applicants, community-based organizations and businesses related to the commissions’ 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). APPROVED BY: Mahealani Ah Yun, City Clerk 5 Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 1.22.010 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0- 6 Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 2.25.020 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0- 7 Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 2.18.020 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0- 2025 Fall RecruitmentBoard and CommissionsAppointments Presenter: Christine Prior, Assistant City Clerk Nicole Bissell, Administrative Associate III October 22, 2025 www.PaloAlto.gov •Included in this recruitment: o Human Relations Commission (HRC) – 3 full-term vacancies o Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) – 3 full-term vacancies o Public Art Commission (PAC) – 3 full-term vacancies •Voting Process: o Each Councilmember has 1 vote per vacancy o 4 votes are needed to appoint a candidate o Additional rounds of voting will be conducted to resolve ties 2025 FALL RECRUITMENT 3 Full-Term Vacancies •Allyson C. Rosen: •Bridget Algee: Burt, Lythcott-Haims (2) •Mare Lucas: •Michelle Kraus: Burt, Lauing, Lu, Lythcott-Haims, Reckdahl, Stone, Veenker (7) •Raizel Rosenberg: Lauing, Lu, Stone (3) •Salwa Ansari: Burt, Lu, Lythcott-Haims, Reckdahl, Veenker (5) •Sridhar Karnam: Lauing, Reckdahl, Stone, Veenker (4) •Sunny Dykwel: •None of the Above: HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION (ROUND 1) 3 Full-Term Vacancies •Bobi Adle: Burt, Reckdahl (2) •Brenton Hanlon: •Drew Pearson: [Application withdrawn by applicant] •Hurjane Vongsachang: [Application withdrawn by applicant] •Marc Schoenen: Lu, Lythcott-Haims, Veenker (3)* •Nellis L. Freeman, Jr.: Burt, Lauing, Lu, Lythcott-Haims, Reckdahl, Stone, Veenker (7) •Roger V. Smith: Burt, Lauing, Lu, Lythcott-Haims, Reckdahl, Stone (6) •Vadim Axelrod: Lauing, Stone, Veenker (3)* •None of the Above: PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION (ROUND 1) * Additional Round of Voting Necessary to Resolve Tie 3 Full-Term Vacancies •Anjana Joshi: Burt, Lauing, Stone (3)* •Claude Ezran: Reckdahl (1) •Donny Foley: •Eedit Bareket: •Marilyn Gottlieb Roberts: Lu, Lythcott-Haims, Veenker (3)* •Robin Mullery: Burt, Lauing, Lu, Lythcott-Haims, Reckdahl, Stone, Veenker (7) •Simon Tran: Burt, Lauing, Lu, Lythcott-Haims, Reckdahl, Stone, Veenker (7) •None of the Above: PUBLIC ART COMMISSION (ROUND 1) * Additional Round of Voting Necessary to Resolve Tie •Marc Schoenen: Burt, Lu, Lythcott-Haims (3) •Vadim Axelrod: Lauing, Reckdahl, Stone, Veenker (4) •None of the Above: PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION (ROUND 2) •Anjana Joshi: Burt, Lauing, Reckdahl, Stone, Veenker (5) •Marilyn Gottlieb Roberts: Lu, Lythcott-Haims (2) •None of the Above: PUBLIC ART COMMISSION (ROUND 2)