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San Rafael council selects Rachel Kurtz as vice mayor, approves 2026 committee assignments
Summary
At its Dec. 15 meeting the San Rafael City Council chose Councilmember Rachel Kurtz as vice mayor for 2026 and approved committee and joint powers appointments, including adding an MCE alternate and confirming representation on regional homeless policy groups.
San Rafael — The City Council on Monday completed its annual reorganization, selecting Councilmember Rachel Kurtz as vice mayor for 2026 and approving a slate of committee and regional appointments.
Vice Mayor Bushey nominated Kurtz and the motion — which included adding Councilmember Eli Hill as an alternate on the MCE (clean energy) board and naming Kurtz to the Homeless Policy Steering Committee (HPSC) appointment through MCCMC — passed by a 5–0 roll-call vote. Mayor Mary Kate and all councilmembers voted Aye.
City Clerk Lindsay Lara explained the action formalizes decisions discussed at the Nov. 12 council retreat and that staff will publish a 2026 calendar of Brown Act subcommittee meetings. Councilmembers said predictable schedules will help the public engage on committee work and asked staff to return the calendar at the Jan. 20 meeting.
Separately, residents asked about the city's readiness to comply with SB 707 (remote participation requirements) and where funding for the city’s SAVE team will come from. The City Manager said the SAVE team recently secured a grant that will fund the program for the next two years, and staff will report back with details.
