The Palo Alto Human Relations Commission voted on Dec. 11 to elect Commissioner Krause as its new chair following nominations and public comment.

After nominations closed, a public commenter identified as Sarah urged commissioners not to select Krause, saying that at a prior meeting "commissioner Krauss's response came across as inappropriate in the moment" when local Muslim community members spoke and that the response had upset attendees. The comment asked the commission to choose a different chair who could better foster a safe and respectful environment.

Commissioners proceeded to a roll-call vote conducted by city staff. The roll-call results recorded a majority in favor and one abstention (Commissioner Ansari). City staff announced the motion passed and Commissioner Krause accepted the role, saying she was "grateful" and pledged to act with goodwill and moral purpose moving forward.

The commission then held a separate vote for vice chair by paper ballot between nominees; staff reported a 4–3 result and announced Commissioner Kazi as vice chair. Commissioners also scheduled a work-plan retreat for Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. to continue planning for the year ahead.

The meeting included tributes to longtime human services staff Minka, who is retiring, and concluded with commissioner reports and plans to continue follow-up on nonprofit coordination and food-security initiatives.