I didn't ask me but I will.
Okay, I was wondering, no one asked me to do anything.
I was like, hmm, okay.
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Tuesday,
December 5th, 2023,
regular meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council.
I'm Cindy Silva and I've had the honor
to serve as mayor this last year,
and for the next 92 minutes, I'm still mayor.
And then when the stopwatch goes off, I'm done.
So if you'd please rise and join me
in the Pledge of Allegiance.
allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible. Would the city clerk please take the roll call.
Councilmember Darling. Here. Councilmember Francois. Here. Councilmember Wilk. Here. Mayor Pro Tem
Haskew. Here. Mayor Silva. Here. The first time item on our agenda is public communication for
items not on our agenda this evening. Now I'm going to explain how this is going to work.
We will have two opportunities for public comment this evening.
This one, which is for items not on the agenda.
And then a little bit later,
just before we go through the reorganization process,
we will have an opportunity for public comment
related to the reorganization process.
So if you wish to speak to that,
for example, beg Luella to serve for five years.
No!
That's when you'd make that comment.
Oh, I love the shaking of the head
in Ralph's in the front row. So this is public comment on items not on an agenda
and under state law this item is open to we are open to hearing items on not not
on our agenda but we cannot comment on those items because they are not
agendized. We will perhaps ask a question but not necessarily so we may refer the
item to staff or we may just thank you for your comments. We will allow up to
minutes per person and a maximum of 30 minutes at this point in the meeting for
public comment. If the number of speakers in public comment for items not on the
agenda exceeds the 30 minute allotment of time now we will reopen public comment
for items not on the agenda at the conclusion of our business this evening.
I will call the names of the speakers for whom we've received cards and please
line up against the window wall in the order that I call your names. Chris
Hunter, Pete Bennett, John Neff and David Rangel. Is there anyone else that wishes
to speak to us this evening on items not on the agenda? Please take your position
at the end of the queue. Again two minutes. Hi I'm Chris Hunter. I'm a
resident that lives close to the near near to the red gear pickleball courts. As
As your ambassador over the years, I've been here many times to update you on pickleball.
In 2023, it's exploding and they're building courts everywhere.
Remember that you were the first city in Northern California to have dedicated courts.
I'm here representing many of your other residents and taxpayers that want pickleball.
The court hours need to be extended and opened on Thursdays now that the darkness and rain
affect play daily.
Even if other courts are built, these courts are still going to need to stay in the park
for the local residents that use that park that don't play tennis.
On Thanksgiving, many of us would have gone to Red Gear to celebrate the holiday together
before our family meals like others do and go to the gym and do, but no, we can't do
that in Walnut Creek now.
Do you know that there are new quiet paddles, 50% quieter on the market as we speak?
I will have some of those by the next meeting that you have.
There are new sound screens with new technologies too.
Does your staff know there are better remedies
than closing down a city amenity that we've all loved
and used and paid for now for over 10 years?
We never received or asked for city money for these courts
and we've just enjoyed them for all these years.
Next year you'll start hearing
from many of the other pro-Pickleball residents.
Please don't continue to be the Grinch City
that stole our laughter and pickleball.
Please rethink what this loss means to your many residents
and remember that you were the first city
that had dedicated courts in Northern California.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next speaker, please.
Good evening, council.
Everybody, my name is Pete Bennett
and unfortunately my conversation with the council
and the city and the police department's not very good.
I've tried to get police reports for 45 years worth of stuff
in this city and other cities.
Can't get them.
10 years ago, my family was murdered in Utah.
Five of my family members were killed.
And I announced here to the council
that my girlfriend and daughter were the mom and the daughter
in the Amber Alert.
Over the last 15 years, 20 years,
I've been beaten up, arrested, jailed.
I've had my fingers broken, my nose broken,
my eye socket fractured, my ribs broken,
and I had a guy try to kill me in the Walnut Creek Public
Library, drag me to the floor, and he strangled me to death.
Then I had a stroke and almost died.
And the mom that saved my life, she died.
There's a lot of people near me that have been taken out.
Many, too many, to be honest with you.
My Christmas, I'm finally in a homeless shelter.
I've been on the street for 13 to 14 years.
I've had everything I own stolen from me.
I had a million dollar trust for my mother
that was stolen by my brothers.
It was a forgery.
I got the copy from the attorney that did the trust.
He said, Sue them.
I said, it's a forgery.
He forged it.
So my story is pretty bad
And for the rest of the people in the room here,
just go to walnutcreekpolice.com
and I'll tell part of my story.
Go look at it.
I've got enough people on that page to get your attention.
I'm sorry that I have to come here like this and beg,
but I'm not getting anywhere.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bennett.
Next speaker, please.
My name is John Neff.
I've lived in Walnut Creek for 43 years.
I've been a homeowner for 35 of those years,
and all that time my interaction
with the Walnut Creek police has been minimal and positive.
When a car crashed into my garage at 4 a.m.,
they were very prompt to respond, but it was 4 a.m.
But in my neighborhood, police are non-existent.
Recently, I noticed eight police vehicles on Sierra Drive
that turned out to be a misdemeanor warrant service,
which also included a drone.
Was that amount of manpower needed?
Walnut Boulevard has become a major thoroughfare,
And even with the radar speed limit indicators,
I have not seen any changes.
This is also a direct pathway to WCI.
Well over a year ago, this stretch of road
was to have speed cushions installed
to slow down the constant flow of vehicles.
After investigation, I found that these had been approved,
but since the lowest bid is usually accepted,
the vendor could be backlogged
with no timeframe for installations.
Did we find them on Craigslist
or out in front of Home Depot?
I don't know.
We organized a small group of longtime Walnut Creek residents to monitor the neighborhoods
that are not, that the neighborhood is not overlooked by the Walnut Creek Police.
We do not believe we should have to pay half a police officer's salary like Rod by Plaza
does to at least give the appearance that someone is watching out for us and our children.
I realize that crime is increasing in Walnut Creek and that the police are spread thin,
we all deserve their protection as residents and taxpayers of the City of
Walnut Creek. Mr. Neff, you've mentioned police service related to speeding and
traffic and crime but you've also mentioned the conditions of the roadways.
I can refer you to the police chief who is here or I can refer you to the public
works director who is also here or both. Who would you like to speak to? Public
works director. She's pointing to the chief but well these other guys they'll
they'll give you some more. They're my group. Alright thank you. I'm gonna
refer you out into the lobby where she can meet with you. Next speaker please.
Hello council members my name is David Rangel. I'm a retired Wanna Creek PD
sergeant and a longtime Wanna Creek resident. Where retired officer Mark Kahn
is going to speak about requires leadership from the top. This is
something our PD has not had in quite a long time. Our crime is off the hook, our
neighborhoods are being neglected as a result of your agenda to focus on
downtown and make Walnut Creek a destination city. From the 1980s to the
early 2010s, Walnut Creek PD was the envy of other Contra Costa law enforcement
enforcement agencies.
This was the place to be an officer.
We were the most educated, the most proactive,
and the most qualified and competent in the county.
That is sadly no longer the case,
nor has it been for quite a while.
Warner Creek PD needs to turn things around immediately.
A cop's cop as a chief of police is essential,
and we need that yesterday.
The residents and taxpayers of Warner Creek
need an independent chief from you all
who will run the PD with the mission at hand
to serve and protect the residents and the visitors.
Chief Knox is not that chief.
For one, he is not vested in the community.
He does not reside in Walnut Creek like other past chiefs
and has other priorities,
like changing the visuals of our patrol cars
and the PD's letterhead.
Our crime will only get worse
until we get a cop's cop as a chief of police.
you all have to take public safety seriously
and make public safety the number one issue for our city.
Instead of a 70 million plus pool facility,
staffing needs to be at 85 officers, working officers,
and a cop's cop chief at the leader of those officers.
Thank you very much.
I know you've spoken with the chief numerous times.
Would you like to speak to him in the lobby
for a little bit of clarification on some of your remarks
or do you just want to let it go?
Well the Chief and I've had, like you said, over an hour conversation, just like I've
had like an over an hour conversation with Council Member Wilk all to no avail.
I don't think they would really want to hear me out, but I'll be more than happy if they
wanted me.
I'll be outside if they want to talk to me.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next speaker please.
Good evening everybody.
Mark Kahn.
I am a 56 year resident here in the city, 20 years of which was a police officer and
I'm here to ask the city to place an utmost priority to increase patrol
staffing. Without the headcount, you will not be
able to actively search for those up to no good.
I am aware of the patrol ships working below minimums.
That's not safe for anyone, nor does it allow for the officers to do much more
than to respond to what is sent. I know the nighttime team has worked with as
few as three officers and a sergeant. Do the math. Send two officers to an
in progress disturbance that leaves one body and a sergeant. Do you realize that if an
arrest is made that officer may be off the street for several hours while transporting
the in custody and booking. That does not include the report writing which may be required
before that officer leaves after a scheduled 12 hour shift. You want guns, fentanyl, people
with warrants, unlicensed drivers off the street, they're not going to turn them in.
You're gonna have to take it from them. It's time to prevent crime. There was a
time when we had the numbers and the time and people knew it. Any officer will
tell you traffic and pedestrian stops are the bread and butter to building
cases. We are severely limited without full teams. We need to get the head count
up and continually prepare for the future. Counting those coming out of the
academy must be viewed in light of those that are not currently working due to
injuries and are not on the street. I understand you can't hire over the
allotted budgeted numbers, but it is inaccurate to say the patrol teams are
fully staffed if there are bodies not able to work. People will continue to
retire, get injured, and leave. You have to improve the situation.
Staffing is critical. Thank you. Does anyone else wish to speak to us this
evening under public comment on items not on the agenda? Then we will move to
the next item on the agenda which is councilmember and staff announcements
reports on activities or requests. Are there any closed session announcements
City Attorney? There are no closed session announcements this evening. City manager
do you have any reports or comments you need to provide? I do not have an update
date this evening there right and I have asked my council colleagues to be
mindful of the evening and if you have any items that are urgent that need
reporting that the community would need to know between now and the business
meeting on December 19th I will invite you to make a report otherwise we can
wait until December 19th councilmember darling the Christmas tree is lit in
Civic Park that's my announcement that people need to know that before the
19th. Pretty obvious in the dark. Councilmember Francois. I did attend the
chamber meeting but I can wait to get my report till the 19th. Okay, great. Mayor
Pro Tem? Just a brief comment that does need to be made before December 19th and
that is that the Hanukkah manure will be lit in Broadway Plaza this Sunday night
it'll be the fourth night and happy Hanukkah. Thank you for reminding us of
that and I have anything I had to say can wait until the 19th so next item on
the agenda is the City Council reorganization I will open it for
public comment on this item if anyone is here and wishes to address us and I see
our County supervisor yes I am ready well good evening everybody it is always
a pleasure to be here in Walnut Creek with all of you who serve so diligently on your city council.
Each of you truly makes such a difference in in our community and in the city of Walnut Creek
and tonight I'm here to specifically honor Cindy on her wonderful term as mayor of the city of
Walnut Creek. It's a pleasure to work with Cindy on various issues but she and I had the distinction
and we spend a lot of time, as we always joke, talking trash,
because we serve on the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste
Authority, along with Matt Francois.
And as we go through some very complicated franchise
agreements, decisions about what we should be doing,
I am so grateful that Cindy is on the committee
and that she takes such an incredible deep dive
on these issues and takes them so seriously.
And I also just want to express my gratitude for your leadership
on the state level as the past president
of the California cities, you have done so much
to really articulate sound policy
for cities and counties working with CSAC,
the California State Association of Counties,
so that we can, hopefully, with the state,
get a balance in some issues that really affect us.
So with that, it's my pleasure
to present this to you this evening,
and I would love to, if you want, come over there
and present it to you if you want to come here.
I need a photo op with the mayor.
It's not fun unless I have one.
And if my phone would do this, that would be better.
I know your password now.
I know.
So does my four-year-old granddaughter,
who does not have the time to tell me.
I know your password, Grandma.
Thank you.
And again, thank you, thank you, Cindy, for all the help.
Thank you for a while.
I have one other city I need to go to.
Just, I am sneaking out and other cities
having their reorganization this evening.
So, I'm headed south.
Greatfully, Arinda is doing theirs next week
and so I only have two tonight.
But it started 45 minutes ago.
So, Walnut Creek won.
I started here.
So, anyway, good to see you all.
Thank you so much.
Supervisor Anderson, I'm going to give the audience
little brief preview of some words I was going to say in my speech which is thank
you to the County Board of Supervisors for all of the work in developing the
any anyone anytime anywhere program it is a fabulous program it is going to
make a true difference in this county on how we respond to those who are
experiencing experiencing mental health crisis and so thank you for being a true
partner in that program and listening to us three and a half years ago when
Walnut Creek said we need help in this regard. And I will thank you, all of you
on the council, but Luella was mayor at the time too for articulating so
clearly what was needed and so thank you for being in that partnership and I'm
sure in your remarks you will let the public know it is now 24-7 that it is
available and it's just remarkable that was what was accomplished in the middle
of COVID thanks to leaders like you so thank you very much. Thank you for the
collaboration and please join me in thanking the County. Next speaker. Good
evening everyone council members and everyone here tonight. My name is
Alejandra Sanchez. I am a district representative for Supervisor Ken
Carlson and I am here on his behalf to thank you all for the work that you do
and to the outgoing mayor Cindy Silva. Thank you for your service as mayor and
for your positive impact you have made in Walnut Creek over this past year. To
our incoming mayor, congratulations and we look forward to continuing to foster
our partnership and working together on issues that are important to the city of
Walnut Creek and our community. We recently moved offices to Pleasant Hill
and so please come if you are in the neighborhood we always have sweets that
we can share with you so thank you. They are some of the best. That bakery
that's around the corner is fabulous. I'll be there Friday for the A-Bag
meeting. Thank you. Thank you so much and for the kind words. Next speaker
please. Hello council thank you for inviting us tonight. My name is Ella
copper and I'm this year's chair of the Walnut Creek Youth Commission. I just
wanted to take a second to thank Mayor Silva for all the work she's done this
year. We had her a few months ago at one of our meetings and she really came with
open ears and answered all of our questions about the city and her
involvement in it and just how she got involved with government in general. So
Mayor Silva, thank you for everything you've done, thank you for always
listening to us, and for soon to be Mayor Haskew. Congratulations and we hope to
see you soon at one of our meetings. Thank you and we're so excited that some of
you are here this evening can you ask your colleagues to rise these are
members do we have 15 on the Youth Commission yes we do Youth Leadership
Commission and they actually come to our meeting sometimes and are there engaged
so thank you I guess we're a lot more interesting than homework thank you so
much for being here I see no one else that has stood up so I'm going to close
the public comment portion of this and go to the next portion of the meeting
which is remarks from the outgoing mayor,
and I guess that's me.
So I'm just gonna start by saying
I think we have many things to celebrate this evening,
and most of these just wouldn't have been possible
without the combined efforts of a great team.
So I'll start my remarks
with some well-deserved acknowledgments.
First, my husband, Tom.
The job of mayor requires significantly more time
than one realizes, but while the mayor's work
is time-consuming. I think it's hardest on the mayor's spouse. Tom, I realize
having me be mayor isn't easy on you, so I truly appreciate the sacrifice you have
again made this year. Just as you were in 2011, 2013, and 2019, you have been
supportive, most of the time, and patient. You've sacrificed many evenings and
weekends for official outings, including donning a tuxedo sometimes to
support a worthwhile community cause. So thank you so very much. To my council
colleagues, we are an unusual City Council and I can say that because I
meet people from all over the state who are members of City Councils. We can
work together. We may not agree all the time with each other but we are
respectful, we are civil, we are a model of what we should be doing at the dais
in terms of debating issues, listening to staff, and I truly respect all of you and
thank you for the work that you do. Councilmember Wilk for your service, in
particular on County Connection Board on our behalf. Mayor Pro Tem Hask you for
your service on the Transportation Regional Committee and on Contra Costa
Transportation Authority. Councilmember Francois for your work on the Recycle
Smart Board, there's two of us, but trash takes a lot of effort. And Cindy Darling,
for your work on Marin, I was gonna say Marin Clean Energy, it's just MCE, and
there are many other boards and liaisons that we serve during the course of a
year such that I often describe to people that being on the City Council
is a 20-hour a week job, but at least half of that is spent on representing
the community on regional boards and with liaisons, local organizations. So
thank you for working with us together on these issues. Which brings me to the
other members of our Walnut Creek family. As council members we frequently
receive feedback from the community and we often hear that Walnut Creek is a
great city. Hearing that kind of feedback makes you proud to be on the city
council, but it's also humbling because we know that the real work, the real
credit must go to our city staff. It's our city staff who work every day to
make Walnut Creek the community we all love and appreciate. So on behalf of the
entire city council I want to thank our city team which is led by our city
manager Dan Buckshi. Dan you have one of the most difficult jobs imaginable. You
work for five different bosses all of whom have an opinion and all of whom are
strong-willed enough to get themselves elected. And you must translate our
differing perspectives. I would say it's five differing perspectives, but
sometimes by the end of the meeting it looks like there have been eight of us
sitting up here. But you have to translate all of our perspectives into a
clear course of action for the city, and I truly appreciate the integrity,
professionalism, and expertise you bring to your job, as well as your commitment
to our community, to our employees, and to your profession.
As council members, we also know that our success
depends on a small team in the city manager's office,
and there are three people in particular
I want to acknowledge.
First, our city clerk, Susie Martinez,
who keeps our agendas organized
and official business running smoothly,
and she also is responsible for handling
all Public Record Act requests,
which can be thousands of pages and thousands of pages
and thousands of pages.
Next is Nancy Cyr, who serves as our interface
in the city manager's office with the public.
And she fields correspondence and manages scheduling details.
And she does it with grace and attention to detail
and courtesy when we kind of go, where are we supposed to be?
And then there's Betsy Burkhardt, our communications
and outreach manager, from interfacing with the media
to preparing press statements, from orchestrating
Memorial Day and Veterans Day events to helping us prepare presentations and speeches. Betsy makes
us look great and we couldn't do that without her. We also rely on our city attorney to keep
us out of trouble and I want to thank Steve Mattis and your team of city attorneys for your
professional work for Walnut Creek. We are truly indebted to you and it's been 10 years.
Congratulations on your 10-year anniversary. To the other members of our executive team,
thank you for your work and I'll have a few more things to say about each of your departments over
the course of the next few minutes. Finally, we have our former mayors who I do want to acknowledge
and two of them are here with us this evening, former Mayor Kathy Hicks and former mayor
Gwen, no, Gail Murray, why did you say that? You know, I think I speak for all of us when we say
our former mayors deserve a lot of the credit for what Walnut Creek is today,
and the five of us are fortunate to be able to follow in their footsteps
and to build on the legacy they have created. What we do here does not happen overnight,
what they did set the framework, set the groundwork, and we're fortunate, and so thank you to
all of them. There are about 15 or 16 who are still members of the community for what you have done.
So let's talk about this past year. It's been an eventful year, and there are many people to thank
and recognize. The year actually kicked off with a bang, quite literally, starting around Christmas
last year and over the course of several weeks, Walnut Creek received more than 20 inches of rain.
Y'all remember that? The storms wreaked havoc on our roads, downed trees, caused major power outages
flooded creek beds, storm drains, and ditches that were ordinarily dry. It took
a superhuman effort to manage the impacts of these storms and we owe a
huge debt of gratitude to the men and women of the city's public works
department who worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week during these storms.
They cleared more than two dozen fallen trees, monitored swollen creeks, unclogged
storm drains and responded to more than 160 storm related calls plus the cruise
provided 650 cubic yards of sand and 45,000 sandbags to support the
community and it's because of their tireless work that damage wasn't worse
so thank you again to our Public Works heroes and to our Director of Public
Works Heather Ballinger. Speaking of climate, the city has long been a leader
in environmental action going back to 1974 when local residents voted to
purchase and preserve our open space hills. In 2012 the city adopted its first
climate action plan and within eight years we reduced by more than 15% the
community's greenhouse gas emissions. Building on that work and led by our
public works team this summer we adopted a new sustainability action plan which
continues our work on climate resiliency and will help us reduce our greenhouse
gas emissions such that we achieve net carbon neutrality by 2045. Among our
recent actions, or ones that are easiest to describe, we've re-roofed city
buildings with materials made of 75% recycled content or more and the police
department has added hybrid all-wheel drive vehicles to our clean energy fleet.
These hybrid vehicles will reduce emissions and save money all while
still supporting the PD's work to keep the community safe. In a community like
Walnut Creek, property crime is the biggest challenge and with the infusion
of funds from last year's voter approved measure O and better and the department
has been able to increase its staffing and better meet the property crime
challenge. In particular...somebody's leaning against the...I love the dimming of the lights.
In particular, year-to-date comparisons with last year's show that robberies, burglaries,
and auto thefts are down significantly. I also want to commend PD for being one of the
first police agencies in the United States to institute the ABLE program, which stands
As for active bystandership for law enforcement, the program helps create a culture where
police may intervene with fellow officers to prevent misconduct, to reduce the likelihood
of mistakes, and to promote officer health and wellness.
This philosophy is particularly helpful when officers must work with those who are experiencing
a mental health crisis, which often happens on our streets.
Fortunately, and as I mentioned a few minutes ago, after more than three years of work and
with the significant involvement of Walnut Creek, the county-wide effort to offer a non-law
enforcement response to those experiencing a behavioral health challenge achieved a major
milestone this year. As of December 1, last Friday, the program's crisis call center is
now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is fully staffed by trained professionals.
The A3 program, which stands for anyone, anytime, anywhere, expects to help some 4,500 people in
Contra Costa this year. And we truly can't thank our county supervisors enough for listening to us
three and a half years ago and for agreeing to invest in and build the A3 program. And I do
want to acknowledge that our City Manager, Dan Buckshi, and our Police Department were actively
involved in this county wide effort, so thank you. Now, after months of work and under the
leadership of our community development team, the City recently completed and received certification
of its updated housing element. The housing plan clearly affirms our commitment to make Walnut
Creek a welcoming community that offers housing of all types and for all income levels, and the
The plan aligns with our sustainability goals
by targeting the location of new housing
primarily near transit and downtown services
like the Waymark Apartments,
which opened mid-year at the downtown BART station.
The housing plan also focuses on actions
to improve housing affordability and address homelessness,
including affordable housing projects
on underused church properties,
like the back portion of the parking lot
at Grace Presbyterian Church,
where a six-unit tiny home project is under construction.
These projects are important for our community
because, believe it or not,
one in five Walnut Creek households spend more than 50%
of their gross monthly income on housing.
I wanna thank our Planning Commission,
the Nonprofit Trinity Center,
and the Walnut Creek Homeless Task Force
for their advocacy and leadership on housing.
This work is just one way we've been making
Walnut Creek a more welcoming community.
In April, the Community-Based Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion Task Force brought its recommendation
to the City Council, and I want to thank
the 15-member task force for its comprehensive work,
including its suggestions for community events
that celebrate diversity.
The Lesher Center hosted our first such event
past June. Fiesta Cultural was a week-long festival that celebrated Latin American arts and culture
and culminated with an all-day street fair attended by some 7,000 people. We look forward
to next year's festival which is again slated for June. Fiesta Cultural was just one of many
new productions this year from the Lesher Center, all part of the Lesher Center's strategic plan.
Performance highlights in 2023 included the Peking Acrobats
and five-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist, Diane Reeves.
So there's a big round of applause, quietly,
to our arts and recreation team and to our nonprofit partner,
the Diablo Regional Arts Association,
for their tireless work to sustain our position
as a regional destination for the arts
and to ensure the arts continue to be a vital part
of our local economy.
Speaking of the local economy, economic recovery, particularly since the pandemic,
continued to be a focus this year, and I want to thank our economic development team,
led by Terry Kilgore, Assistant City Manager, and the local business community,
including downtown Walnut Creek and the Chamber of Commerce,
for coming together on a strategic framework for sustaining and growing our local economy.
One note that we noticed, outdoor dining was very popular
during the pandemic and is a very visible symbol
of our local economy.
So there is good news.
This past year we finalized permanent guidelines
for outdoor dining.
And we're confident that once East Bay Municipal
Utility District, in other words, the water company
and the sanitary district get done improving
the infrastructure under Locust Street
that outdoor downtown dining will be back.
Walnut Creek isn't just a regional hub
for commerce and health care.
We're also a regional center for recreation.
And the Heather Farm Aquatics and Community Center
were top of mind this year,
and we made great progress on the work
to replace these 50-year-old, well-used facilities.
We finalized their location within the park.
We selected the project managers
specialized engineers we need for the team, and after evaluating nine detailed proposals,
we selected the architects.
This will be the city's largest capital project ever, and I want to commend our recreation
division and the public works department with support of the community development department,
and particularly the engineering division for co-leading this work.
And it's not their only jobs.
addition to their daily work, the Rec Department and the Public Works
Department are co-leading projects to improve the ball fields and lighting at
Heather Farm Park and Tice Valley Park. I also want to thank our Parks
Recreation and Open Space Commission for its continued guidance on these
projects and others, and for the fundraising support I want to thank the
Walnut Creek Soccer Club and the aquatics teams. The majority of the money
for these capital projects, as well as the funds for many program enhancements, including
five additional police officers, come from Measure O, which was approved by local voters
last November.
And these funds are truly making a difference in the community.
It's important to note that to meet our commitment to the community, we are being very careful
in how we account for the Measure O funds.
And I want to acknowledge our administrative services team, led by Kristin Lacasse, for
its work this past year to provide the financial forecasts that enabled us to plan how to use
the measure own monies. The administrative services team did this work while also, in
their spare time, leading the development of our two-year operating budget, our two-year
capital budget, and our ten-year fiscal forecast. The bottom line for 2023 and the coming years.
While we are not wealthy, our fiscal outlook is healthy, and our budgets are aligned with
community's priorities. In closing, I want to thank all of you who give so much to make Walnut Creek
the place we love. Your partnerships with the city, whether you work on libraries or sustainability,
whether you work on homeless services or business issues, they're truly, these partnerships are
truly what make our community the place we are happy to call home. Your individual efforts
are truly an inspiration and truly make this job a pleasure.
It has been an honor to again serve as mayor and I thank you so much for the
honor. I should probably turn on my
microphone. You may have noticed although it's not a big difference, I stood up
and there's a reason for it. As is our tradition, the outgoing mayor
gets a memorial present so please enjoy opening it and seeing what it might be.
Oh, it looks like some chocolates.
A bobble head that looks strangely like me.
That's a little scary.
A bottle of something to enjoy and it looks like a plaque.
No, it looks like a drawing.
I'll hold it so it doesn't. Okay, this is, I'm glad my hair is short and I've never had to really
use it. Let's do that. Let's just rip it. There we go. Oh, this is, okay. All right, and I'll leave
it up here so you all can come see it or I'll bring it out to the party. It is a street map
that has been cut in the shape of mountains. And the mountains are in the foreground and in the
background and then there's a gavel in it. Thank you so much. This is fabulous. I will enjoy this
every day. The next item on the agenda is the selection of our new mayor and it is my great
honor to open the floor for nominations and to be able to place the name of my very good friend
and Mayor Pro Tem Luella Hasku in nomination. It has been an honor to serve with you for 11 years
and to be able to serve with you as mayor in your 12th year of city council will be
an additional honor and so it is my pleasure to be able to nominate you.
Thank you. And it would be my pleasure to second that nomination. I look forward to working closely
with you. I look forward to having meetings at noon instead of morning because we do not share
that early morning genetics and I look forward to working with somebody who can laugh as easily as
you do. So I would be happy to second your nomination. Thank you. So we have a
motion and a second for Luella Haskew for mayor. Would you please take the
roll call vote? Mayor Silva? Aye. Councilmember Darling? Aye. Councilmember
Francois? Aye. Councilmember Will? Aye. Mayor Pro Tem Haskew? Wow, aye. Motion carries
unanimously. I declare you mayor and I declare or undeclare myself mayor. Are we
on schedule. We're ahead of time. I want my no. Okay it is my honor to organize
the selection of the mayor pro tem for this year. Does anybody wish to make a
nomination? Matt? I do mayor. I wish to nominate my good friend and colleague
Cindy Darling who I've known since we served on the Planning Commission and
in 2010 and have found always to just be a thoughtful, insightful, and natural born leader
and consensus builder.
So I'm not sure that I actually nominated her yet, but I will formally nominate Cindy
Darling to be Mayor Pro Tem.
Thank you.
And a second, please.
And I'm happy to formally second that nomination.
I look forward to continuing to work with Cindy and as mayor pro tem for the next year
Looking forward to that both with for you as mayor and with mayor pro tem darling. Good. Thank you very much
With that may I have a roll call vote?
Hi
Yeah
Council member Silva aye mayor haskew of course. Yeah motion carries unanimously. Thank you
All right, for those of you that have been patiently sitting, the last item on the agenda
is to give my speech.
So first of all, I want to thank Cindy, and I want to thank Cindy for the nomination,
and second, I want to thank the whole council.
I echo what the former mayor has said that you,
we work together really, really well.
Don't always agree,
but we work together really, really well.
And I saved the best for last to thank you.
It is my spouse or I'll ask you who is sitting here
in the loud Hawaiian shirt.
It goes with his red hair.
Cindy's already explained all the things
that go into being the spouse of the mayor.
And he's had it two times and he is,
I'm not sure looking forward to the third time,
but he'll be there no matter what.
The first time I assumed the role of mayor was in 2015,
I proposed a slogan for the coming year.
That slogan was Walnut Creek Works.
The year started with a split council.
There were challenging staff issues,
including the loss of a police chief
a wonderfully skilled city manager. Our city attorney left us to practice law at a private firm.
Still, we rolled up our sleeves, focused on completing a huge back load of council priorities
and dealt with the background conflicts. We celebrated what we accomplished. It turns out
Walnut Creek really did work. The second time I took on the responsibilities of mayor, my slogan
was Walnut Creek works together. The year started out with such a rosy outlook, the council didn't
always agree yet again, but the members did work well together. Our relief chief at the time was
recognized statewide for his skills and his sense of humor. We had a fantastic city manager who fit
the city's needs like a glove. Our city attorney continued to give advice that kept us on the
straight and narrow. There was even a likelihood at the beginning of the year that by the end of
the fiscal year there would be a budget surplus. And then there was COVID. And then there was the
lockdown bringing businesses and schools and just about everything to a complete halt. And then there
was the budget surplus that became a budget loss. And then there were protests triggered by the
murder of George Floyd, and then there were riots. And then we had to learn Zoom, but
by the end of the year, with a little help from the federal government, Walnut Creek
worked together and was well on our way to recovery.
Now it's the third time that I'll answer to being called Mayor Haskew, what to do about
us Logan. There are some possibilities. Walnut Creek conquers challenges,
Walnut Creek succeeds, Walnut Creek shows other cities how, Walnut Creek gets things done,
Walnut Creek, the welcoming community, Walnut Creek respects the past and looks forward to
the future. There are already challenges facing the council and the city staff.
I know by the end of the year there will be even more difficult tasks, disputes, and ultimately
questions. We have a strong council, a fantastic staff dedicated to giving the best service
possible and a uniquely resilient community. The good news is all of those slogans work.
It is with courage that I take on the job of mayor the city has my commitment to do the very
best I can to guide it through the good and the bad times this coming year. I know the spirit of
Walnut Creek will come together through all the issues, even better, even stronger, and
more together. Done.
And now it is my delight to announce that there is a reception in the lobby, and this
meeting is adjourned.
Before we adjourn, could we just have quick comments for the former mayor? We went so
quickly by it, we didn't even get a chance for that.
So –
Okay, go.
Thank you.
Five seconds back.
There are many of us in the audience.
Well, I guess we can talk about almost any of us here.
But for you specifically, Cindy, my friend and colleague, and I appreciate the work that
you do.
We all know how challenging it is to mayor and be front and center for some of these
issues that we're dealing with, and Mayor Pro Tem Darling will find that out as well.
We deal with challenges that I think former city councils and mayors didn't deal with
previously, which tended to be more focused on city issues, and we have more and more
issues that are coming at us from all corners of the country and even globally now.
It can be hard and challenging to manage that, and you do that well, and I appreciate that.
As you said, we don't always agree on everything, and I think that's a healthy council,
but we all are respectful, and anybody that's seen votes that have been 4-1 or 3-2, the next agenda
item, we're talking and it's a clean slate and we're conversing just as friendly colleagues again,
and I appreciate that, and thank you for your service. I'd like to echo Councilmember Wilkes'
comments about former Mayor Silva, colleague, Councilmember Silva. You know, I think if I had
to sum up Cindy in kind of one phrase, it's that she walks the walk and it's not literally
she walks the walk begin I saw her this morning walking downtown as she does almost every
morning but she does that with everything that she takes on she she did it with the
council position she did it as League of California cities she does it on recycle smart and that
that she's always prepared for every task
and is always coming in with the goal
of what can I do to make this community a better place.
And so I appreciate your dedication and commitment
and we've all benefited from your experience,
your historical experience of why we did certain things
over the years and how we got to the place we are now,
but also the thoughtful way that you organize us
and organized us over the last year
in terms of some of the votes we had to make
and I appreciated the thought that went in
to all those decisions that you made.
And so I too thank you for your service.
And lastly, I just want to say thanks.
Cindy is a model of the most hardworking mayor
probably in the entire state, I think.
World.
There is no issue where she doesn't recall some decision that was made 10
years ago that has bearing on what's happening today. There's places where she
understands something probably a little bit better than some of the staff that
are working on it and she cares deeply about the city and really works her
little hind end off to make sure that we all have everything that we need and I
I really appreciate the amount of time
that she spent with me as I joined council,
helping me to understand what the job is
and grow into the job.
And she's part of the reason
that this council works well together.
So thank you.
Okay, it's up to me to wrap this up.
And it's hard because we put in a number of years together.
My favorite story about Cindy is when I first approached her
when I thought about running for council.
and asked her if I should run, she said no.
And then I think she oozed a decision now.
And then when it looked like I was the most decent
of the possible candidates, she threw her whole spirit
in getting me elected, but for Cindy, I wouldn't be here.
And so, you know.
Don't listen to her, Ralph.
And we have over a period of years,
developed this incredibly deep friendship and respect for one another, and she makes
me a better person, and she also makes me a little stronger than I might have been otherwise.
And so I owe you a great deal, and I'm going to cry if I continue, so I'm going to stop.
And now I'm going to say, there's a party in the hall.
The meeting's adjourned.