City Council - October 26, 2026

Council advances one-year detention moratorium

The City Council unanimously advanced a one-year moratorium on establishing or expanding detention and custodial facilities within Palo Alto. The temporary zoning ordinance is scheduled for a second reading Nov. 9 and, if approved then, would take effect Dec. 9.

The measure would give the city time to consider permanent zoning rules. Staff said local authority is clearest when applied to private detention contractors, while applying city rules to a federally owned and operated facility could raise a federal-supremacy dispute. Existing police holding facilities are not retroactively covered; council members said that carve-out is for Palo Alto Police use, not federal immigration detention.

Public commenters supported the moratorium and urged the city to prohibit federal immigration authorities from staging operations on city property. Council members discussed bringing back a separate no-ICE-staging policy, but took no action on that proposal at this meeting. Staff plans to monitor state law and return before the moratorium expires with a recommendation on permanent regulations.

Updated creek setbacks win unanimous approval

The council unanimously adopted updates to Palo Alto’s stream-corridor protection ordinance. Staff described a 25-foot streamside setback in central areas and 150-foot setbacks in Baylands and hillside contexts, along with an increase in applicable hillside and Baylands slope-stability setbacks from 20 feet to 25 feet.

Staff said the rules generally turn on whether proposed construction moves closer to a creek than an existing structure. Work on the opposite side of an existing home would not trigger the stream setback, and the ordinance was not expected to reduce density or floor-area capacity or impede development under Senate Bill 9.

Discussion focused on narrow lots, fencing, mechanical equipment, flood walls and existing structures. The ordinance includes special treatment for eligible Edgewood Drive properties next to San Francisquito Creek, allowing certain fences and ornamental landscaping without a separate slope-stability exception request. Staff also said the adopted language would cover the flood-wall scenario discussed by the council. Public commenters generally supported stronger habitat, water-quality, flood and slope protections while seeking clear exemptions and enforcement.

Council presses for broader winter-storm outreach

Council members pressed staff to broaden storm-preparedness outreach and assistance as Palo Alto prepares for the 2026-27 El Niño winter. Staff cited a National Weather Service forecast of a 100% chance of a very strong El Niño and a 50% to 60% chance of above-average local rainfall.

Sandbag stations were planned to open Nov. 1, with an additional location being finalized near the Pope-Chaucer bridge. Staff said the city would publicize station locations and work with community organizations to connect seniors and people with disabilities who need help with volunteers. Council members also requested multilingual information, clearer emergency-alert guidance and advance outreach to unhoused residents along San Francisco Creek. Staff said warming locations and additional community resource centers could be activated when needed.

Staff reported that completed Reach 1 improvements can accommodate a 100-year storm event plus three feet of projected sea-level rise. In-creek work on the Newell Road Bridge project was complete, and the larger bridge capacity was available for the coming winter, although remaining contract work could continue until the end of March. The follow-on Reach 2 flood project was still being defined. Council members emphasized that the improvements reduce, but do not eliminate, flood risk, while staff continued interagency discussions over equipment and response responsibilities near West Bayshore Road.

Baylands-area housing zoning change is postponed

The council removed a Baylands-area zoning proposal from the consent calendar and directed that it return at a future meeting. The proposed ordinance would clarify that multifamily residential uses in the ROLM(E) district may be permitted through a use permit.

Council members said the staff materials did not adequately answer questions about whether Housing Element sites would be affected or whether a broader Comprehensive Plan change should be considered first. They supported a more comprehensive discussion of Baylands land-use policy before acting on the zoning amendment.

Public commenters opposed immediate approval, citing flooding, rising groundwater, sea-level rise, wetland and habitat migration, public safety and potential long-term liability. Some also argued that the affected properties are not needed to meet the city’s Housing Element obligations.

Human-services funding framework moves forward

The council unanimously approved a fiscal year 2028-29 Human Services Resource Allocation Process expansion framework with a $428,000 annual funding level. The city manager clarified that the figure will inform the recommended budget and subsequent review process but does not bind the council to a final appropriation.

A council member said the figure combines existing HSRAP and nonprofit work-plan funding, after subtracting money already included in the city budget, rather than representing an entirely new $428,000 increase. The funding level will return through the manager’s proposed budget and Finance Committee process, and the approved recommendation calls for reevaluating the allocation after the two-year cycle.

Council appoints members to two advisory bodies

The council appointed Claude Ezron to a full-term Public Art Commission vacancy and Gregory Bennett to a full-term Stormwater Management Oversight Committee vacancy. In the reported second-round ballots, Ezron received five votes to Matt Huberman’s three, while Bennett received five votes to Lee Tognek’s three. Four votes were required for appointment.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting agenda