City Council - Regular Meeting

Okay, good evening everyone. If you could take your seats, we're going to get started. I would like to call to order the regular meeting of the Palo Alto City Council for Monday, January 5th, 2026. If the clerk would please call the role. Yes, sir. Council member Stone here. Council member Bert here. Vice Mayor Vinker here. Council member Lith Haynes here. Council member Lou here. Council member Rectal here. Mayor Ling here. All present.

All right. Thank you. Okay. Great to see a full house tonight. And we have uh a number of folks visiting from other jurisdictions. We've uh identified a number of uh elected officials coming in the door and may have missed others. So, we're going to call out a few of them and then see who we missed. Our supervisor, Margaret Daboga over here. Thank you. [applause] Uh Nicholas Hargus representing Representative Licardo's office. There he is. [applause] Uh Alex Kobayashi from Senator Becker's office. [applause] Uh Helen Walter from Assembly Member Mark Burman's office. And then also from other surrounding jurisdictions, uh, Sergio Lopez Campbell, there he is. Hi, Sergio. Uh, Nissa Flegor with multiple titles now, including uh, uh, assessor elect. There she is. [applause] Uh Terry Godfrey of Foothill uh Danza board president [applause] Linda Swan Los Altos Hills council member [applause] and I hope we didn't miss anybody but if we did tell us all right thank you and thanks for thanks for coming for this evening's uh events. Well, tonight is our special uh organizational meeting uh at which the city council elects its new mayor and vice mayor for uh 2026. [clears throat] Uh those are the only official action items for tonight, although we will have a routine public comment at the end. Um [clears throat] so the as I said the first couple of items are are that um

before we move on to uh 26 uh I want to take a few moments uh to do my thank yous for uh 2025 uh including a number of the uh folks the elected officials in the audience from who uh who I had a chance to work with this year. Um but I have I have a lot of people to thank and and as always I want to start with our residents who um put me on this dis 3 years ago and uh gave me the chance to work for them [clears throat] which is really a terrific opportunity and um I hope you feel the love every time that we're out there doing that as council members. I want to quickly follow that by thanking my colleagues here on the dis uh who elected me last year uh as mayor and work just admirably admirably for our citizens uh in a very collegial purposeful way on the issues not on ideology uh to get stuff done and that's what uh we like to do. [clears throat] I I said a year ago tonight that I had um very high optimism uh that this group of seven particular characters here was [clears throat] going to be very productive and do great things. Uh and I think that's exactly what happened uh because of that attitude and that work ethic. Um and it's just it was just a terrific working relationship. But especially I want to thank Vice Mayor Vinker and our working relationship. We worked just extremely well together individually and with staff uh to move things forward. Um not surprisingly, we truly enjoyed doing it as well. And um we also enjoyed the uh outcomes as well as the interaction. And honestly, I it just could not have worked any better. I was just it was just a delight uh to work together every day. And it pretty much was every day. Uh so uh I I hope the best and the same uh for the next uh leadership team. And finally, I want to thank city staff. Uh

council can make all the policy decisions they want. Uh and if staff doesn't execute with a high bar for quality and timeline, we get nothing done. So symbolically, I'll thank the city manager and uh the acting city attorney uh for all of the staff that we work with at at all levels. Uh, I don't have time to recap all the stuff that council accomplished and I'd like to because of all the things that we did. Um, I would recommend that you take a look at the recap in the Pala Weekly, the print version of which was December 26th, uh, where they gave a year-end recap of all the stuff that that was accomplished and it's a very long list. So, um, please take a look at that. So, anyway, I um enjoyed being the council quarterback this year. Um, it was intense. It was all-encompassing every day. Uh it's a very demanding job, not just ceremonial as some people think. Um but it's also an honor and quite enjoyable to interact in that role with so many citizens on that level. Uh just speaking to them, listening to them, uh and kind of trying to move their particular ball forward depending on their their group. So now I shift to a a new role on this team uh and have the same commitment of energy and focus uh for our residents uh going forward. So thanks to all of you and all of you and to the residents for all the work in 25 and all the support. [clears throat] [applause] [applause] Thank you. That's enough.

[applause]

Thank you. So, the first item is the swearing in of the mayor to be followed by the vice mayor for 2026. And um for the council and the public, I want to note in addition to the normal procedure for our annual reorganization. Um this year we've decided to add an official swearing in ceremony for the new mayor and vice mayor uh as they assume their leadership roles. Uh frankly, we're just a little bit behind on that. Um the uh uh that's consistent with the practice of most of our neighboring uh towns. uh and also it's consistent with what we do with council members including reelected council members. So uh we thought that we better catch up on that and uh do that appropriately after the election of each leader. Then they will go down to the speaking platform where they will be sworn in and administering the oath of office will be Mary Hughes. So that's the process that we're going to that we're going to take on. Okay. So, the process for that, I'll just read through the procedures in our in our manual. Um, I will accept nominations from council members for the position of mayor. Council members may nominate themselves or another council member. No second is required. And with all seven council members present tonight, four votes are required for appointment. Um, after I collect the nominations, I'll invite people to speak in the following order. And that is first the council member who made the nomination can speak on behalf of the nomination. Then council members who are nominated may speak and then any other council member can speak. Uh and then after that members of the public

can be heard on the particular uh office that's being voted for. Then we'll we'll go on from the uh to the vote from there. Uh general a reminder again general public is going to be sorry general public comment is going to be at the end of the meeting. Specific comments uh that anybody wants to make on behalf of one of the candidates is made in this format right up here. So so we'll get to the voting later. So [clears throat] okay the floor is now open for nominations for mayor of Palo Alto for 2026. [snorts] [clears throat] Well, seeing no immediate lights, I could just stay on for a year. But but I don't want to do that because instead I would like to nominate for mayor uh Vice Mayor Ver and I will give comments on that. Uh but I would like to hear that she would like to accept that.

I would. Thank you.

Okay. So I've had the opportunity now to work with her for three years but very intensely in this this last year and matched up all that experience against what I feel and and now know uh is a core requirement for for this job. Uh and that core requirement is a demonstrated leadership experience and successfully. Um, that's what I've experienced with our vice mayor time after time after time this year. Um, in many, many, many hours of working together in many settings, uh, we've all witnessed her leadership on issues and on the, uh, commissions, sorry, the, um, committees that she chairs, uh, as well as the committee that she chairs externally in many regional boards. Um, I've seen it in many off- camerara settings. uh and sometimes one-on-one, sometimes with staff and so on. And uh here's here's my bottom line is that she's proactive going after issues and problems, not receptive. She has great people skills, critical skills, very good judgment at the end of the day on making a decision or recommendation, [clears throat] and an offthecharts Midwestern work ethic. She also learned a lot about city process in the last year with our 45 pre meetings and other meetings that went along with that. [clears throat] I have complete confidence and it's very high in her skills and now experience uh to succeed in this role. So I would happily have her serve as our mayor in 2026. Your witness

[laughter]

Well, thank you so much, Mayor Lowing, for the nomination. I'm deeply honored by your trust in me, and if I am selected, I will undertake this office with as much effort, skill, and integrity that I can summon. Several decades ago, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan said that the people want an America as good as its promise. Well, our residents want a PaloAlto as good as its promise. And the promise of PaloAlto is substantial. And I would be honored to help move us toward that promise. And I want to give back to the city that has given so much to me. When Tim and I moved here 32 years ago, uh it was great opportunity for a patent and intellectual property lawyer. There were inventions left and right, but we both worked hard at our jobs, got involved in the community, and started a family. And then PaloAlto gave us the best bit best gift possible. You took care of us. neighbors, teachers, church members, police officers, coaches, and so many more embraced our family. And so I'm grateful that this moment gives me an opportunity to say thank you to PaloAlto. And so now, having served on council for three years and on every major council committee and having represented the city on regional bodies, I believe I am prepared to help lead this city forward in these uncertain times. And then really nice thing is that the mayor is not a role that one performs alone, but rather in concert with all of these wonderful fellow council members up here. So yes, thank you for the nomination. I accept it. [applause]

Any any other council members can also speak uh to this nominee? Council Hs.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This may be the last time that I get to say that and I do want to thank you. You've been extraordinary and we've been fortunate to work alongside you uh trying to tackle the city's greatest challenges. Thank you for your service. To the vice mayor, thank you for accepting the nomination. I have been waiting for this moment. As a fellow Midwesterner and as your colleague, I'm delighted that you are now at this point. You mentioned effort, skill, and integrity, and I think those are tremendously accurate words to describe you. We have been so fortunate that you chose to take uh decades of experience and national n international reputation for policy hard work and devote those efforts to serving this great little city. um you were the top vote getter when the mayor you and I ran back in 2022 and um so we've already heard from the public that they rever you and we're delighted to give you the opportunity to serve the city. Uh I'll point to a handful of things I'm so grateful to you for in terms of your leadership in um our years together on this council. I won't forget that as the Cubberly real estate negotiations were um struggling to reach the finish line, you were the one that ran the ball at the end. And here we are now still working on Crberly, but [clears throat] the relationship with the school district around its land about whether they would sell it to us is no longer a question. You and Council Member Stone abley

guided a wounded, angry city in the wake of October 7th. Together, you guided community toward an agreement about what we would discuss and would not discuss when it came to Israel and Gaza. And I know that those conversations were challenging and heartfelt and there was no easy way forward, but the fact that you stepped into the breach was admirable, both of you. Um, more recently as chair of policy and services, you decided we needed to have a conversation about the impact of oversized vehicles parked alongside city streets impacting businesses and residents while also taking a deep concern in the actual lived experience of the people who live in oversized vehicles. And you navigated that and you steered that and ultimately brought that difficult necessary conversation to council. And I'm grateful to you for that leadership. And then climate clearly your runaway passion, your undergraduate major. Do you have a PhD in chemistry? Okay. Uh I wouldn't play one on TV.

You play one on TV. Um undergraduate major in chemistry. Your passion for the science shines through in every nerdy conversation you have on this immense topic that impacts us in PaloAlto, us in Silicon Valley, us in California, us in on in this on this planet obviously and the delight you take in having those conversations and in trying to help people understand what's going on, appreciate the challenges, appreciate the opportunities, and develop the guts to move the right solutions forward. I have learned from you on climate change and sustainability and of all the areas in which you shine for me that is where your leadership has shone brightest and certainly that is where you have taken us as a city onto an international stage. So uh I could go on and on. I won't. I know other colleagues have plenty of things to say, but I just want to say what a joy and delight it has been to call you my colleague. We did not know each other before we ran at the same time and um I've been tremendously positively impacted by your leadership and by your friendship. [snorts]

Any other council members want to speak? and then Keith Counc Stone.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, and would too like to appreciate your your service to the city this year. Uh, and also incredibly excited for Vice Mayor Vinger to be able to step into the role as as mayor. Council member Liths already mentioned a lot that I would that I was going to talk about, but I I think one of the great things about doing this work is the relationships that we get to build and friendships and relationships that never would have existed but for this type of service. And I know we've experienced that with so many people in this room and also amongst our our colleagues. And had I not done this work, I would never have gotten to know uh the the vice mayor, soon to be mayor, a and and the work that we've done together, both both the personal and and the professional, and just really appreciate what you've done for this for this city. And in particular, um, what Councilman Liths mentioned about the the unity statement and that work and the public was not privy to those kind of those discussions behind closed doors, but they were incredibly challenging. And the reason why I I tapped the vice mayor at that at that time was your reputation for being a a mediator. And I say you far exceeded that that reputation. And I was just really, I'd say, starruck in that room, seeing how you how you navigated that incredibly challenging process. And um and and we came through through that process, I think, in in such a positive way and really brought some some some unity uh to the to the city at one of probably the most challenging times that our city has ever gone through. So, I really want to appreciate your work there and I know the type of leader you are and the type of leader you will be as mayor in 2026. So, very excited to support this nomination.

Council Recall.

Yeah. A year ago, I said something to the effect that you're wellliked, well respected, and would do an excellent job as vice mayor. And you've proven me correct. I was glad to work next to you on council. you being a a climate uh very passionate climate uh action person. I've been proud to see you go around to regional bodies, go across the country, go around the world representing Palto and we're very lucky to have you for that. Um and if we need any further evidence of your leadership is the one meeting where Mayor Lowin was, oh, you ran and it end up early. I had a schedule. [laughter] That doesn't happen very often. So, so I will make the same prediction. I will predict that you'll be a wonderful mayor and we'll all be proud of you. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Lou.

Thank you, Mayor. Council member Vinker, I am so pleased to support your nomination. You've been a committed leader for our city. You've been a committed leader for our region. You've really driven the agenda forward in Palo Alto with uh your work as vice mayor but also on coverly on the unity statement on uh so many committee issues. You've been an amazing mentor and friend to me and uh you will be an amazing mayor. You're one of the great communicators of our city. You will make us proud in so many different settings uh that um you know we can't always predict in advance. and uh I'm excited to support you,

Council Member Bert.

Thank you. And uh first I too would like to uh thank Mayor Lowing for his year of service uh as mayor and and really the the steady hand and the uh the focus on um helping lead the council and the city toward the the uh furthering our city council goals and and our values as a community and tackling the the uh problems that we and challenges that we face in just a very focused even keel manner um to help move us to forward as a council has really been appreciated and um I just want to echo u my colleagues support for uh Vice Mayor Vinker to be uh elevated to to mayor u she has an exceptional commitment to public policy uh uh in before this role as council and on on the council. Um, I I particularly value uh her her commitment on climate policy, including uh her leadership role at the regional air quality board, which is a very important position and um and I really look forward to uh this year advancing our goals and and her leadership in supporting and leading the council toward fulfillment of those goals. So, the best of luck. Okay. Thank you. I don't see any other lights for any other nominations. So, um I think that's evidence that we're ready to uh take public comment.

We have three requests to speak for item one. Our first speaker is Margaret A. remembered I was here a year ago. Sergio Lopez, city of uh uh Campbell, now uh past mayor uh but uh still chair of ETA. Uh just wanting to offer my appreciation to um Mayor Ed Lowing for his service and steady hand um and grateful for the time you shared with me um and just discussing your your local issues and want to express my uh congratulations that I I'm sure will soon be in order to the next mayor and um Vicki I've had the pleasure of working with you on a number of the bodies that were mentioned um and consider you a colleague uh and friend and just know my door is is open. Um if we can support work together any of your many priorities and and initiatives. Um and also want to offer my uh presumptive congratulations to whoever is elected as the next uh vice mayor and uh extend all that. You have many colleagues to uh who would be able in that role to choose from. Um but congratulations um on on this occasion. Truly glad I could be here for you. Thank you. and that concludes public comment for item one. [cough and clears throat]

Okay. So, given that there's one nominee, we don't need to do this by electronic vote. So, um, we can do, uh, roll call vote. All right. Voting on the nomination for council member Vinker as mayor for 2026. [snorts] Council member Rectal, yes. Council member Liths, heck, yes. Council member Stone, yes. Council member Vinker, yes. Council member Lou, yes. Council member Lowing, yes. Council member Bert. Yes.

Motion carries unanimously. Congratulations. [applause] [applause] Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Vicky Vinker,

I, Vicky Vinker, do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support and defend that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the United States the Charter of the City of PaloAlto the Charter of the City of PaloAlto and the Constitution of the State of California and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies foreign and domestic. against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That I will bear true faith and allegiance that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States to the Constitution of the United States the charter of the city of PaloAlto the charter of the city of PaloAlto

and the Constitution of the State of California and the Constitution of the State of California. that I take this obligation freely That I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion or purpose of evasion and that I will well and faithfully and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter upon which I am about to enter.

Congratulations [applause] Thank you. [clears throat] Doesn't take long. My name tag was already changed. [laughter]

Oh my. And uh Mayor Vinker will be uh conducting the next election for Vice Mayor.

All right. Thank you. [clears throat] It's going to be rough. Council member Lowing. [laughter] Well, and thank you sincerely to all of my colleagues for entrusting me to serve as your mayor. I could not be more honored, thrilled, and truly humbled by the words you said about me. I also want to thank this extraordinary assembly of people in attendance tonight, and I know there's a lot more online. my family, a tremendous number of elected officials, our extremely talented staff, members of our much envied business community, extraordinary community leaders and friends and neighbors. Really, thanks for being here. So, as we emerge from the holidays, we often take a fresh look at the world. I know that this holiday season has been a time of reflection and joy for many, including me. And wouldn't it be great if we could take that feeling of joy into the new year to be servant leaders who really inspire others and create a culture of optimism and hope. When I thought about the year ahead, I thought about three things. The tremendous promise of PaloAlto, the goals that I hope our council will set for 2026 to realize that promise. and what type of leader best serves the city and those goals. So, first I note that the promise [clears throat] of this area was first recognized by the Aloney people who lived on the unseated land that we currently occupy. Much later, Leland and Jane Stanford established Stanford University, bringing the promise of great education to the peninsula. In 1894, PaloAlto was incorporated with the promise of publiclyowned utilities. And I see our utility director there in the back. Something that sets this city

apart. Well, in the 1900s, PaloAlto grew and grew. And today, PaloAlto is known as the birthplace of Silicon Valley, promising innovation, connection, and prosperity. So now with this awe inspiring heritage, what will we promise the next generation of Palo Alton? Well, there are many goals that I hope we set later this month at our retreat, but I want to particularly encourage three. Greater housing for all residents, continuing to lead on climate action, and improving the Cubly Community Center. For housing, while we need to get moving on many fronts, there are three milestones I implore us to keep as priorities. Project HomeKey is nearing the finish line. This transitional housing for our unhoused neighbors will have on-site supportive services with a capacity to serve over 200 individuals annually. Homekeep paves a path to self-sufficiency. So, let's get it open before our summer break. Senior housing. The seniors who so enrich our community are facing a significant housing shortage with affordable senior housing being even more of a crisis. We have a moral imperative to look out for the seniors who earlier looked out for us and really made the city what it is today. Fortunately, we have a city-owned parking lot right behind Avanita uh senior center downtown within walking distance of shopping and transit. So, let's try to accelerate an RFP for affordable senior housing at this site. And third, to help make these and other

housing projects happen, let's get HCD's proousing designation this year. This designation would give PaloAlto priority status when applying for various funding programs and it also allows access to affordable housing fund funds from the pro housing incentive program. Staff has already taken initial steps to get this done. Council should ensure that they have enough resources to bring this home and unlock enabling funding for housing more broadly. The next priority is to continuing to lead on climate action. That is a passion and we did successfully as a city uh execute the work plan supporting our ambitious sustainability and climate action plan. And a new two-year work plan is about to come to council, including work on carbon neutrality. But the hot topic right now is how do we reap the benefits of AI without exacerbating climate change with power- hungry data centers? Well, cities have a key role to play with land use and zoning powers. So, I'm proud to announce that we are working with Stanford University to convene a conference this year on sustainable data centers to explore best practices and potential solutions such as model ordinances with international experts, city policy makers, energy and tech representatives, climate advocates, and academics. And PaloAlto is exactly the right community to be thought leaders on this thorny topic. We birthed the industry. We are innovators and problem solvers and we have a whole lot of smart engineers and others committed to climate action in our town. The third priority is Cberly Community

Center. I was delighted last year as uh council member Lithcott HS described that we brought home a deal with the school district to pursue upgrading Coverly. It is a beloved and vibrant and dilapidated center uh that has the location, footprint, and size to really be a thriving community center. We've been polling, holding visioning sessions, and preparing financial analyses to discern what PaloAltos would most like to see in a revitalized center and how much they want to do in phase one. So, after almost 20 years of effort, this is our shot. So, let's do all we can to see a resident-driven, right-sized proposal on the November ballot that will help us realize the promise of this community treasure. So, there's more to do and we'll have tough choices in a difficult budget year, but I believe that hitting these milestones would be key to a successful 2026. But hitting our milestones will take leadership. I spoke earlier about inspiring others by being joyful servant leaders. But who inspires us? I take inspiration from a number of leaders. But the three people who inspire me most just stood up with me a few minutes ago. I'm inspired by my younger daughter, appropriately named Faith. After college, she accepted a neuroscience research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. But last year, new policies froze laboratory credit cards and limited access to scientific databases. And the government shutdown kept her from attending a neuroscience conference where she was to have

received an an award. But she keeps going. She continues her research on the biology of addiction and substance use disorders. She distributes Narcan on the streets of DC in her spare time. She's now applying to doctoral programs despite the severe cuts to grant funding so she can continue her work on opioid, alcohol, and other substance use disorders. By addressing this public health crisis in both red and blue states, she models how we must persevere to serve those in need regardless of our differences. I'm also inspired by my older daughter, appropriately named Hope, who in April of 2024 was detailed from the FBI to the National Security Council at the White House. And out of a sense of patriotism and responsibility, she continued her work at the White House after last November's election, working weekends and evenings to ensure that this nation's national security had the best transition possible from the Biden administration to the Trump administration. She did this despite the new administration's promise to fire everyone at the NSC on election day or on inauguration day. Ultimately, they did not, but no one knew whether that would happen. So, hope is a shining example of how you don't have to agree with everyone you work with, but you need to do your best work with them for the public good. And when that's no longer possible, you find other ways to serve. So, I'm proud that she is now pursuing a graduate degree in public policy, preparing to return to public service after that experience.

[snorts]

And finally, my husband Tim. He is a remarkable human being. He has spent his entire career providing direct services to people in crisis. When we were first married, he was a child protective services case worker in New York City. Today, he's a victim advocate in the district attorney's office, supporting victims of violent crime in this county, including right here in PaloAlto. I don't know how he does it. Few of us could handle constantly witnessing personal trauma firsthand, but he maintains a remarkable sense of optimism that inspires me to move past the much smaller slights real and imagine that come with public service. You all know what I'm talking about. [laughter] So these three who work weekends that no one sees, feeding lab mice, preparing national security briefings, taking calls from a crime victim who has to testify on a Monday morning are the models that I look to when I consider how I want to show up for the people of PaloAlto. And I believe that if like them we all enter the new year prioritizing mutual respect, true communication, and center on those whom we serve, then we will have a profoundly successful year. Thank you. [applause]

[applause]

All right. And with that, we will move on to our second agenda item, election of the 2026 vice mayor. So, the floor is now open for nominations for vice mayor. Council members may nominate themselves or another council member and no second is required. So if you have a nomination, please light up your light. All right, Council Member Lou. Thank you, Mayor Vinker. I am excited to nominate Council Member Stone as Vice Mayor for 2026. for everyone's contacts. Vice mayor, the vice mayor helps plan our agendas and also fills in for the mayor in a variety of uh capacities when the mayor is unavailable. But the most important aspect about the vice mayor is that our norm is that the vice mayor becomes the mayor in the following year. We have multiple great options for vice mayor, but I believe Greer has earned it for 2026. Zooming out, Greer did earn the most votes in the 2024 election cycle, and we don't have consistent norms on how we uh elect vice mayors, but we loosely look at a rotation, and we also loosely look at vote counts. I look to our 2022 class of council members uh who have recently served as mayor or who have uh publicly chosen not to be in the running. And then I look to our 2024 class and I look at how Greer has earned nearly 15,000 votes uh in that election cycle. And so Greer didn't earn these votes by chance. In the previous years, he demonstrated that he can find compromise under pressure. I'm thinking about his work on the El Camino focus area with regard to housing and his work with Mayor Vinker on the unity statement. He's called and really led on efforts for mental health. So he assembled the youth task force. But just in this past year, I think things really culminated in an

engagement with the Jed Foundation, which can force some deep intros introspection with the city and a variety of stakeholders uh including the school district. And I think that introspection is actually that's a huge accomplishment and will make a huge difference. Uh I'll also note that Greer has been a workforce behind the scenes especially on water and environmental issues. You are on so many ad hocs. You lead in so many of our close sessions. You've represented Paul Walter interests well with Basa, with the San Francisco Creek Authority, SFO, and more. And so for these reasons, I'm proud to nominate Council Member Stone. He'd be an excellent vice mayor.

Thank you. And we'll let the nominees speak at the after all nominations are in. So, Council Member Liths. Thank you, Madame Mayor. How does that sound? I didn't I didn't respond to it exactly. [laughter] [gasps]

Well, I'll start by saying that there are those who might say that this year it's my turn for vice mayor. I'm grateful to the members of our community who believe in my capacity for leadership and to the colleagues who have supported me. And most of all, I'm grateful to my family for their constant love and support. My incredible partner of 37 years, Dan, is here tonight, as is our eldest child, our son Sawyer. Our baby Avery, is half a world away, but she is always here in our hearts. But the thing is, it's never simply someone's turn for mayor or vice mayor in this city. And certainly, nobody is owed such a role, ever. Each year, this council makes a deliberate choice about who is the right person to lead in this moment. That's how it should be. Therefore, because I know that there are others better suited than I am to assume this leadership role in our city at this time. For that reason, I am delighted to nominate Council Member Keith Rectal to be Palo Alto's next vice mayor. Now, I didn't know Council Member Rectal until we began working together one year ago tonight, but I knew from his excellent reputation that leadership in the city and his devotion to some of our greatest challenges that his leadership in the city and his devotion to some of our greatest challenges has been profoundly impactful since I think 2012. His experience on the PTC and the PRC shine through every single conversation he has in this role, as does his significant experience in various other city committees, including the NVCAP, the XCAP, the housing element, and the

comprehensive plan, and probably others I have failed to mention. Council member Rectal Doll's service to this city is deep. Starting a year ago, I began to experience his wisdom and his collegial manner firsthand. Council member Rd Doll and I have served together on the finance committee where I find his approach to our city's challenging budget situation to be very astute and informative. And often he is able to spot the issue first or to spot the issue no one else could see except for maybe council member Bird. Council member Rdell and I also sit on the retail committee together where his enthusiasm and excitement for improving our retail districts is matched by his pragmatism. We also sit on a Cberly ad hoc together and I listen as he asks the questions aimed at figuring out how we will land what is effectively an F-14 onto the tiniest of runways. Quite a task. And we also serve on the oversized vehicles ad hoc committee where I listen to him balance seemingly irreconcilable priorities. And then there's housing. He brings an incredibly sharp mind and skilled approach to figuring out where we will build and what we will build and how we will get it done. I know he is devoted to that task, that topic, which is the reason first and foremost that I ran to be on council. I must pause and say to my colleague, Council Member Stone that I have the utmost respect for you and considerable affection for you, too. Sitting next to this guy has been a joy this year. And I have no doubt that Council Member Stone

would make an excellent vice mayor again and perhaps mayor again. I'm nominating Council Member Rectal tonight because I simply don't see a need to rotate in our most experienced players when the bench is strong and deep. Just as Mayor Lowing was ready to step up in his second year of service on council, Council Member Rectal is ready, more than ready to take this step in his second year. Sometimes the challenges in our great small city do feel like rocket science. So it makes good sense to have a rocket scientist helping to steer the way. He also brings the collaborative and collegial approach of a Midwesterner. Council member Rectal, I hope you'll accept my nomination. We would be so fortunate to have you serve as our city's next vice mayor.

[applause] Are there any further nominations? Seeing none, I'm going to ask each nominee if they would like to speak to their nominations, starting with Council Member Stone.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. And um do you want to appreciate Council Member Lou for uh for the nomination. I'm I'm definitely I appreciate it. I know serving on this council has been one of the great honors of my life. I've been very proud of all that we've been able to accomplish together oftent times under such intense pressure with high stakes for our residents and in moments when consensus has not been easy but but but necessary. And the vice mayor, as kind of council member Lou talked about earlier, really plays a quiet but important role. It's helping ensure continuity and being able to step in seamlessly when needed, being able to represent the council thoughtfully and being in particular a partner with the mayor, which I'd be absolutely excited to be able to do. Mayor Vinker and I have worked so well together in the in the past, as has already been addressed earlier tonight. So, I'd be really excited and honored to be able to continue to do that work that this Yeah, I think the my um so I think we'd be able to accomplish quite a bit to together and at a time when our community is just grappling with real unprecedented challenges, housing affordability, youth mental health, federal government overreach, climate resilience, uh I believe experience and steady leadership and a collaborative approach really matter. I'm committed to helping the council do this work. Um I think we do our our best work when we are in that kind of collaborative mindset even when we disagree. It's one of the things that I've always been really appreciative um of of this council as we move forward. And I know there'll be a difficult decision tonight, but we've all been in that situation uh in the past on this. And so um and so I know whatever the vote is

tonight, we will move forward in a collaborative fashion as well and be unified when the work really begins again next Monday. So um again, appreciate the nomination and I'll humbly accept it. Council member Rectal.

Well, thank you. Those are very kind words. I do appreciate that. Yeah, I started on parks and wreck many years ago and I had no dreams or no plans of running for council. I just wanted to spend my time helping the community become a better community. This community I love community where I raised my kids and I just want to help make it a better place to live. And so if I'm elected vice mayor, I have the same attitude. This is another chance for me to help make the community better. And so even though my role has changed, the goal is still the same is that we have a wonderful city here and I really want to work hard to make this continue to be just a wonderful place to live. So thank you. I do accept the nomination.

Are there any other council members who would like to speak about the nominees? Council member Bert.

Thank you. Um well, we're very fortunate to have two really strong candidates for this position. and we don't really always find ourselves in that uh in that um opportunity. I I want to support Council Rectal um for a variety of reasons. Um uh as Council Member Lithcott Hayes had said, um uh we have a council member who uh has not served in leadership but is exceptionally qualified to do so. Um Keith is one of those people who the more you work with and the more uh you get to know, the more you grow in respect for him. And it's been the case that um I've seen that with the issues um that he has dealt with with his colleagues on the finance committee, the rail committee, the coverly committee, chairing the real re retail committee, and how he functions on the council. Um has an exceptional record of community service um and accomplishment. Um and he's done that um with his style of very unpretentious leadership and fairness. Uh he has his community service before serving on the council was many years on the parks and recck commission then on the planning and transportation commission with leadership in each case. Uh a member of our rail xcap community advisory committee. uh the uh North Ventura coordinated area plan uh the housing element advisory committee um and um uh and I'm chairing the business

tax committee uh that brought to the city millions of dollars focused on affordable housing, transportation, and public safety. Three areas that I know are are real priorities for him. Frankly, I don't know how he's over the keeps fitting in the ability to do that on top of his day job, but he's really one of the most civic-minded, committed, and capable leaders we've had on this council um uh in my memory. And his style of leadership is this unpretentious problemolving, treating everyone with respect and listening to both colleagues and the community with an open mind. Um, I guess his style comes maybe from a root in a family of service in a small town. Um, having this what they call Minnesota nice background. Um, and uh, and this exceptional Midwest work ethic. And he's focused on real issues in part because he doesn't have political ambition. he is just focused on serving our community and doing so exceptionally well. And uh so for those reasons, I I strongly support uh Keith for Vice Mayor.

Thank you. Oh, you don't have a button back. Oh, council member Lowing. [laughter] [clears throat]

This is one of those situations that you call a really nice problem. I wish all of our problems were like this because uh for this role we have uh two u totally qualified uh totally ethical uh hard hardworking um gentlemen to to step into this role. [clears throat] No question about that. I I've had I think as many years of experience with uh Keith or more than I've had with with Greer or maybe about the same. So I know them both, you know, quite well and and know that they can [clears throat] can can do this job. The I also want to comment on what Council Bird said about I'll call about Keith's breadth. Uh in the last election, I I called him the breadth candidate. Not breath, but breadth. Uh because he's been involved in so many things that were beyond the uh commissions that he was appointed to. uh and I think had an exceptional uh first year in uh in in in council as well. [clears throat] The sky's is the limit if you want that. So when I look at this um choice, it's a question of of sort of I guess you'd say maybe derisking any any kind of choice. And in this case, you have a situation where the relationship between the mayor and the vice mayor is critical. Uh, and that's what made my last year so good. And I think uh the mayor's uh last year so good is because we functioned very seamlessly and very together. Not that we always agreed, which is good because I don't like that kind of relationship. You don't learn anything from that. Um, [clears throat] but you you make progress on that and One thing that sort of puts me in the customer stones camp is that they have had many years of relationship

particularly in those difficult times when um customer stone was mayor uh had so those difficult um things to to go through and they came out the other side with a collaborative solution and it doesn't matter which one of them contributed the most. what matters that there was that collaboration and they came out with a a strong decision on a really difficult difficult problem. And the second thing I I guess I would say is just um the stuff that's been accomplished over now 5 years uh in council member uh Stone's case on council uh compared to the the two that are here. And it's not just quantitative, but you just get exposed to more situations. So with those two, I I think that the we've all said that you it's like who's best for this year. And so when I do those calculations, um I come up with uh Council Member Stone.

Thank you. So I've said many times from this day what a talented group of council members we have. I think to a person we are serious about our job. We are hardworking and we care deeply about the best interests of PaloAlto. So it is a tough choice as is often the case uh on this matter. Um I am I am happy to support the nomination of council member Stone for vice mayor. I have tremendous respect for council member Rectal. Um it has been uh fun working with him this year and seeing the analytical approach he brings to our problems. Um it's a slightly different than some of the others and brings things out also from your experience on PTC and other things. Um, but I have done uh, Council Member Stone and I have done a lot of good work together uh, when collaborating on a variety of projects, including when we convened right here in city hall um, some of our most vocal residents um, on the issue of the war in Gaza and did successfully negotiate a statement. Um, but we've collaborated on other issues and have a history of managing intraconsil member matters together as well. But one of the things I've noticed about you, council member Stone, is that you always put residents first. When we are out in public together, I am always amazed by how many residents come up to you and know you and talk to you about some issue or matter you've helped them on. Um so that's not always the things that makes headlines, but it's the thing that makes um a good committed colleague and council member. Um,

and I just think in some that we would have a very strong partnership uh going forward in what could be a difficult year and take a fair amount of skill at the helm. Um, you know, we saw a lot of change in this last year. Uh, I think we've got a lot more to come in terms of grant uncertainty. We know we have a challenging budget year. I listed a whole bunch of stuff I'd like to do and I know each of you have your own list that we'll talk about at the retreat. So there's going to be a lot of um difficult waters ahead. Um so in in some I would support council member Stone, but I do want to before I close mention that I I truly respect that for separate reasons um council members Lithot, HS and Lou have decided it is not the right time for them to move into leadership. However, representation matters and in future years, we really need to keep in mind that organizations having a diversity of perspectives on the body and in the leadership team perform better. It's that simple. So, I think that we really need to be conscious and intentional about whom we select as we move forward through the years so that there's appropriate representation, appropriate diversity of perspective and appropriate talent for the different demands of making decisions about our diverse community. Um, so I guess with that everyone has spoken and it's time to move to public comment on this. So we will now move to public comment but just on the selection of the vice mayor. So madame clerk,

we have two requests to speak. Our first speaker is Elizabeth A. Um I um I have learned to count so I think we can sort of see where this is going. But um I do want to just speak and just say something about Keith who um whose campaign I supported last year and who um I just think I I just want to talk about how he's a model for your talked about the public servants and where the real object is the community like what are you going to do for the community comes with it for just a lot I've just never seen anybody who loves the city so much and who wants everybody to have what he's had here and and brings that with a fine, you know, a sharp pencil and a and a sharp mind. And I just really appreciate that service and I and I would hope that at some point he does end up in leadership here. Thanks. Our next speaker is Henry E. Thank you. My candidate for uh the position chose not to run despite my uh arguments in her favor. She knows who she is. She is the one who should be running. She had the strength of service beyond anyone else as acknowledged by council member Bert. To his surprise, he ended up supporting us strongly even though he did not initially. So Julie should be the person. And so I would first say overturn these nominations and elect Julie as vice mayor. That's point number one. Of course I have a fallback position. Uh my fallback position.

Council should not be electing mayor or vice mayor. We should have public elections for mayor and vice mayor. We should overturn the city council method of government which has turned out to be an autocracy, a hidden autocracy under the guise of a consoletocracy of consultants hired by the city manager to do what he or she wishes. So therefore we should introduce democracy into Palo Alto. So that is uh the uh underlying position that this election leads me to because I'm sure that everyone who's going to vote has already decided who they're going to vote for. So my third fallback position in the past in the 2020 in the 2024 election I made an endorsement. It may not have been noticed. It was in a ad toward the end of the campaign a put forth a virtual slate and it was difficult because there were two highly qualified candidates who had devoted great service to the city but nevertheless I endorsed Keith Rectal. So I'm here to reiterate that endorsement and uh to suggest that he is the person for the position. He has not held it previously. The other candidate has held the position of mayor. He's a good fellow, but he has his faults. And I'll say one of them is that at a campaign event that we held at Oak Creek, he was a no-show. He was a no-show. He was invited as mayor and he initially said, "As mayor,

I'm happy to come and give opening remarks for the event, but behind the scenes, he was asked not to show by someone who wanted to win the meeting. And so there he did not show." And so with that data point, he loses your time support which he otherwise had. Thank you. And that concludes public comment on item two. All right. Thank you, Madame Clerk. So now, would you kindly send out the uh electronic ballots to us? And could you tell us a little bit about what to expect, where where will we find them?

Yes. Uh we will send out an electronic ballot to each council member via your city email. We will be sending that right now. You should receive that momentarily. Thank you. Hallelujah.

[clears throat] [snorts] Okay, I've done all this bragging about the birthplace of Silicon Valley. So, let's make sure we execute this. [laughter]

[clears throat]

That's right. Just give us one moment while we tabulate the results. All council members, we have received all votes from all council members.

Oh All right, the votes have been tabulated and the nomination for council member Stone as vice mayor has passed 43. [applause]

[applause] So, Council Member Stone, if you would like to go down and get sworn in by Mary Hughes. That's right.

Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Greger Stone, I, Greerstone, do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support and defend that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the United States the Charter of the City of PaloAlto the Charter of the City of PaloAlto and the Constitution of the State of California and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic. against all enemies, foreign and domestic. that I will bear true faith and allegiance that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States to the Constitution of the United States the Charter of the City of PaloAlto

the charter of the city of PaloAlto the Constitution of the State of California the Constitution of the State of California that I take this obligation freely that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion or purpose of evasion and that I will well and faithfully and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter. discharge the duties of which I'm about to enter. Congratulations. Thank you. [applause]

[applause]

Mayor Vinker, if I may. Um, I would just like to state for the record how the votes went. So, voting for Council Member Stone as 2026 Vice Mayor, we received votes from Council Member Lowing, Lou, Stone, and Vinker. And for council member Rectal, we received votes from council members Bert, Lith, HS, and Rectal. All right. Well, thank you very much. Do you have any comments to share? You need not, but you may.

No, I'm just uh deeply honored and excited to do the work with uh with our our new mayor. So, I'm looking forward to 2026. Thank you all.

Excellent. All right. And with that, it is my pleasure to move on to our third and final order of business. Got a lot of hardware here, so give bear with me a minute. So this is the adoption of a resolution. One moment. Let me get this special. uh expressing appreciation for outstanding public service to Ed Lowing as 2025 mayor. [snorts] And I want you all to know that last month during our weekly agenda setting meeting, we were we came to tonight's agenda and when we got to this item honoring Mayor Lowing, he said, "I don't need anything fancy. Just say, "Good job, dude." Right? [laughter] You said that. Well, I always try to honor the mayor's wishes. So tonight, here is the city's proclamation for our outgoing mayor, Ed Lowing. Good job, DUDE. [laughter] [applause]

[applause] But now that I'm the mayor,

I get to make decisions. So, here [snorts] is the actual proclamation honoring our 2025 mayor, Ed Lowing. It's a little bigger and it's even got, you know, frame and everything. [sighs and gasps] Whereas Ed Lowing was first elected to the PaloAlto City Council in 2022 and served as vice mayor in 2024 and mayor in 2025. During his tenure as mayor, Ed represented the city council on local and regional bodies such as Avanitus and the city's association of Santa Clara County. Ed served as chair on the city's over city council's oversized vehicle ad hoc committee as well as the council liaison to the utilities advisory commission and Stanford University. Ed was also a valuable member of the council's rail committee offering valuable input on transportation planning and railgrade separation. And whereas ed has provided strong advocacy for new housing in PaloAlto both locally and directly to the state legislature, Ed led council on the approach to create more housing with a heavy focus on deedrestricted affordable housing by advising the planning department on zoning and program policy options, interacting with many developers, and continuing to seek new affordable housing funding. As a result, there is now a 2,000 housing unit pipeline in place. Whereas, ED has made major initiatives to increase transparency and outreach to residents, businesses, and the local press, meeting with numerous neighborhood groups to hear, comment, and follow up on city issues of particular interest to each local neighborhood.

[snorts]

Ed held the state of the city speech at Rivian Motors headquarters in Baron Park, highlighting the ongoing innovation that is both PaloAlto's past and present and noting that our city government is also an innovator with new ideas and projects. It also created the city's first series of press conferences called Mayor's Press and Community Forum, allowing local and regional press and community members to have direct access to and dialogue with the mayor on any subject. And whereas Ed led an effort to create a city resolution authorizing council participation in select lawsuits aligned with PaloAlto values versus the Trump administration's attempts to stifle diversity, defund routine federal grants needed by our city, and put underprivileged childrens at risk. The council joined such actions in 2025. And whereas Ed created numerous new ad hoc committees in order for the council to work in depth on critical issues including the grade crossing safety committee, the synthetic turf committee, the oversized vehicle parking committee, and the SB79 downtown housing committee. He also engaged with elected leaders in Santa Clara County, California state government, the federal government, and international partners to advance issues of importance to PaloAlto. And whereas Ed's tenure as mayor exemplifies his innovative vision, tenacity, and dedication toward the betterment of PaloAlto, its residents, and the community. Now therefore, be it resolved that the council of the city of PaloAlto hereby honors and commends Ed for his outstanding public service and records the appreciation of the council, residents, and businesses for his meritorious service and commitment to

PaloAlto as mayor. [snorts] [applause] [applause] take a picture. You come on down here. We'll take a So, Council Member Lowing, it's going to take a while, um, has already made his remarks about, uh, the prior year as mayor, but I'm curious if any of my colleagues have any comments they'd like to make about Ed's service as mayor, because I would entertain those at this time. I don't even know what may.

Thank you, Mayor Vinker.

I am so thrilled that Ed was the mayor in my first year. Before I knew Ed, I knew of his legendary reputation. I was so sad to have missed him on the PTC. I uh would hear regularly, you know, what would Ed do? and I would be uh uh roughly in those terms. And I was just uh so in awe of you on your uh work on council, your work in the community. And I think this proclamation captures a lot of your accomplishments. But uh the really subtle thing is how you operate with so much care and that is uh impossible to just capture succinctly in a a proclamation or even for me to really capture. You operate with a calm demeanor. You ground us in common sense. you uh give dignity and compassion and care to every person who speaks to us who uh you meet in public events. You actually step back and set sessions or action items for us to discuss how we're actually working together as a council and how we can improve. So that introspection and that care um uh which also extends committee assignments and working with me on what I wanted to do on council uh was just a uh really thoughtful and appreciated way to lead and something that I'm very grateful for. So thank you.

Thank you uh Vice Mayor Stone.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. Well, yeah. This is going to be Mayor Lowing, Council Member Lowing, my good friend Ed. I want to thank you. Over the past year, you have led this council with steadiness, integrity, a genuine commitment to public service and your just incredibly cool sense of humor, which I always really uh appreciate and something you really need in this position. I I know at a time when government is often tested by divisioned and heightened emotions and complex challenges, you consistently brought a calm, thoughtful presence to the role of of mayor and really reminded people of what government can and should be. And you really embodied that so incredibly well. I want to thank you for that. Um, it's already been mentioned, but you understand that leadership is not about the spotlight. It's about it's about creating space for others to be able to contribute. Ensuring every voice is heard, keeping our council discussions focused and not dragging on for for too long, which I know can be challenging for this for this group, but you always did such a great job at kind of wrangling us and getting out and getting us out of here at decent times. Um, and of course you just always led with a deep sense of care for PaloAlto, whether that issue was housing, which I'm so honored to be able to serve on multiple ad hocs with you on on fighting that fight, public safety, infrastructure, community trust, you approach each decision with seriousness and humility. it's always grounded in what you believe what is best for the for the city and not what might be uh kind of the politically smart move to to make. And you remind us of often you remind us that public service is really about responsibility, patience and and

persistence. And then beyond just that formal role, you've been a trusted colleague. You've you show up prepared. You listen. You're willing to engage honestly even when we do disagree. And that kind of leadership builds credibility. It strengthens this institution and strengthens all of us as individuals as well. And I've just had the privilege of being able to witness your leadership both in public and behind the scenes. And I've just really appreciated the work that we've been able to do in some of those in some of those ad hocs. And I always enjoy um I always enjoy just kind of seeing you in that environment again, especially when when the kind of the doors are are closed just how it again it's not about spotlight. It's about true leadership and getting the best thing possible for this city. So I just want to thank you for your time. I know it's a huge effort, your dedication and the example that you have set this year. Palo Alto is better for your service and I'm truly grateful for your for your leadership and your friendship.

Council member Bert.

Thank you. Well, in addition to the comments that I made earlier, um I'd just like to emphasize that uh Council Member Lowing uh has now spent decades of service to our community. first in leadership in youth sports and then the the parks and recck commission and then uh the planning commission and planning and transportation I should say where he was a leader in every one of those roles and now on the council and the mayor and it's really a fulfillment of a tradition in our community that uh of people who just deeply care about the well-being of the community but with an eye to the future uh not rooted uhh uh predominantly in the past, but always bringing us to thinking about where are we going, how can we make our community better, uh how can we serve all in the community? Uh and so for those things and others, I just want to express my appreciation.

Thank you, Council Member Lithcott HS. Thank you, Madame Mayor. Never gets old. I'm gonna enjoy saying that. Uh, I knew when I was persuaded to run for council, um, that I was up against a guy named Ed Lowing. I didn't know you, but your absolutely sterling and exceptional reputation permeated the city's consciousness. I knew I would probably not have a chance against you. And then Vicki decided to run. Never have I been so proud to come in third given the talent ahead of me. I admire a lot of things about you, a lot that's already been said. Um, in no particular order, as I'm sure Clare knows better than anyone, you have a frank bluntness about you. You call it like it is in the moment. You are clear about what you believe and what's right. and you speak your mind and I respect that immensely. You are also this beautiful combination of really smart and really practical. It doesn't matter if something should be a certain way in an ideal universe. You're going to focus on what can we actually get done. That's been a lesson to me who's a little bit more of a dreamer and a hoper. You're like, but yeah, in this moment today, this is what we have in front of us, and I've learned a lot from you. Um, your sense of humor has been mentioned. I will add you always ready with a ry response, making me wonder if your next calling isn't standup. Um, and finally, what a huge heart you have. And I think sometimes you try to disguise it, but I can see that it's there. You have profound and deep care for our

city, its residents, our business and property owners, our visitors, and for the people who aren't yet here. You have been a tremendous advocate for those many, many thousands who are looking for an affordable place to live and who might find that their dreams will come true in PaloAlto. Thanks to your leadership, Claire, thank you for sharing Ed with us. You now get him back. Uh I s

okay but being mayor is a big job as as as we all know and we know that it takes a toll on the family as well and I think it's important to acknowledge that as we lauded your husband uh for all the right reasons we know that he couldn't have done it without you. So here's to you as well. Thank you council member rectal.

Yeah ex mayor Lowen we go way back. We've spent so many hours together in so many different commissions and every case your presence made it more productive and more enjoyable for me. So I thank you for that. Uh and then now with council you ran the council meetings very well. I really enjoyed having you be mayor and you had such a calm and pleasant demeanor both on on the dis but also in community events. You handled the community events with just such grace and ease. It was very impressive. So uh you've done a great job as mayor. I'll miss having you be mayor, but I'm very glad that you'll also be council member still and we can share your wisdom and your experience. So, thank you.

And don't miss our next meeting on Saturday either.

Well, colleague, I've been calling you, Mr. Mayor, for a year now, so it's going to be hard to stop, but I'm not going to stop calling you. [laughter] [gasps] So as this year unfolds um as you said earlier I I've really enjoyed working with you. So you know we we have different views on things here or there but the process of working with you the care the thought partner respect it's truly been a joy and so thank you for being such a a good leader and member of a leadership team and allowing me to be part of that with you. But I think it worked really well. Um, you know, others have said this, but you really do have a great leadership style. You work hard and you take the work seriously, but you bring this gentle sense of humor that keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously. And I've been impressed that while you strive to accommodate us when you can, you also know how to say no when necessary. And you do so in that same gentle but firm way, never raising your voice. And speaking of promises, you kept your promises to be available to the press and the community um throughout the year with your mayoral briefings, which were great. I've been exploring options around that and we will continue to communicate, but we might have some format changes that I'll I'll announce later in the month, but kudos to you for for starting that and staying that course. Um, you know, your accomplishments have been described in the proclamation and by uh our colleagues here, but I've had a

unique window into how you accomplish them. um which is this quiet often behind the scenes manner working the problem in a way that makes people want to collaborate and gives them confidence that we can get to yes and I think that's a real special thing that that you bring and I want to continue that um I believe that we've been a good team in fostering an environment here on council where the significant talent on this council can work through an issue express different viewpoints points, listen to each other, adjust our viewpoints, and get to a collective sense of how to move forward. We may not at the end agree on every little thing, but we figure out a way we can move forward together. And we've done that on a lot of tricky issues. Um, under your leadership, we've done that on rail grade separation, the Cubly Community Center agreement with the school district, and the resolution that you and I brought forward at the very beginning of this past year, um, pushing back on the federal administration's threats to PaloAlto's values and to our residents. And I was very proud to stand shouldertoshoulder with you on that resolution. And as a result, the city of PaloAlto has joined three federal lawsuits against the president and federal agencies. And those suits protect our residents from executive orders that would otherwise require cooperation with ICE, abandonment of DEI initiatives, and more. And that could strip away PaloAlto's federal funding for a wide range of services upon which our residents rely. So, thank you for your bravery and partnership on that. So,

thank you, former Mayor Lowing. And once more, good job, dude. [laughter] [applause] Thanks, boss.

Yeah, I did call you boss. So, I do think um before we go to public comment that we do have um I there's a beautiful plaque here that I failed to give you and that's from us, right? Or is that what Okay. So, this is a beautiful plaque presented to Ed Lowing in recognition and appreciation for his outstanding public service as mayor for the year 2025, complete with a take-home gavvel, but it needs to stay there [laughter] plaque. So, we'll give that. And then, do we have some other uh presenters? Should we do that now? Okay. So, do I understand that Supervisor Abby Koga is here and would like to speak? Please. Welcome to the the podium here.

Good evening, honorable council members. I'm Margaret Abbe Koga, Santa CL County Supervisor for District 5, and I want to thank you so much for inviting me to this very important reorganization meeting for the city council. And um congratulations to the new mayor Vicky Vinker and the vice mayor Gerstone. I've really enjoyed the opportunity to work with you for many years and look forward to continuing that in this year to come. Um, and I just want to also um say that uh tomorrow is my oneyear uh anniversary of joining the board of supervisors and I'm just really truly grateful for the strong partnership that um we've received from the city. Um thank you to the residents for allowing me to represent you um on the board of supervisors. This is just a magnificent magnificent city. I'm really fortunate to have nine cities in my district and each one is very special and unique and really grateful to be able to serve in this capacity. But um just really want to appreciate you for your partnership on so many issues including uh the per program for public safety uh the al cove and mental health services for our youth. Um and and thank you for your support of measure which is going to help us in in this uh challenging budgetary times. But um I just wanted to spend a few moments thanking uh Mayor outgoing Mayor Ed Lowing. Um you exemplify what um we hope for for local elected officials with your vision, your commitment, your dedication, and as mentioned, I really appreciate your um steadiness, your steady hand, and your sense of humor. Um just it's been a real joy and pleasure to work with you. So, thank you so much. I know your work on housing deserves special recognition as chair of the housing element ad hoc

committee. You've championed real solutions. The El Camino Rial uh resoning and new housing incentives, you advanced our building at Palo Alto that works for everyone, not just the fortunate few. And in a region struggling with affordability, your commitment to creating a livable city for all people sets an example for the everyone else. and housing is really the infrastructure for opportunity and you understand that fundamentally. You've also been a great regional leader and partner through your work with the Cal Train Local Policy Makers Group, the Stanford Community Resources Group, and the Northern California Power Association. You've ensured PaloAlto's voice was heard while recognizing that our challenges and solutions really go beyond city borders. And during this extraordinarily challenging fiscal time, you've guided the creation of a budget that balances today's needs with uh tomorrow's possibilities. And that's really not very easy to do. And so I'm just very um uh grateful for for your leadership in that. Uh your infrastructure legacy is equally impressive with modernizing the electrical grid for a clean energy future, advancing the Cberly community center that's been mentioned and opening the new public safety building. These are tremendous investments in Palawata's future for generations to come come. And public safety is very important to me and I know your commitment um has been strong through emergency response, modernization, increasing staffing for police and fire and um seeing that uh you will you have never lost sight of core responsibilities while pursuing ambitious goals. And so may mayor Lowing on behalf of the board of supervisors I'm very um honored to be able to present to you a commendation uh of recognizing your great service. And so um thank you again and congratulations

on a successful year. I'm not sure where to take should I bring it to him or Okay. [applause]

Good morning. Thank you. And I understand we have one have one other special presentation on behalf of Representative Licardo. Welcome.

Good evening, council. On behalf of Congressman Sam Licardo and his entire office, it's my honor to present a certificate of congressional recognition to the honorable Ed Lowen. in recognition of your service as mayor of PaloAlto and exemplary commitment to good governance, collaboration, and leadership. I'd also like to take this opportunity to congratulate incoming Mayor Vinker and incoming Vice Mayor Stone uh for being appointed to the leadership. The congressman looks forward to working with all of you in the year ahead.

Thank you. [applause] And I believe that ends our special presentation. So we'll turn now to public comment. And uh on this particular item uh and we will hear public comment for two minutes each. Our first request to speak is Winter D. I just want to say something very quickly because I don't think anybody has mentioned this. I don't think it was in the larger resolution about Ed. something that I think speaks deeply to your character that I think hardly anyone knows about except maybe me and you and maybe two other people in town. Like way back, way before you got enchanted with the glittering glamour of boards and committees and commissions and councils way back before even the urban ministry existed. that um provided the early support for unhoused people in PaloAlto. Ed Lowing would go out, I think you had there was another guy, you would go out on the streets and you would try to figure out possible ways to support folks. This was decades ago. And I I think that that speaks so much to your deep character that then you brought forward and here you are today. You were always you are so calm. I I don't even know how to be as calm as you are. But uh it it's a good attribute to

have on a a governing body and I want to thank you for that. So, thank you so much for being who you are and then deciding to do this. Well, thank you, Winter. And I believe that closes public comment. Yeah. So, I want to thank you all for hanging in here with us. Uh we do need to take Oh, I'm sorry. Uh Council Member Liths,

I'm sorry. I would like to add one thing if I may. There's something important that I neglected to mention about former mayor Lowing and that is um that he worked very closely with me on the Junth resolution uh this past year. Uh Junth is a relatively new holiday in this country and in the state and the city and um we were working on uh thinking about you know how do you offer a resolution that acknowledges what the holiday stands for uh rather than sort of glosses it over. And I was um very moved by your pursuit of the right language for that resolution and grateful to you as an African-American council member uh for taking that leadership and ultimately signing that uh was it a resolution, proclamation, whatever. It bears your signature. Yeah. And um you were extremely thoughtful um and astute about what that should say and should not say, and I wanted to be sure that that's on the record. Thank you for doing that.

Thanks, but I I needed a good partner on that. Thank you for that. [laughter] Well, go team. Thank you. Um, so y'all have been very patient and we do have a reception out there, but we do need to take general public comment first and this would be on matters not on the agenda. So, each speaker will have two minutes. Madame Clerk, do we have any public speakers? Um, Mayor Vinker, before we move on, we actually need to take a vote to adopt the resolution for outgoing mayor. We got a vote on whether or not it deserves the resolution. Okay. All right. Well, does anyone want to move that uh we adopt the resolution? I so move. Second.

Okay. Very well. Any discussion? All right. Let's call the vote. Mayor Vinker. Yes. Yes. Council member Lowing. For the first time in my life, I'm going to abstain. A [laughter] Vice Mayor Stone. Yes. Council member Rectal. Yes. Council member Lou. Yes. Council member Bert. Yes. Council member Lithain. Yes. Motion carries. 601. Council member Lowing abstain. [laughter] Excellent. Excellent. Well, thank you. Thank you for the reminder, Madame Clerk. All right. Now, we'll move to general public comment.

We have three requests to speak. And mayor, you said two minutes. Two minutes. And remember speakers, you're between us and the reception. [laughter] Our first speaker is Henry E.

Thank you. This has been a celebratory evening for local democracy. In her remarks, Mayor Vinka and when she came up here to take the oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, I am now going to ask her to fulfill that oath as well as other members of the council. Our constitution was abregated on Saturday night by King Donald. I would no longer call him president because he was not acting as a constitutional president but as an unconstitutional monarch. There is a a resolution that was passed uh during Mayor Stone's uh time that the council would not comment on matters above the local level. However, this is a matter that runs from the local to the national and back again as evidenced by the oath to uphold the constitution. And therefore, it behooves us in Palo Alto to act on our words. Our words carry great weight. the national newspaper record. When a billionaire buys houses and sets up a compound, it's taken as a sign of the overweening wealth being out of control. So what happens in Palo Alto is noted everywhere and our actions tonight, your actions will be noted everywhere. So I call upon council to make an exception to that rule and it's not an exception because this is a matter directly

concerning every citizen of Palo Alto and the nation. So your time is up. Thank you. You get the gist. You can formulate the resolution.

Our next speaker is Thomas S. Thomas S. Moving to our new next speaker, Samukta S. Uh, good evening, uh, members of the Palo Alto city council. Uh, my name is Samyukta. I am a citizen of this country, a PhD student here at Stanford and also a volunteer with the coalition of Hindus of North America. I'm here to raise a concern about religious persecution of the Hindu community in Bangladesh and to ask our city to affirm its commitment to religious freedom. This is an issue that affects the Palo Alto constituents who identify as Hindu and have been deeply affected by the traumatic incidents that have occurred. The Hindu population has declined over many decades in Bangladesh following the political upheaval of August 2024. Uh Hindus have faced increasing rates of commun communal violence including cases of lynching, sexual assault, political targeting of religious leaders and vandalizing of temples. On December 18th this last year, uh a Hindu factory worker was mob lynched uh after allegations of blasphemy. Uh his body was set on fire in a publicly filmed spectacle. The uh footage also shows that the Bangladeshi police themselves handed this man over to the mob. This is just one of many documented killings of Hindus uh over the past couple of weeks. Hindu homes have been set on fire. Some with the families locked inside. Members of the community have been threatened with violence in this area. Attacks on local media houses also suggests that such cases are going vastly under reportported. As my elected representatives and as representatives of a city that has always championed religious freedom and human rights for

its constituents, uh I respectfully ask that you use your voice on behalf of my community to issue a proclamation or a value statement condemning the persecution of Hindus and other religious minorities in this country uh in Bangladesh and to communicate that concern to our congressional representatives urging them to use their authority at the federal level to push for the protection of Hindus and other religious minorities uh in Bangladesh. Thank you so much for your time and for your service to the city. And that concludes public comment on items not on the agenda.

All right. Well, thank you madame clerk. Thank you colleagues. Thank you all for turning out tonight. We really appreciate you being here and we will have a little reception right off the lobby out toward the front of the building. And we are adjourned.