Palo Alto, like most Mid-Peninsula cities, changes mayors at the start of the year. On Monday, Jan. 5, council members will vote on a mayor and vice mayor for 2026. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers, 250 Hamilton Ave.
The mayor and vice mayor are always council members. But there’s sometimes some suspense about which of the council members will get the most votes of their colleagues.
Ed Lauing’s term as mayor will end next week. Vice Mayor Vicki Veenker is a strong contender for the job of mayor.
Julie Lythcott-Haims has taken her name out of consideration for vice mayor or mayor.
Other council members are Pat Burt, who has already served as mayor and vice mayor; George Lu; Keith Reckdahl, and Greer Stone, who has served as mayor.
The mayor chairs the council meetings, plays a role in setting council’s agenda, and is the city’s de facto spokesman or spokeswoman during major events.
The following is a list of mayors and vice mayors going back to 1965.
Mayor is shown first, followed by vice mayor. An asterisk (*) denotes a year in which the previous year’s vice mayor became mayor. Before 1982, mayoral terms ran from July through June. After that, council converted to calendar-year terms.
2025 Ed Lauing*, Vicki Veenker
2024 Greer Stone*, Ed Lauing
2023 Lydia Kou*, Greer Stone
2022 Pat Burt*, Lydia Kou
2021 Tom DuBois, Pat Burt*
2020 Adrian Fine, Tom DuBois*
2019 Eric Filseth, Adrian Fine*
2018 Liz Kniss, Eric Filseth*
2017 Greg Scharff, Liz Kniss*
2016 Pat Burt, Greg Scharff
2015 Karen Holman, Greg Schmid
2014 Nancy Shepherd, Liz Kniss*
2013 Greg Scharff, Nancy Shepherd*
2012 Yiaway Yeh, Greg Scharff*
2011 Sid Espinosa, Yiaway Yeh*
2010 Pat Burt, Sid Espinosa
2009 Peter Drekmeier, Jack Morton*
2008 Larry Klein, Peter Drekmeier*
2007 Yoriko Kishimoto, Larry Klein*
2006 Judy Kleinberg, Yoriko Kishimoto*
2005 Jim Burch, Judy Kleinberg*
2004 Bern Beecham, Jim Burch*
2003 Dena Mossar, Bern Beecham*
2002 Vic Ojakian, Dena Mossar*
2001 Sandy Eakins, Vic Ojakian*
2000 Liz Kniss, Sandy Eakins
1999 Gary Fazzino, Lanie Wheeler
1998 Dick Rosenbaum, Micki Schneider
1997 Joe Huber, Ron Andersen*
1996 Lanie Wheeler, Joe Huber*
1995 Joe Simitian, Lanie Wheeler*
1994 Liz Kniss, Joe Simitian*
1993 Jean McCown, Liz Kniss*
1992 Gary Fazzino, Jean McCown*
1991 Jack Sutorius, Gary Fazzino
1990 Mike Cobb, Gail Woolley
1989 Larry Klein, Betsy Bechtel*
1988 Jack Sutorius, Larry Klein*
1987 Gail Woolley, Jack Sutorius*
1986 Mike Cobb, Gail Woolley*
1985 Leland Levy, Mike Cobb*
1984 Larry Klein, Leland Levy
1983 Betsy Bechtel, Gary Fazzino*
1982 Fred Eyerly, Betsy Bechtel
1980-81 Alan Henderson, Ellen Fletcher
1979-80 Alan Henderson, Byron Sher*
1978-79 Scott Carey, Alan Henderson
1977-78 Byron Sher, Frances Brenner
1976-77 Stanley Norton, Roy Clay
1975-76 Stanley Norton, Roy Clay
1974-75 Byron Sher, Alan Henderson
1973-74 Kirke Comstock, Enid Pearson
1972-73 Kirke Comstock, Stanley Norton
1971-72 Kirke Comstock, Stanley Norton
1970-71 Jack R. Wheatley, Frank Gallagher*
1969-70 Edward Arnold, Jack R. Wheatley
1968-69 Edward Arnold, Frances Dias*
1967-68 Frances Dias, Edward Arnold
1966-67 Frances Dias, William P. Rus
1965-66 Edward Arnold, Robert Debs
1964-65 Bert Woodward
1962-63 David Bruce Haight
1961-62 David Bruce Haight
1955-60 Noel E. Porter