BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Planning Commissioner Cari Templeton is running for Palo Alto City Council, joining three of her colleagues on the planning commission in the race.
Templeton, 48, has worked for state Sen. Josh Becker and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian. She’s been involved with the Santa Clara County Democratic Party since 2017.
Templeton lives in the Barron Park neighborhood with her husband and two children.
She worked at Google for 10 years.
She graduated from Stanford with a master’s degree in liberal arts and has been a city commissioner since December 2018.
She’s been in the thick of the city’s planning for rail crossings as the planning commission’s representative on the Expanded Community Advisory Panel or XCAP, which is evaluating the train crossing alternatives. Prior to joining the planning commission, she served as a member of the North Ventura Coordinated Area Plan working group, which is a panel of residents creating a vision for the future of the former Fry’s site and nearby properties.
Templeton ran for council in 2020 but finished in eighth place out of 10 candidates.
Templeton’s filing on July 2 means that four of the members of the Planning and Transportation Commission are now running in November. The others are George Lu, Keith Reckdahl and Doria Summa.
Katie Causey is running from the Human Relations Commission.
Councilman Pat Burt is running for re-election. Sitting council members Lydia Lou and Greg Tanaka can’t seek re-election due to term limits.
Voters will pick the top four council candidates.
The deadline to enter the race is Aug. 14.