Citing difficulties in recruiting new volunteers, Palo Alto has reduced the number of seats on two citizen commissions, including one that is focused on promoting diversity and exploring police reform.

The council voted on June 22 to reduce the number of seats on the Public Art and Human Relations commissions from seven to five. The vote followed more than two months of recruitment for vacant seats on the two panels, which netted only a handful of applicants.

In April, when the city was recruiting for vacancies on the two commissions, it received just one application for three open seats on the Human Relations Commission and four applications for four expiring positions on the Public Art Commission. The city had agreed at that time to extend the recruiting period (which remains open for the Human Relations Commission) and to consider reducing the number of seats.

The council began to consider the seat reductions on April 20, when it first directed staff to return with more information about the possible change. On May 11, the council voted unanimously to move ahead with the reductions and asked staff to craft an ordinance that would change the municipal code to reflect the change. The council then voted 6-1 on June 22, with Lydia Kou dissenting, to approve the ordinance, making the change official.

While the council approved the revision with little discussion, its decision to shrink the commissions drew criticism from some residents and commissioners, who argued that the recent public outcry over racial injustice makes this a particularly inopportune time to cut seats on the two panels. Both have been engaged in the city's recent effort to support the Black Lives Matter movement, with the Public Art Commission taking the lead on commissioning artists to paint a mural in front of City Hall and the Human Relations Commission embarking last week on an effort to review Palo Alto Police Department policies for compliance with the 8 Can't Wait platform.

Steven Lee, a member of the Human Relations Commission, wrote an opinion piece in this publication earlier this month in which he argued that the council's move to cut two commission seats, including his own, constitutes a retaliation by council members against him for his positions on police reform, gender equality and funding for the Downtown Streets Team, a nonprofit that was the subject of sexual harassment accusations made by former employees. In all these areas, Lee argued, the council had refused to act despite recommendations from himself and other commissioners.

Lee wrote that his interactions with the council over the three years of his term "reflect a City Hall culture that is unaccountable, resistant to change and dissenting views, overly deferential to a staff that is unresponsive and out of touch with the community's needs."

Several other residents suggested that the move comes at precisely the wrong time — a time when the city should be encouraging more citizen participation. Midtown resident Elizabeth Scott noted that the recent community protests over racial injustice and police brutality "should be an incredibly clear reminder that our failure to dismantle white supremacy and racism are directly responsible (for) the deaths of Black people in the U.S."

"Do not cut back the number of HRC members," Scott wrote. "We need diverse voices on the commission to build a better city that is safe, healthy and joyful to all."

Kou had expressed a similar sentiment. During the council's May 11 discussion, she said she was "torn" over the proposal to cut seats. She said having more members would make it easier for the Human Relations Commission to reflect the diversity of the Palo Alto community.

"I think it would be great to have seven, so that there would be more diversity among commissions and they can reach out to different areas," Kou said at the May 11 meeting.

Ian Klaus, who serves on the Public Art Commission, also questioned the need to reduce the number of seats. While the move might make the commission "slightly more efficient," having fewer perspectives would probably lead to certain issues not getting advanced.

"As such, I write to encourage the council to reconsider the reduction as it likely means not just fewer people, but fewer perspectives," Klaus wrote in a letter.

The city is still recruiting for the vacancy that was created when Commissioner Quifeng Xue, whose term expires on May 31, 2021, stepped down. Lee, whose term officially expired on May 31 of this year, remains on the commission until the city recruits a new member to fill Xue's seat.

The move to cut seats is also part of the council's broader effort to review and clarify the city's rules for commissions, which currently vary widely in how they function. The review of commission rules is being spearheaded by a council ad hoc committee composed of Vice Mayor Tom DuBois and Councilwoman Alison Cormack.