Los Altos Council appoints Sally Meadows as mayor, Larry Lang as vice mayor

Sally Meadows was sworn in as mayor of the Los Altos City Council after a unanimous council vote to confirm her nomination at the reorganization meeting. The council then installed Larry Lang as vice mayor by unanimous roll-call vote.

Mayor Pete Daly nominated Council Member Sally Meadows for mayor; after discussion and a formal roll-call vote in which Council Members Lang, Meadows, Weinberg, Vice Mayor Fleer and Mayor Daly recorded yes votes, the nomination carried and Meadows took the oath of office. “I, Sally Meadows, do solemnly affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California … and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office of the mayor upon which I am about to enter,” Meadows recited when sworn.

Meadows said she plans a pragmatic, citywide approach for the coming year and highlighted priorities including reaching an agreed plan for public safety infrastructure and maintaining the city’s strong financial position. She urged the council to manage change deliberately: “The choice we actually face is will we have change that we get to manage ourselves or will we have change that is done to us,” Meadows said.

Larry Lang was nominated and confirmed as vice mayor. After taking the oath, Lang thanked colleagues, city staff and residents and said he sees “optimism” as an active choice for the council as it addresses the year’s work.

Before the reorganization votes, the council approved routine business. A motion to place the consent calendar before the discussion items was carried unanimously, and the consent calendar itself was then approved on a separate unanimous roll-call vote. A council member announced a recusal from items 4 and 5 because they own property within 500 feet of the Woodland Library; the city attorney advised the member did not need to leave the room and the minute roll will reflect the recusal.

Regional officials attended and spoke in support of the council’s leadership. Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abbe Koga praised Mayor Daly’s leadership on housing and public safety and presented a county commendation; other speakers included representatives from the offices of state and federal legislators and neighboring mayors. The meeting closed with a brief reception invitation and adjournment.

The council’s formal actions at the meeting were limited to procedural and leadership appointments; no new ordinances or budget items were adopted.