Keith Reckdahl breathed a sigh of relief this week after an automatic recount, certified last week, confirmed his narrow 10-vote victory for a seat on the Palo Alto City Council.
“There’s a lot of relief — it was a long grind, and the county process was lengthy on top of the recount,” Reckdahl said.
Reckdahl, a planning and transportation commissioner, initially led fellow commissioner Doria Summa by just 12 votes, 11,539 to 11,527. However, last month’s recount tightened the race even further, leaving Reckdahl with a razor-thin 10-vote lead, 11,561 to 11,551, according to the official count from Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.
The Palo Alto race was one of several nail-biters in the region, including contests in Fremont, Cupertino, and Newark. In Newark, Julie Del Cantancio narrowly edged out Jacinta Arteaga by just three votes.
Incumbents Greer Stone, the current mayor, and Pat Burt, along with newcomer George Lu, secured their seats on the council early in the race.
With two new members joining the council, Reckdahl emphasized the importance of fresh perspectives.
“The council has a few new people, and that’s good,” Reckdahl said. “It’s always valuable to have a variety of voices. You don’t want groupthink, where everyone’s thinking exactly the same.”
One of Reckdahl’s top priorities when he takes office in January is to increase the housing supply and “modernize” downtown zoning.
“The council is committed to adding more housing, but there are still many details to address,” Reckdahl said. “We must continue pushing aggressively to create more housing in the city. As for retail, we have some vacancies, and we’re working on modernizing downtown zoning to make the area more attractive. These efforts are already underway, but there’s still much to be done.”
Palo Alto’s housing plan, officially known as the housing element, was certified in August after being sent back by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. In April, the city revised its plans to include measures for increasing access for minorities and zoning for multi-family construction. To meet its state-mandated housing targets, Palo Alto must build 6,000 new housing units by 2031.
“The housing element took a lot of time, which diverted attention from other city matters,” Reckdahl said.
California Avenue, one of Palo Alto’s two downtown areas that features parklets, mom-and-pop shops, cafes, and restaurants, has become quiet since the pandemic as many tech companies and start-ups shifted to remote work. The council has been discussing ways to revitalize the area, but so far, efforts such as new signage, painted planters, bike lanes, and bollards have not been enough to boost foot traffic.
“If you go down to California Avenue, it just looks like a cold street,” Reckdahl said. “It doesn’t look like an attractive shopping area, but it has so much potential.”
In addition to serving on Palo Alto’s Planning and Transportation Commission, Reckdahl has worked as an aerospace engineer for Lockheed Martin since 2005 and is a graduate of Stanford University.