City Council - June 8, 2026

Council sends Cubberley tax measure to voters

Palo Alto voters will decide whether to approve a 0.5% transactions and use tax after the City Council voted 7-0 to place the measure on the Nov. 3 ballot. The rate remains subject to the legal sales-tax cap: If state legislation does not raise the cap, the city could initially collect no more than 0.25%.

The measure is a general tax, meaning its revenue would not be legally restricted to Cubberley. The council adopted nonbinding advisory guidelines expressing its intent to use proceeds for a potential $65.5 million purchase of Palo Alto Unified School District land and initial implementation of the Cubberley Community Center conceptual master plan.

Meeting materials gave annual revenue estimates ranging from about $13 million to $15.6 million without reconciling the figures. Most public speakers supported the measure and Cubberley improvements, while asking the city to preserve existing tenants and affordable programs. One speaker opposed the tax and project, citing equity, tree-canopy and recreation-subsidy concerns.

The city must submit the measure to the county by Aug. 7. Ballot arguments are due Aug. 11, followed by impartial analysis and rebuttal arguments by Aug. 18. The estimated ballot-placement cost is $100,293.

San Antonio Road scenario advances on a 6-1 vote

The council endorsed the San Antonio Road Area Plan’s core scenario and authorized its next transportation analysis, with Councilmember Keith Reckdahl dissenting. The action establishes a basis for further study rather than approving final zoning or land-use changes.

The scenario covers approximately 275 acres along the Palo Alto-Mountain View border. It contemplates up to about 6,700 homes, compared with about 5,700 under current zoning, and as much as 750,000 square feet of office and research-and-development space in the CTI subarea, where a 90-foot height limit is proposed.

At Vice Mayor Greer Stone’s request, the council directed staff to examine commercial replacement based on the number of jobs as well as square footage and to return both approaches for final consideration. Reckdahl argued that the proposed CTI office space could worsen the jobs-housing balance and favored a stronger retail emphasis. Other councilmembers supported continued study while seeking more analysis of parks, walkability, bicycle safety, retail, green infrastructure and the timing of community improvements.

Public comments were mixed, with disagreements over bicycle routes, the transportation-analysis baseline, congestion and the amount of office development. Staff expects to return with analysis and policy recommendations in the fourth quarter of 2026. The area-plan consultant contract is capped at $1,979,902, of which $787,298 had been spent as of May 1.

Water plans carry a reservation on SFPUC assumptions

The council unanimously adopted Palo Alto’s 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan while adding a reservation about regional water-supply projections. The caveat says the city’s reliance on San Francisco Public Utilities Commission design-drought and reliability analyses does not constitute endorsement or concurrence and preserves Palo Alto’s right to object in other forums.

The plans are state-required documents updated every five years to assess 20-year water reliability and prepare for shortage stages. They must be submitted to the California Department of Water Resources by July 1. Staff also said maintaining a current plan is important for eligibility for state grants and loans.

Debate centered on concerns raised by Utilities Advisory Commissioner Utsav Gupta about SFPUC drought and demand assumptions. Staff said one scenario involving Bay-Delta Plan amendments projects wholesale cutbacks of 31% to 48% during multiple dry years, while an alternative scenario without those amendments projects no cutbacks.

Rather than incorporate all of Gupta’s proposed language before the filing deadline, the council adopted the plans with the caveat and directed staff to schedule a study session on the underlying issues after the council recess. Councilmembers also sought further Utilities Advisory Commission involvement and continued regional advocacy.

Buena Vista subdivision map wins approval

The council unanimously approved the final map for Buena Vista, dividing the 4.52-acre property at 3980 El Camino Real into parcels of approximately 1.69 and 2.82 acres. The subdivision is intended to facilitate renovation of the mobile home park and future construction of a 61-unit affordable apartment development.

The project is associated with an approximately $24 million forgivable infrastructure loan. A commenter supported the map but said residents had not received relocation notices and could not plan around a possible July move. The item was approved on the consent calendar without separate council discussion.

Council calls election for three at-large seats

The council voted unanimously on the consent calendar to call a Nov. 3 general municipal election for three at-large City Council seats. The resolution requests county election services and consolidation and directs the city clerk to use the California secretary of state’s randomized alphabet for ballot order.

The city estimated the council election would cost $216,192, compared with a proposed fiscal 2027 election budget of $200,000.

Utilities report is accepted without policy direction

The council voted 7-0 to accept the Utility Reserves Advisory Report and the Public Safety Staffing and Overtime Audit. Staff emphasized that accepting the utility report acknowledged its receipt and did not adopt its recommendations, direct policy or authorize implementation.

The utility report will proceed to the Utilities Advisory Commission and Finance Committee before returning to the council. Commenters had sought that clarification, warning that consent-calendar acceptance could otherwise be interpreted as premature approval and raising concerns about possible utility-rate effects.

Council approves sewer inspections and IT contracts

The consent calendar included a $938,452, three-year contract with Presidio Systems for closed-circuit television inspections of approximately 44 miles of sanitary sewer mains. The council also approved a $503,990 construction contract with Valentine Corporation and authorized up to $50,399 in related change orders.

Technology approvals included a three-year Optiv Security purchase order for Varonis Systems at $154,043 annually and no more than $462,129 total. The council also extended eight IT on-call contracts through June 30, 2027, with combined annual authority of up to $1.5 million and a revised total contract ceiling of $3 million. All were approved as part of the unanimous consent vote.

Residents seek a Flock camera pause and broader audit

During public comment on non-agenda matters, residents urged a broader independent audit of Palo Alto’s Flock surveillance cameras. They asked that the review examine data retention and access, federal-agency access, legal compliance, vendor data use, security controls, effectiveness, accuracy and false-positive rates.

Several commenters asked the city to shut down the system or cover the cameras while an audit proceeds. The council took no recorded action on those requests during the non-agenda comment period.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting packet