Good evening and welcome to the September 3rd City Council meeting and we have to consider
and take action on a request from a council member to participate in a meeting remotely
due to an emergency circumstance pursuant to Government Section 54953 F1.
We need to receive this notice, and so bear with us while we meet the law.
At this time, I will ask our city clerk if any notifications or requests for virtual
meeting participation have been received from any members of the Council.
Mayor Haskew, notification from Mayor Pro Tem Darling has been received for virtual
meeting participation.
Thank you, city clerk.
Mayor Pro Tem Haskew.
There's a little, no wonder I was thrown aside.
Mayor Pro Tem Darling, would you please address the council?
Thank you Mayor Haskew.
I am asking for just, or I am looking for just cause.
I have been advised by a physician
that I should not be around other people tonight
due to contagious illness.
I will have my video and my audio on throughout the meeting
and there is nobody here in the office
with me, so, thank you.
You're welcome, thank you.
City Clerk, you have some information to share?
Yes, for the record, I will note that at least four members
of the council are present in the chamber.
Mayor Pro Tem Darlene has not exceeded the annual limits
for remote attendance, and the city is providing
a two-way audio visual platform via Zoom
so the public can remotely hear
and visually observe the meeting.
Thank you, and bear with me, there's another thing
have to do given the circumstances. So welcome to the September 3rd regular
meeting of the City Council. The council is conducting the meeting from the city
council chamber. This meeting is being video streamed and can be viewed live
or later on the city's website. As some attendees may be participating in their
first Walnut Creek City Council meeting, I wanted to welcome everyone and talk
briefly about the public comment process for each agenda item there will be an
opportunity for public comment on the item thus if you desire to speak to an
item on the agenda this evening please hold your comments until the City
Council considers that item. Additionally we have a section on the
agenda titled public communications which is for the public communications
for non-agendized items.
Any comments during public communication
should not relate to an item that is on the agenda.
Consistent with section 9.5 of the city council handbook,
30 minutes will be initially allocated
for public communications for items not on the agenda.
Additional time for public communications
for items not on the agenda will be provided
at the end of the open session of the meeting if necessary.
If you desire to provide a public comment,
please complete a speaker identification card
and line up behind the lectern at the appropriate time.
Wait your turn and when you approach the lectern,
please state your name and city of residence for the record.
You will have two minutes to address the city council.
Please keep in mind that this is a city business meeting,
The City Council has adopted rules of decorum to ensure that meetings are conducted efficiently
and effectively, and that all members of the public have a full, fair and equal opportunity
to be heard.
The City Council handbook outlines decorum expected in the City Council chamber and can
be found on our website.
All remarks should be addressed to the City Council.
do not use threatening, profane, or abusive language which disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise
impedes the orderly conduct of the council meeting.
Again, each speaker will have two minutes to make your remarks, written comments submitted
and received up to two hours before the meeting, have been posted to the city's website for
public review, and are included in the meeting record, but will not be separately read into
record. Please keep in mind that this is a city business meeting. The city council had
Oh, sorry, that was the same one. Okay. Now, would you please join me in the Pledge of
Allegiance.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the State of America and to the Republic for which it
stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
May I please have a roll call.
Councilmember Francois?
Here.
Councilmember Silva?
Here.
Councilmember Wilk?
Here.
Mayor Pro Tem Darling?
Here.
Mayor Haskew?
Here.
we have a special item and that is the oath of office and the city clerk will
run that I Karen basting do solemnly swear that I will support and defend
the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of
California against all enemies foreign and domestic that I will bear true faith
and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution
of the State of California that I take this obligation freely without any
mental reservations or purpose of evasion and that I will well and faithfully
discharge the duties upon which I'm about to enter.
Thank you, thank you very much. Welcome and do you have any comments or any
conversation that you'd like to share with us? Just thank you very much for
the opportunity to serve as a commissioner on your Design Review
Commission. Some of you know I have had a 25-year career in commercial and
residential development and real estate. And a lot of that was urban
infill mixed use and multifamily housing. I'm also a Bay Area native, fourth
generation, and grew up here. And my father actually worked his second job
when he worked for the county during the day at the assessor's office. He
worked at Capwell's at night on Broadway Plaza back in the 1960s so I'm looking
forward to serving you all. Don't go anywhere. Don't go anywhere. Council is
going to join you up in front of the dais and we're going to have a picture. The
next item on the agenda is a proclamation of and so I will read it
and you will know why we're proclaiming it. Whereas service dogs play an integral
role in enhancing the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and medical
conditions.
Those remarkable animals are specially trained to perform a wide range of tasks that might
help mitigate the limitations faced by people with disabilities, including insisting with
mobility, providing alert and medical response, and promoting a greater sense of independence.
Whereas service dogs are trained to navigate public spaces, ensuring safe passages for
their handlers, and are highly skilled at remaining focused in calm and busy and sometimes
stressful environments.
Service dogs have demonstrated their invaluable contributions in various fields, such as guiding
individuals with visual impairments, alerting individuals with diabetes to rapid shifts
in blood glucose, alerting people with hearing impairments to important sounds, assisting
those with physical disabilities in everyday tasks, offering support to individuals with
psychiatric conditions, and aiding veterans and first responders in their post-traumatic
recovery.
These incredible animals not only provide practical assistance, but also offer unconditional
love and companionship, providing overall well-being and mental health of their handlers.
Service Dog Awareness Month provides an opportunity to recognize and appreciate the dedication,
hard work, and incredible impact of these service dogs, as well as the trainers, organizations,
and individuals who contribute to their training and care and support.
Whereas raising awareness about service dogs helped dispel misconceptions, increase understanding,
and foster acceptance within our communities, ensuring the rights and access of individuals
with disabilities and their service dogs are respected and protected.
Now therefore, Iloella Haskia, Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, on behalf of the Walnut
Creek Council to hereby recognize September as Service Dog Awareness Month and encourage
citizens, organizations, businesses, and schools to participate in events and initiatives
that raise awareness and promote education and celebrate extraordinary contributions
to these service dogs. And I believe there is someone here who is going to take the proclamation
and it might even be one or two people, so please come forward over there and introduce yourself.
Hi, good evening all and thank you for inviting us to be here today. My name is Eric Wagner and I
am a member of the board of directors for Early Alert Canines in Concord and I'm also a Walnut
Creek resident. I am joined today by Early Alert Canines Interim Director Alicia Santos and future
client and service dog handlers Kim and Amelia, and Early Alert Canine Scarlett.
She's also a medical detection dog. Additionally, we have members of Joy Bound with us who similarly
focus on the training and placement of service dogs. September is recognized in the United States
as National Service Dog Month. In the city of Walnut Creek, there are numerous service dogs,
handlers, puppy raisers, foster families, all working together to improve the quality of life
for our community. On behalf of these groups, we appreciate the opportunity to
recognize September as Service Dog Awareness Month in our city. Service
Dogs help improve health and well-being of their partners and their positive
impact on the entire community is exponential. Some of the ways in which
they do that include promoting inclusion and accessibility, enhanced quality of
life, supporting mental health, assisting in emergency emergency situations, boost
independence and self-confidence and educate and raise awareness. At Early
Alert Canines, our mission is to improve the health and safety and well-being of
people with insulin-dependent diabetes through partnerships with certified low
blood sugar alert dogs. Today we proudly represent our own organization
which is based in Concord and has been serving people for more than a decade.
Additionally, we recognize that today we also represent the service dog community
as a whole. On behalf of that group we are grateful that you are willing to
recognize September as Service Dog Awareness Month in the city of Walnut
Creek. The recognition validates the valuable contributions of these service
dogs as well as many of the people within our community who provide
training, veterinary care, and a loving home.
around? Come and talk, yes, a little bit. Thank you, thank you, Mayor Haskew. Thank you Eric and thank
you council members for recognizing September as Service Dog Awareness
Month. My name is Anna Ghosh, I am the Senior Director of Communications and
Marketing for Joy Bound People and Pets right here in Walnut Creek and I am
joined by Alex Abrahamson who is one of one of our trainers for our Psychiatric
service dogs in our shelter to service program.
Joy Bound's shelter to service program
uses the power of the human animal bond
to address the mental health crisis.
53% of Americans reported that mental health
is their primary health worry.
Meanwhile, 87% of pet owners report that animals
improve their mental well-being.
While any animal can provide much needed companionship,
psychiatric service dogs offer a lifeline
to those battling mental health challenges.
drastically enhancing their independence and security.
At Joybound, we train our service dogs
to become psychiatric service dogs,
trained professionals capable of assisting individuals
with mental health conditions,
such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, agoraphobia and beyond.
And we welcome everyone here,
as well as our broader community
who is interested in learning more
about transforming shelter dogs
into psychiatric service animals to an open house
that we are hosting on our campus on September 14th,
Saturday, September 14th, from 10 to 1.
And Ellie has some materials if you're interested.
We would love to have you come, meet some of our psychiatric
service dogs in training, some of our amazing trainers,
as well as other partners and other mental health,
mental and emotional health and wellness professionals.
Thank you.
Thank you for that.
You don't want to get away because we're
we're gonna have a picture taken, so come, come council.
Council, please don't get too comfortable.
We've got another one, let's see.
And this is near and dear to my heart as well.
Whereas the Diablo Valley Certified Farmers Market
held weekly on Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Shadelands
was established in 2011.
It is operated by California Farmer's Markets,
a nonprofit organization that operates 15 certified markets
in the San Francisco Bay area.
The mission of the Diablo Valley Certified Farmer's Market
is to provide viable direct marketing outlets
to California family farmers.
The Diablo Valley Certified Farmer's Market
is a location approved
by the County Agricultural Commissioner
where farmers sell only those fruits and vegetables
they grow themselves.
Access to friendly picked, excuse me, freshly picked,
local produce combined with family friendly events
enhances and promotes a direct connection
between producers and consumers
while facilitating conscientious food choices
for families and communities.
Choosing the food less traveled lightens the draw
on fossil fuels and accomplishes sustainable food distribution
to local residents.
And whereas the Diablo Valley Farmers Market was voted
California's number one favorite farmers market
in the American Heartland, American Family Trust
2023 favorite farmers market contest.
Good God, just saying the title means you win something.
And is consistently ranked among the top 10
farmer's markets in the state each year.
Now therefore, Isla Walla-Hasku,
Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek,
on behalf of the Walnut Creek City Council,
do hereby recognize Diablo Valley's
certified farmer's market on its 15th anniversary
and extend our appreciation for the positive impact
of the weekly event that has on our community
and the business it facilitates for local family farmers.
You guys are great.
Would somebody come forward to get the?
And nobody leaves because you need a picture.
And Mayor, may I just say that living on that side of town,
the Saturday farmer's market is so widely attended.
Everybody from Walla Creek,
that direction and Concord go there.
And I'm happy that I'm able to go and have office hours
a couple of times a year,
and I'll be there on September 28th,
and it's great to see people there.
Congratulations.
Good evening, my name is Gail Hayden,
and this is my husband, Doug Hayden.
This is the market manager, Warren Cox,
and he lives the closest farm here for cattle,
which is Patterson.
So he has 300 head of cattle
and comes and runs the market on Saturday morning,
so thank you, Warren.
I just wanted to say I was born here in Walnut Creek,
so I'm a settler, I think, because of 1955.
And I left and went off to college
and came back eight years later
and got back to Walnut Creek and people said,
we need a farmer's market here.
And I go, well, there's already one downtown.
And they said, no, we need one out this way.
We need one out this way.
So after I had already started 12 markets around
in mostly the San Jose, San Francisco, Mountain View,
Saratoga, Moraga, Rossmoor.
The day after somebody had called about doing a farmer's
market, they said, Park Shadelands called.
They said, we would love to have a market.
I went, oh, my gosh, this is like a coink eating.
So we started the market.
We did a community survey.
And people said they wanted parking, shade, local products
that was fresh and flavorful.
And we did all of those things.
And they wanted events.
And so we have a little video thing to play on.
There it is.
And it just shows some of the events that we do.
And one of the things we do is subliminally we're
educating children about eating healthy in our craft program.
And so we have about 250 kids come through four hours
on a Saturday morning.
And we're teaching them about vitamin C, eating strawberries
instead of chips and things that aren't healthy for them.
And we have the Kids Day, we do the watermelon eating contest,
we have the costume parade, which is a huge deal,
and we have the most famous Santa all around because the Santa
interviews each child, which we'll get to see up in this.
This is a reel on Instagram.
And so we have, I don't know, Warren,
how do we have 75 trucks, 70 trucks, truckloads?
And our crowd count can easily get to 4,000 people.
And it's very popular, and people love it.
And an interesting point, all 17 of the handicapped parking
spots are used many times.
That's how many people, because they can literally
walk 10 steps into a market.
So they love it.
And so I thank all of you.
I've been doing this since 1979.
And oh, look at that little one.
I had to put her in there.
Oh, the Cornhusking contest.
We're doing everything we can to get
non-screen time for children.
And so they husk the corn that that's the zucchini car
races, and that's very popular.
And Warren wants to say a few words.
Hello.
My name is Warren Cox, and I'm the manager of the Diyala
Valley Farmer's Market.
I just want to say how happy and grateful I am to be here
tonight.
The Diyala Valley Farmer's Market has played a big part of
my life for the last 10 years.
I first started out as a vendor there, and about four years
I took over managing the market and I'm just so happy to see how the market has grown over that time
And I'm just so proud to be a part of it
So for the last several years the market has ranked consistently in the top five market favorite farmers markets in the state of California
In the American Farmland Trust
Annual contest and last year we were so proud and happy to be voted the number one favorite market in the state
And I'm really proud of this and this is really meaningful because the ranking is determined by customer votes
So it just really goes to show how much the community loves and supports this market and appreciates all the work we do out there
So again, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to the city of Walnut Creek for recognizing us today
I want to thank Gail and Doug Hayden as well as the whole team at the California Farmer's Markets Association
I want to thank our friends at the Park Shadelands Kaiser who lets use our parking lot every Saturday
I also want to give us big special. Thank you to Linda Kohlberg and
And of course I want to thank the entire community of Walnut Creek for coming out and supporting the market every week
So, thank you all. Hope to see you all at the market this Saturday
Okay, I have a note here to make sure that people know that there's oh
two presentations
I'm sorry. I
Have a public. Oh, I've been looking forward to this
We're going to have a public safety update. So with the people who are updating us about public safety step forward and help us out
No people just me
Good evening, madam mayor members of the City Council Jamie Knox chief of police and
It's my pleasure to give you a public safety update this evening
Which will highlight some statistics from 2023 some trends we're seeing and some current initiatives. We're working on
First, I wanted to start with our mission statement.
So, our mission is community focused and we protect and serve the community through professional
conduct and proactive enforcement of the law.
And our brand is much more than our patch or logo, and it's certainly much more than
our utility.
Our values include professionalism, integrity, respect, safety, service, and honor.
So our visual identity is part of our brand.
And about a year ago, we began changing our fleet graphics
to better reflect our current uniform and our brand.
This is our new primary fleet color scheme.
It's represented in silver, which
is the color of our officer badge.
And I'm really proud of this next transition,
because I worked really hard on it.
If you watch the screen, you'll see it transition to gold.
Now, this is our even newer color scheme around town.
And this is because we just rolled out this new version
of our graphics for our supervisor car.
And those vehicles, the gold represents the gold badge
that our sergeants wear.
So it's kind of a tip of the hat to the sergeants.
And recently, we rolled out our annual report for 2023.
And that is available for download on our website.
And I wanted to take just a few moments
to highlight some statistics from the report.
So this is five years of crime data we're looking at now
and when looking at overall crime numbers,
we have a current trend of our property crime going down
and our violent crime going up.
The decrease in property crime could be due
to a combination of things to include under-reporting.
While we have made significant efforts
in high visibility enforcement over the past couple of years,
this trend of lower property crime seems to be the trend
in the region currently.
The sharp increase in our violent crime numbers
began in 2022, and this resulted primarily
from the crime of aggravated assault,
where in the past, we reported only the most severe crime
in any investigation to the FBI.
Now we report every crime in every per investigation.
And I'll give you a couple of examples of that.
So to illustrate this, let me give you a scenario.
So let's say that two people break into a car dealership
after closing hours.
They take cash from the dealership office safe
and they steal two cars from the garage.
In this scenario, under the previous reporting system,
the only crime that would be reported to the FBI
is the burglary with forcible entry.
Under the new system, all three crimes
of burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft are reported,
so it looks like we might have more crime
than we actually do.
I'll give you another scenario.
A person breaks into a home and begins to steal jewelry.
The homeowner comes home and catches a suspect in the act.
The suspect assaults the homeowner,
causing significant injury, and flees the scene
with the jewelry.
The crime of robbery would be the only crime
we would report under the old reporting system.
In the new system, all three are reported.
So this new reporting system can potentially
have an impact on our crime numbers.
we expect to establish a more normal baseline
once we have a couple more years of data
under this new reporting system.
So how do we stack up against the national average?
So our violent crime here in Walnut Creek
is 45% below the national average.
So I consider this a safe city.
However, if you look at the 2022 numbers,
our property crime rate is 46% higher
than the national average.
And I'll speak to that in just a moment.
If you look at five years of data of our crime rate
per 1,000 residents, there is a trend that it's going down.
And this is consistent with the regional and national trend.
Year-to-date, crime is currently trending 1% lower
than it was last year.
So property crime represents 90% of our total crime last year.
And shoplifting and theft from motor vehicles
are two of the most significant classifications.
General larceny and other theft crimes
are also contributors.
We have a significant amount of retail space here,
a daytime population that more than doubles,
two major freeways, and a BART station.
And all of these present their own challenges.
It's important for the community
to help us harden potential targets
and remove crimes of opportunity when possible.
I'm hopeful that future legislation will assist us
by keeping repeat offenders off the streets.
In 2023, you can see that our dispatch center
processed quite a few phone calls.
75% of our 911 calls coming into our center
are generated from a cell phone, which is completely different
from what it was 15 to 20 years ago.
And between incoming and outgoing calls,
we process about 271 calls per day on average last year.
87% of our arrests in 2023 were a result of calls for service, that's when somebody
calls us for help.
And the remaining 13% result from officer initiated activity such as pedestrian stops,
traffic stops, and crimes that officers on view or witness themselves.
Now, I'd like to talk about staffing just briefly.
As you can see, our annual average vacancy numbers in our sworn ranks are seemingly high
right now but this is due primarily to the added positions of five officers so
we're still playing catch-up on that and I'm happy to say that these numbers
are out of date now because earlier I finalized a couple of job offers that
I'll be making over the next couple of days for some lateral officers so we're
still doing well when it comes to our recruitment efforts. Speaking of lateral
officers 67% of our sworn ranks lateral hear from other departments. We believe
about five to ten years ago that number was even higher but I think this is a
good balance. We continue to attract very experienced lateral officers from other
cities and counties throughout the state. Department vacancies overall there's
there's a current snapshot of our vacancies today. We're 91% filled in our
sworn ranks, and 88% filled in our professional staff ranks.
So with that being said, our recruiting efforts are more important now than ever, and last
year we entered into a contract with Epic Recruiting to create a new recruitment campaign.
Part of that contract include the creation of new recruiting website, which is now up
and running, and the production of several recruiting videos, and I'd like to show a
couple of them to you now.
I get up every day, I really have a good life, I'm happy to work hard, my job
provides for a lot of my quality of life. We've had bees for a number of years.
The hives that we've had they've been really calm and friendly bees. The more
bees I have I get a lot better plant health in my garden. They take care of me.
There's a lot of things with beekeeping like a lot of things law enforcement.
For some people, you can't change the circumstances.
You can't change your attitude necessarily.
There's a lot of stuff I can't ask a bee to do.
I'm happy to come to work.
I'm happy to know that my life's still waiting for me
when I leave work and go home.
So that video is titled Well Rounded
and features motor officer Connor Davis,
and I think the video gives the public a glimpse
into what makes our employees
and our culture here so special.
And the next video highlights our special assignments
and speaks to those seeking maybe some adventure.
Okay, so we launched our Epic recruiting campaign in July,
and in the first month, we reached almost 10,000 ad views
with a 10% click rate.
And that's where people are clicking a link
to get more information.
And 291 people clicked the Apply Now link.
We'll be looking at our internal data in the future
to conduct a before and after comparison of our applications
received, just to see how well this campaign is working.
And our well-rounded video reached over 30,000 views
on Instagram, so pretty incredible reach.
We now have a production environment
of Paragrine, which is our data integration and intelligence
software.
Staff is currently learning the system
and building tools that are custom to what
we need here in Walnut Creek.
And this tool has already proven to be a valuable tool
solving crime. In fact, I think there's a detective in the back that may have
even solved a crime while being trained to use this new technology, so it's
really proven to be quite useful. We recently launched our new website, which
has a completely new look and feel, and we continue to improve this website and
welcome any feedback to enhance the user experience. And we continue to obtain
community feedback through the Axon My90 platform. This data is obtained
after an officer clears a call for service and the reporting part of your
victim is sent a text survey and as you can see 85% of the respondents have a
positive view of the department and 90% felt they were treated with respect by
officers and we continue to answer enhance our culture with a commitment to
active bystandership and peer intervention and to date 95% of our
sworn personnel have received the training. So over the next few months we
we will be bolstering our commitment to traffic safety.
We have a new motor officer who will be deployed
in a couple of weeks.
And throughout the summer, we have conducted
several high-visibility enforcement operations.
These operations have been complaint-based,
but data-driven.
Our goal is to change driver behavior.
And we will continue our education enforcement efforts
to enhance pedestrian safety.
And we've bolstered our downtown patrols
throughout the summer months, especially on the weekend
evening hours. Our reserve officers have played a vital role in these efforts
which have been also largely based on the analysis of data. Much like we've
done in the past, we plan to have a special holiday deployment to help
prevent and deter crime. And with that I'm surprised I got through that so fast,
was worried. I'll answer any questions the council might have. We'll slow down I'm sure
right now. Is anybody, yes Kevin please. Thank you so much Chief. Good info
because this is probably one of the most, most things that people ask about when we're
out in the street talking to people whether we're at our farmer's market booth or whatever's
going on.
A couple of quick questions.
First of all, you said 85% have a positive view of the department, 90% treated with respect.
Those seem great to me, but is there a comparison you can give us with other departments?
Is that a good number?
I mean, it looks like a good number, but how does it compare with other police departments
and cities?
have comparison data. Captain Andy Brown is here, not to put you on the spot but I
think from the last time we checked we are above average. Yes? Okay he says yes.
Above average. Okay. Meaning we're above other departments on average, that
85 and 90 percent approval rating. Great. And a question that we probably all get
are people that know us through neighbors or whoever else is, people are
rolling through stop signs in my neighborhood.
They're speeding, they're going,
I take my life in my hands
when I cross Ignacio Valley Road.
If they have these complaints,
who should they direct their emails to?
They can use the contact us email address,
the general email address on our website.
They can call dispatch.
We take all of those complaints
and it goes to our traffic office
and they use those complaints
to formulate a deployment strategy.
So every complaint that comes in, we do address.
And the website is, for the record?
Yeah, if they just go to the Walnut Creek PD website,
they can Google it.
They can use the link to contact us there,
or they can email any one of my staff members
or call the main number.
Great, thank you.
Thank you, Chief, thanks for the information.
In terms of the report, the one item that stuck out,
and I think it stuck out to you too, was the property crime.
Yes.
or 46% higher than the national average.
Has that number stayed static
or have we seen a spike over the last few years?
Well, property crime is actually down,
which it's down quite a bit, which is surprising,
but it's something that my colleagues
in the county have also seen.
We've all talked about it.
We think it's due to underreporting.
There could be some glitchy stuff going on with neighbors.
We're just not entirely sure.
But we have a target rich environment,
As I've mentioned before, with so much retail here,
and two freeways coming through, a BART station.
We have parking garages, so vehicle theft
is a common problem.
I would love for that number to be lower,
but much of that comes from people not hardening targets.
They're leaving items in vehicles in plain view.
And then the retail theft is just a real challenge
that we have here in California,
and we're hoping that some better legislation
will help us curtail some of that.
Okay, and in terms of the national average then,
we're being compared to cities of comparable size,
I assume, but all across.
So, from a recent study in 2022,
I took the information that was based on
populations of 100,000, converted our data
to match with that, so it was compared apples to apples.
that's how I arrived at that number.
In kind of our region, we do have some other cities
with kind of heavy commercial presence,
close freeway proximity, how are we compared to them?
It's a good question, I won't dime any cities out,
but there's one city, there's a couple of cities in the area,
one in the county that has a higher property crime rate
than we do, but there's some other cities
that are more bedroom communities,
one in particular that has half the property crime we do.
and that's probably something that's a little bit more normal,
but we are not a bedroom community,
even though we have a lot of rooftops here.
We have a lot of retail crime,
much more than most like cities.
We have a unique downtown with such great access
with all the parking garages
and all of the other things that bring people here,
such as restaurants and the nightlife.
Are there any other items that, you know,
we could be helpful for that are on your radar
in terms of trying to bring that number down
and make a dent in kind of some of this property crime?
Well, I always say if you see something suspicious,
say something, or call us.
If you see somebody that's committing a crime, call us.
One of the biggest issues that we had a few years ago
was just general apathy,
when people would see somebody stealing
from inside a store and they just wouldn't call.
And sometimes that was even the retailers.
So we've worked really hard to work with our local retailers
to call us every time.
We're still gaining momentum and traction there.
And we've also gone so far as to do
undercover operations to partner with area retailers,
asset protection, and loss prevention staff
to apprehend shoplifters.
And we just did one recently.
Thank you, Chief.
Yeah.
Thank you very much for the presentation.
We had one in May and appreciate getting one
at the start of the holiday season, or the fall,
because we know that people need to be reminded
to take care of their stuff.
So, let me see if I get this right.
Violent crime is down significantly,
but property crime is up.
Is there a way to compare what percentage of our crime
is property crime versus violent crime?
So, just to make sure I understand.
So, our violent crime is lower than the national average,
but it is actually trending up.
But we have generally low numbers of violent crime.
Okay.
And I'm sorry, you said, is there a way to compare?
90 percent of our crime is property crime.
Right. So then our number of property crime is higher than what we want, but it sounds
like when you compare us to other communities that would be like us, how do you think it
compares?
I think it's about normal, and it's just a problem right now in California, and I want
to say it's an epidemic, but close to it. And that's just because we have so many repeat
defenders and if they haven't met the dollar threshold of $950 and they don't
have warrants out for their arrest then we're usually forced to issue them a
citation and they go on their way where prior to that we could actually arrest
them and book them. This isn't your choice. This is not my choice no. This is
basically state law that has either been adopted at the ballot box by the voters
or passed at the Sacramento of the legislative level. That's correct. This is a
culmination of the effects of Prop 47, Prop 57, and AB 109. The legislation goes back well over a
decade and I think it's just finally caught up with us. So lock your cars and don't leave things
out in the open. Yes, that's good advice. No, that was your advice the last time you were here.
I was giving, I was drawing you a bone. You could have, you could, you could own that one.
Thank you. Mayor Portem, please. All right. Thank you, Jamie. A couple of questions. I got to talk
to a couple of the officers that were working on the loss prevention special project that you guys
did the other day. Are you working proactively? I know underreporting is a big problem. Are you
reaching out and saying see what we're doing to other retailers in the area to help them
incentivize them to report?
Yes, well, number one, we did advertise that last operation
on social media that got a lot of good traction
and gets people talking.
And that's what we want.
We want communities to talk about this issue
to partner with us.
And yes, we are going to partner with other retailers
on similar operations in the future.
But we're not going to reveal it ahead of time, of course.
You're not going to say, oh, don't go.
Yeah.
That's right.
That's fine.
With the advent of the A3 program are you seeing a difference in the mental health calls that your
officers are taking? Are you seeing any kind of changes there? Yeah it's a really great question.
We don't have a perfect way to capture that data because we try to be careful of bias and labeling
things a certain way. We're looking at that but I do know that because I've seen some initial
dashboard data that the county has released that there's many Walnut Creek calls for service that
that have been either filtered to or transferred to A3.
So as far as I know, it seems to be working really well.
So just anecdotally, you're thinking the program
is helping everybody involved.
Absolutely.
It's a resource that the community didn't have before.
We're hoping to get some better data on that
with the recent technology that I mentioned,
we'll try to capture better data
to understand what's working and what's not.
So I'm going to interrupt.
Oh, are you done?
I'm done.
Oh, OK.
Would somebody explain what A3 is?
I know what it is.
And I can only remember two of the As, which is access and.
Anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Yes, it's for the mental health situations
that maybe aren't crimes, just people who have issues.
So I understood that there was a statewide task force working
on the gang crimes, is that an imaginary thing?
No, we do have, yes, we do have a statewide task force
for organized retail theft and yes,
and we will be working with them in the future as well.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Yes, Matt has another question.
Two more, on, I know that in the past,
the department's been pretty active
with participating in drills.
We had a wildfire evacuation drill in Rossmore.
I think there have been some active shooter drills done
at major employers over the years.
Do you have anything on the calendar or planned
or scheduled in the foreseeable future?
We usually try to do something like that once a year,
and usually on the active shooter drills,
if we do something on a school campus
that's during the summer months,
when the school is not in session,
but we typically try to do something like that every year.
And then in terms of recruitment,
I know we had an item maybe a few months ago
that came in terms of a budget item,
approving the contract for the services
and the videos look very impressive.
Have you seen, and we've seen the click rates,
have we, has it resulted in actual hires?
Well, we've hired quite a few people.
We've definitely had some forward momentum.
I don't know if it's directly attributed to that.
We're working with our HR department
to try to collect some of that data
and better understand it.
It's early in the process, but hiring's looking good.
Oh, absolutely, please.
Thank you.
I wondered if you could take a minute and explain,
in addition to the A3 program, which is county-led,
what you're doing sub-regionally,
I think it's Martinez and Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek,
on your own version of crisis intervention training
and capacity.
Certainly, yeah.
We do have several officers with specialized training,
which is above and beyond what the average police officers get,
and they're available to respond to calls for service
throughout the county as needed.
So, but what's the partnership with the other?
Is it, have I misinterpreted something?
No, well, part of that program is,
there's some discussion right now
of who's gonna own that program,
so it's kind of in transition.
So, to be honest, I'm not sure who's going to pick up that battle, but prior to us,
it was San Ramon.
But the important thing is that we still have the officers who have the training, and there's
still an available resource throughout the county.
So we have multiple officers who have this crisis intervention training, in addition
to the, I guess, 34 teams that the county has in the A3 program?
That's correct.
All right.
Thank you.
any more questions so thank you very much and I'm going to take this
opportunity to thank all of the people in our police department. They are an
extraordinary group of men and women and dedicated so much to the service of our
community and I'm I'm gonna say without a doubt that they do a wonderful job and
I don't know a single one of them that I've ever met that I just didn't want to
have them over to dinner so they are sweet sweet people besides so thank you
very much all of you for what you do for our community thank you so much madam
mayor and I couldn't agree more hey the next item on our agenda is the
presentation from the development services department hello good evening
a mayor council members I'm Erica van and brand the community development
director so today I have a brief presentation about our development
services. So development services here at the City of Walnut Creek is more than
just simply one department. It's actually a partnership among several. So our
economic development function within the City Manager's Office, Community
Development Department, and then Public Works. And all three partners are
absolutely necessary in order to get development to occur within our city. So
share with you, when I first joined the city two years ago, one of the most curious questions
that I would get whenever a developer would come in, and they'd say, what does staff think
about this project?
And it was always curious to me because it was more what they thought as the developer
about the project and what they wanted to bring forward to the city.
And so I think after a lot of work and effort amongst our three departments, we have started
about a year and a half ago to focus in on three key areas.
So first is the customer experience.
So it's less about the staff, and it's
more about the customer and what the customer wants
to achieve in the development pathway.
We've also focused on process improvements
and then collaborative problem solving.
And this has occurred in a number of different ways.
So in each department, there have
been initiatives and efforts to work together with staff.
But as a team together, there has been training
and then weekly meetings in which we go through
and essentially work together as a staff
to be able to elevate what our processes are
and how we look at customer service and joint learning
and also collaborative problem solving.
Also in there, we've tried to foster curiosity
and then having more customer-focused approach
so that whenever a customer comes into us for development,
that we ask them what they're trying to achieve,
and we try to get them to a path to yes,
as opposed to a path to no.
And so that we are the, I guess,
the partnership of how might we,
as opposed to just simply regulators.
Now, in service to that effort,
we've done several things
that are trying to be more transparent,
and then also more just sort of demonstrative
within the community.
So what we've done here, this is a major development projects
map that was put into place just over a year ago.
And so anyone in the community or any developer coming in
or US council members can go to the website, the city's
website, and look graphically on the map
about the different projects that are underway here
within the city that are being developed.
And if you were to click on one of the projects
on the left-hand side, not that you can see that
because they're so small, but if you click on them,
you would be able to find out what the individual projects
that are going on.
So like 699 YVR or the City View mixed use project.
So to be able to see what the project is
about, how many units, if it's housing units, et cetera.
And then there's also a separate section on our website
that has an up-to-date.
It's updated each month about progress
that's happening for the major developments.
So there's actually quite a bit of information
on the city's website.
We've also implemented electronic plan submittal.
And so instead of having everything,
having to go through, manually through the counter
and so forth, so what that does is that
there is a online permit portal,
which serves as sort of a grand central station
for everything coming in.
And as of this past April,
all plans need to be submitted electronically.
But it allows that plant submittal to occur 24-7.
And it also, at a staff level, creates efficiencies
because we have the ability to conduct simultaneous review
by multiple staff, so it doesn't have to go sequentially.
And so that's helpful because that provides more
problem-solving capacity.
Well, okay, maybe we'll get there.
Okay, thank you.
So you had a lot of sexy things happening this evening
in terms of dogs and lots of videos, et cetera, from PD.
We're not that way.
We're a little bit more nuts and bolts and so forth.
But we have a number of how-to videos and guides
on the website on how to be able to access this permit portal.
Now, unless you actually have an account,
you don't know what's behind that curtain number two,
so to speak.
But there's quite a lot there.
And this is just some examples.
So if you're trying to go through and upload some plans
and so forth, that allows that to occur.
If you are a homeowner, for example,
and you want to know where a permit is at,
and your contractor is saying one thing,
and you're scratching your head,
you can go on with your own account
and look over there, too,
and see whether it's in the contractor's hands
or whether it's in the city's hands when looking at delays.
We also have solar permits, which the state has required us
to provide, you know, online access to, et cetera,
but electronic solar permitting,
so to make that a lot easier,
and so that was launched this past,
at the end of last year.
Now, building inspections,
it's one of our favorite things.
So, up until this past spring,
the way that people would find out
about when their building inspections were to occur
was that they'd have to call, you know,
sometime between eight o'clock and 8.30 every day,
But we've changed that, so you can still call,
but it's not necessarily the preferred way of doing it.
You can go onto the city's website,
and as you see in the lower right-hand corner,
there's a list that occurs there, eight o'clock every day.
It's like, here's all the inspections
that are happening and so forth, so that's transparent.
But again, if you want to know about your specific property,
you can go onto your, you know,
go onto the Excel website where you have an account.
You can also look up when your inspection is.
So, there are many different ways to be able
to find that information.
Now, then there's pre-reviewed ADUs,
or Access-Free Dwelling Units.
So, this document was put together,
the handbook, in October,
but then this past spring, it became live.
And so, we have pre-reviewed plans,
which are available to the public,
and essentially, they're ready to be used.
Now, a little caveat over there,
you still need to get a site plan,
and prepare the site and deal with utilities and so forth,
but in terms of construction plans and so forth,
they're here, so they're already pre-reviewed
so they don't need to have,
homeowners don't need to incur additional costs.
Give you a little bit of a taste of what these look like.
So we have a studio plan that comes in different flavors,
cottage, modern, or ranch.
So these are on the city's website.
Similarly, same flavors, but for one bedroom.
And then slightly larger one bedrooms.
And so here are pre-reviewed plans
that are easily accessible and available
to folks in our community.
We've also gotten lots of information
about SB9 lot splits.
And so people go like, well, how do we do this?
And they've heard about it, but they don't know.
So we put together a little cheat sheet over here
to help with regard to that.
We've done similar things for other pieces of legislation
to help SB 330, SB 35 for the developing community.
Similarly, we're in the process of changing design review
that occurs within the city.
So as I'm sure that you're all aware that you adopted
and approved the residential and residential mixed use design
standards and guidelines also as part of that process the process was changed so
there no more loop around so that created efficiencies. The non presidential
design guidelines are being presented to Council on the 17th so a sign of things
to come and then recently approved the contract for signage standards so that
that efforts going to be starting this of this fall and essentially to be able
to update those to make it easier for development to occur for signage.
Now this is something, this is one of our best kept secrets I think, so that there's
a little app called SeeClickFix that is there, you can put it on an Apple or Android phone
and this app allows you to, once you sign up for it, allows you to take pictures and
send it in, so if there's road damage, like a pothole, debris, personal property, noise
from construction occurring too early or too late, weeds, debris, etc.
That can all be populated through, and it's like a little bitty test case of a customer
relations management system because what happens is that whenever these issues get reported,
go to either our code enforcement or to our public works, typically.
And it's a non-emergency type of reporting.
But then, you know, we're able to then find out and then follow up on those issues.
Lastly, so before we get to questions, the city did receive the pro-housing designation.
And that pro-housing designation, beyond just, you know, you wouldn't think about it.
like how does it work in terms of the development environment but what it is doing is providing
a fair amount of accessibility to new dollars for affordable housing so for 699 YVR and
then also to help support infrastructure improvements within our capital improvement program.
And so in addition to that there are other types of funding that the city is eligible
to apply for in order to help support additional affordable housing. So that's a very specific
type of development. So with that, that's just a brief snapshot of what is happening
within the development services ecosystem. I'm happy to answer any questions you might
have. I bet there are a few. I'm going to start with Councilmember Silva.
Thank you so much for the report and the presentation and for what not only your team is doing,
but this also goes to economic development and public works.
So when you look at all the things and the improvements, many of which are probably unknown,
what do you think is the top three things you want to tackle next and the biggest challenges
that are going on that are frustrating the customer or frustrating us?
So we have talked about a number of different things so that from a customer's standpoint,
really leaning in further and trying to hear more of the voice of the customer.
And so there are some consistent frustrations that we've heard like with signage and so
forth.
We've also heard, you know, other issues in terms of how quick it is to turn things around
and so on.
And we're trying to make things more transparent, to be able to, I guess, separate out legend
and lore from reality.
Because sometimes it is indeed our fault, and we're trying to improve on that.
But then there are other times when contractors may not exactly, you know, be on time, etc.
And it's easier to blame the city.
So just having that transparency there and allowing us to then focus in on the areas
where we need to focus in on, and that we're more customer-forward focused.
So I think that's one thing.
I think that the second thing is in terms of process improvements and efficiency, taking
more time to be able to look through that lens of the customer, mapping out the journey,
and then trying to find ways to speed it along.
Because in the development community, time is money, and we recognize that, and so trying
to reduce the amount of time that it takes to get through the process.
I think the last thing, if you're asking me for three, is that trying to be able to
find ways to leverage technology.
And so we're really focusing in on trying to get more geographic information system
support using technologies that leverages that so that we can do things faster and more
efficiently with the use of technology.
do you find that there is a significant difference
between the size, scale, and scope of the type of project?
A homeowner who comes in to do a remodel
is probably having a very different experience
from a residential developer
that's building a 100-unit apartment building.
Similarly, a single small business owner
versus a Broadway Plaza.
that is definitely true.
So we have to play all ends of the spectrum.
And so for the homeowner that has never done this before
or has a contractor that seems like they may not
have done it before, we have to be very patient and help
lead them through the journey.
For the other end of the spectrum,
for someone who is a very sophisticated developer who
is trying to deal with very complex in-field types
of projects that require complex engineering,
We need to be able to listen to them and better understand what they need to be able to do
to get a very dense project in a very compact area.
And this is something that, you know, we're trying to develop the skill set.
We've been hiring people.
We've been listening a lot to our customers about what kinds of needs they have whenever
they're coming in.
And so we're really trying to develop that expertise also.
and I don't mean to hog this, but one of the things
that I'm not sure people realize is how many different,
other different agencies are involved in this outside
of the city of Walnut Creek,
and that makes the city different than many cities.
Would you like to elaborate on that?
And was I vague, was I clear enough to give you a sense
of what I'm thinking about?
So, you know, there are many other organizations.
So, you know, PG&E, East Bay MUD, you know,
just as a couple of examples.
They have their own timelines,
they have their own methodologies, et cetera.
But even then, we're trying very much
to be able to be collaborative partners with them
so that, for example, Charles had arranged last Friday
for a meeting with PG&E
so that we start developing those relationships.
For them, it's like you are in your place in the line,
but there are certain things, I guess,
if you have a relationship
and that you're able to then coach our developers
and people that are going through about having paperwork
in on time, et cetera,
gets you through that line faster,
and also doesn't put you at the back of the line
because you're waiting to get paperwork in and so forth.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mayor.
Did Cindy leave us any other questions?
She took away mine, so just me and Matt, please.
thank you, thank you for all you're doing
with development services.
You know, one item that we talked about at last,
our last priority update was getting general plan ready.
I'm just wondering if you can talk a little bit
about the timing and the scope of that.
Well, we will certainly be able to talk about that more
whenever council's having your priority setting meeting.
But what we have been doing is that,
We've been focusing on getting our house ready,
our house in order first in the ways that I just described.
We've also been focused on trying
to build relationships in the community,
build relationships with the development community
to look at what might be possible
as we go into the future.
We've gotten feedback on, you know,
there are certain elements within our plans,
within our current general plan that are highly outdated
and what we need to be able to do there.
But then even within the context of our two
most recent specific plans, the fact
that there have been so many general plan amendments that
are coming to you points out that we
need to do a better job in looking forward
and understanding not just simply what's
possible from a theoretical planning standpoint,
but from a practical economic and operational perspective.
And so those are part of the, sort of, the us piece.
We're also working on getting our house in order
with basic data.
And so unlike with PDE, where they are able to come up
with facts and statistics off the top of their head,
or at least having it available at the fingertips,
we're still working on developing that capacity.
And so that's part of getting general plan ready,
because it's really hard to say where we should be going
if we're not able to clearly articulate
where we're at right now.
So those are just a couple of the things
that we've been doing.
That's great.
And maybe a more difficult question.
And I don't know that it's a,
I think there's been a lot of positive change.
And I've seen it and I think we've,
the council's been at the center of trying to direct this,
but we still get the occasional criticism
that things haven't changed really much at all
or as much as they could.
And how would you,
I think if we're being honest we'd have to acknowledge that's probably true.
There's more work that needs to be done.
And if you had to identify two or three kind of big picture things, you know, that you
think would help advance kind of streamlining the entitlement process and the post-entitlement
process, kind of what are some of the things that are on kind of in our work plan now or
that you would like to see us make progress on?
There are actually I think three things and so you know first part is that we
have really been working within this ecosystem of the three departments to
cultivate curiosity and cultivate having the voice of the customer and
understanding the customers needs continuing to do that sort of work
because this is a journey it's not a destination and so there's a mutuality
And so, we are learning as they are also learning along with us.
So that's one thing.
I think that the second thing, though, in terms of, you know, trying to go sort of the
next steps are that as we're getting not only just general plan ready but updating the general
plan, there are a lot of things within our code that are from an earlier time and an
earlier place where the city's municipal code and our standards, et cetera, orient toward
a place and space that is of the past and not necessarily of the here and the now in
an infill environment and of the future.
So that is another thing.
And then also, just I think as was alluded to earlier, there's a level of sophistication
and a level of complexity that comes about
when you're doing infill development.
And so, and understanding not only what those things are,
but the economics that drive it is also key.
And so, you know, I feel a little bit put on the spot,
but that's what I would say.
I'm looking for, hey, there's a team sport here.
Thank you very much.
Just checking in with Cindy Darling, please.
Yeah, thank you, Erica.
I think you've done a great job
with community development and your time here.
A couple quick questions.
We heard from Chief Knox,
we're not going to put body-worn cameras
on community development staff.
But I did like his idea about customer feedback.
Do we have, or have we thought about whether or not
we could, you know, somebody comes in to interact
at the counter to do that customer service survey function?
So we're, you know, it's gonna sound like I'm talking
and code a little bit, but I don't really mean to.
We have a project happening internally citywide called Apex.
And so as one of those initiatives, customer service
and the customer experience is part of all that.
And so as that effort, we're having that bleed over
learning within our development services environment.
And so we're trying to do those two things in parallel.
I would expect that next year we start having more feedback
along those lines and be able to do
whether it's more surveys or customer satisfaction, et cetera,
because if we're able to learn through that,
not only are we more helpful to the community,
we'll be more helpful to you too.
And then you talked about the number of different entities
that have their fingers in permitting,
between water, wastewater, fire.
Do we ever, I'm sure you guys do this,
but regularly call those groups together
on a complex project at the beginning
to help in that mapping,
because I think that is one of the things
I've heard from people that are like,
oh, I didn't know I needed to get a connection.
So I would say yes and no.
And so yes from the standpoint
that for a more complex project
and as the need arises, we do convene, you know,
folks to be able to talk together.
But no, do we do that as a matter, of course,
for every single project and so forth
and map it out as part of the formal process.
They are included in the various checklists and so forth.
And we do make introductions,
but we are not necessarily consistently bringing projects
and everyone together to be able to
have those conversations earlier on.
And that is one of the things that we have talked about
to be able to do so that we're able to pre-problem solve
with the customer as opposed to getting further down the line
and it becomes an issue.
Thank you.
And then last question, this was a hot one
at Civic Affairs with the chamber a little while ago,
was the idea of an ombud's person if somebody's
having a problem, who they could go to.
And as a council member, there is a little value in that
because if they don't know where to go, they come to me.
But I haven't had that many lately.
But anyway, do you guys have a formal way
for somebody that's having a problem
or doesn't understand to get some attention?
So we are working on the developing that.
We have a process that internally we call the mosh pit.
And so whenever there is an issue
that's brought to our attention,
We try to solve it, understanding what the issue is
from the customer's standpoint,
and then solve it in a multidisciplinary way.
We've also talked about being able
to not just do that internally,
but to reach out to the customer
and have them part of the problem-solving endeavor.
And probably two of our best examples with that
have been with Toyota Walnut Creek
as we were trying to solve for various issues
as that was moving through the process
design and then also for some more recent projects that I don't want to
call out specifically but we've had the customer there in the room with us and
trying to problem-solve around specific issues. So you know there's that. Is it
always going to work? No. But then what we've also had been doing when Angela
was here was to designate a person at various times as a ombuds person to help
help convene those meetings and serve as more of a neutral body so that, you know, a facilitator
for that group discussion and we're getting into that discipline of doing that more frequently.
Great. Thank you. I love everything you're doing with community development. You're really
going in a good direction. Thank you. Thanks, Erika. And I really appreciate you
being in some of the meetings that are business-oriented that we've been involved in the last couple
the months. I think we've heard from the community it's better than it was and
there's still a ways to go on that and I certainly appreciate the work that you
and your team have done on that. One of the things that I do get from some of
the businesses specifically, but I've heard this from residents as well, is
they'll submit whatever they're asked to submit and then they may wait a week or
two to get a response and sometimes they don't even get a response acknowledging
that it was received, and they're wondering if it went into sort of this black hole, or
does it go, and then it goes to the bottom of the pile before being reviewed, and I think
that what would be really helpful in working with the team is if we can get, if when a
project is now slated, okay, we know this is coming, we've been working on this, that
the questions that are asked, there can be a turnaround time maybe of 24 hours, just
so that we can quickly then get that through.
I could certainly understand if I were a customer
and I was now waiting six or eight weeks
because the questions were going back and forth
and it kept being a long time to get the responses.
So I guess it's not a question more
that this is what I'm hearing.
Definitely understand that.
And we've been talking about that internally.
Sometimes it's a very easy kind of thing
to be able to just turn it around within 24 hours
and help resolve an issue.
There have been other issues that, on the surface,
might appear that, oh, that's an easy one to solve,
with regard to someone wanting to put in a pool,
for example, in an unusual location.
And then we work through it, and then we
find out that there's an easement that we didn't know about,
and a whole bunch of other things.
So it entails more problem solving.
And there's always a path through it, right?
But sometimes that path through it
may not be the most desirable from a city standpoint
or alternately from whether it's a homeowner
or the property owner's standpoint.
So there's oftentimes a lot of negotiation
that needs to occur.
But that having been said, I hear your point
and I think we all hear your point.
We're trying to be more responsive and more communicative
even if that communication is,
we can't give you an answer right now
but we're gonna be working on it in the next three days,
the next week, et cetera.
That's a perfect answer, perfect.
When I was in business, when I now,
when I get back to people and say,
I got this, working on this, might be a couple of days,
people are happy.
If I don't get back to them for a couple days
and have not said that, they think I've ignored them
and then now I'm on the defensive again.
But the answer you just gave is a perfect answer.
Way to go guys.
Thank you.
Okay, all the questions I might have asked
have been used up.
So I'm going to just give a little story.
I don't know if I legally can, but I'm
going to give the story.
I was at Farmer's Market, and some man
came up complaining about a pothole
in the middle of his street.
And I'm frantically writing down things.
And Erica walks by, and she said, oh, I know how to do it.
And you use that.
And I didn't write down what its name is.
The click fix.
Yeah, and I got credit because the whole thing was fixed
within a week or something and I got credit for it.
So thank you very much.
I don't have a complaint.
It's our public works department that fixed that one.
Yeah, you're good.
Bravo, everyone.
Okay, thank you.
All right, and anything else you want to share?
No, okay, thank you.
Moving on.
I did neglect early on in the meeting
to announce the Zoom Webinar ID,
which is 827-270-9556,
with a passcode of 752932.
I was trained to do that the last time I was mayor,
and so forgive me, it's been out of a fashion for a while.
Consent calendar.
Do I have anybody who would like to bring up an item?
Matt.
Thank you, mayor. I'd like to pull item 2G.
Thank you. Anybody else have, yes, I'd like to pull item 2F. 2F. Anybody else?
Mayor, I'd like to comment on item 2C when appropriate.
Well, that's never happened to me before either. Okay. And that completely blew my brain out.
Does anybody in the audience want to make a comment about an item on the consent calendar?
I'll pull this out.
Just have faith in me.
So Mayor, I would like to make a motion to approve items 2, A, B, D, E, and H.
Second.
Excellent.
We're done.
Please roll call.
Councilmember Wilk?
Aye.
Councilmember Silva?
Aye.
Councilmember Francois?
Aye.
Mayor Pro Tem Darling?
you. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Matt, you were first. Would you please
take your item? Yes, so I pulled item 2G, which is the Tice Valley Park Sports
field lighting project, and I just wanted to thank staff for kind of the
dedication and hard work on bringing this project to fruition when it's
developed and operated as early as next year I understand.
We'll have lights on the field out at Tice Valley Park
and that'll extend our soccer playing season,
probably help with baseball,
maybe lacrosse and some other sports.
And so I'm very pleased to see this come forward
and also I can give the staff report.
I don't think I have any questions.
I just want to say thank you
and also thank the voters who passed measure
A large majority of the funding for this project is coming from Measure O, as well as supplemented
by some federal dollars that we have.
This enhances our quality of life, and it gets kids off screens, as we heard earlier,
and solidifies our community as a place that values and sees the enrichment in youth sports
and recreation.
So I'm pleased to see this moving forward.
Yeah, I think I have a question or two
from council member Silva.
Yes, thank you.
And I'll start by saying ditto,
having been the field scheduler for the soccer club
20 years ago.
It was always difficult during the late fall,
winter and spring seasons when it would get dark so early
and kids were getting out of school at three o'clock
And only having an hour 90 minutes or so to be able to practice so this will be great
I had a couple questions. Um, can you elaborate on?
This new procurement process that we're using for this. I don't think it's a new process, but it may be a first time for Walnut Creek
Sure, Rich Payne Public Works Interim Public Works director
And we are members of the council.
So this procurement process isn't new.
We've used it before on several other projects.
One was the garden center, that remediation.
We used the same type of cooperative bid agreement
process.
So we've used it before.
It's not something we do all the time,
but it does streamline the bid process for public works
projects.
Can you explain how it's different
than what we would order,
what the two ways of doing it are
and it seemingly saves time and money?
Yeah, so the traditional public works project process
is typically you follow, you go,
you put a bid, spec together, set of plans,
You solicit bids from contractors in the area.
They submit the bid and you kind of go with low bid.
I've streamlined that process,
but that's pretty much what you do.
In this case, through the source well process,
they do unit bidding process where they already go out
and they do that pre-bid process for that type of work.
In this case, it would be for the lighting systems.
And so essentially, what they would do
is they would go out and solicit several bids
for installing a pole and a light and that type of work
along with the installation.
And they do all that pre-bidding process ahead of time.
They pre-select the contractors using a selection criteria.
In this case, there's several factors in that selection
criteria that they use.
And they land on a set of contractors.
And then they simply take our bid, our scope,
and then they attach a bid to that using the bid along
with those other criteria to select the contractor.
So we're getting what we're looking for without having to do that front end process.
Somebody has done that at a national level on our behalf.
Yes.
And it streamlines that whole bidding process.
And what's the timing that we expect?
When are we going to be able to turn on the lights?
So we're looking at December, January for construction and hopefully this project will
be fairly simple and straightforward and will have lights by spring. That's great. Thank you. Yeah.
I'm happy to move that to award the contract 2405 the Tice Valley Park Sportsfield Lighting
Project to Musco Sports Lighting LC. Second. May I have a bid please? Council member Silva.
Aye. Council member Francois. Aye. Council member Wilk. Aye. Mayor Pro Tem Darlene. Yes.
Mayor Haskew? Yes, I called it the wrong thing, but you all got the right idea. You wanted to do item C?
Yes, thank you Mayor. Pursuant to state law, I'd like to note that item 2c is an amendment to the
city attorney contract. The amendment provides a five percent hourly rate increase effective August
1st, 2024 and a 4.5 percent rate increase effective July 1, 2025 subject to a satisfactory or better
their evaluation between the timeframe of April 1st
and June 30th of 2025.
Thank you.
I believe we passed that one
when we went through the first time.
No, we did.
We already did it.
I vote for item two second.
Thank you.
Can I have a roll call vote or bid whichever you prefer?
Council member Francois.
Aye.
Council member Wilk.
Aye.
Council member Silva.
Aye.
Mayor Pro Tem Darlene.
Aye.
Mayor Haskew.
Aye.
Am I remembering there's one still outstanding?
Yes, may I have the?
Item 2F is the authorization of the city manager
to enter us into a joint powers authority agreement
with the county related to a pedestrian pathway
on San Miguel Drive.
And I was wondering if engineering staff,
public work staff, could answer a couple of questions.
So this is a very exciting project
because it'll go from the top of the hill at Newell
where it intersects with San Miguel
out through the city to the south
and into the county portion of San Miguel Drive
to add a line, do I have that correct?
That's right.
Can you tell me a little about how much,
what is the objective of the project?
Sure, Smidar Boardman, city engineer.
So the project actually initiated when county staff
reached out to staff, the city, they were exploring,
They have something called a traffic mitigation fee.
We call ours traffic impact fees, but same sort of idea.
They were interested in expending
some of those traffic mitigation fees
and doing some kind of pedestrian pathway improvements
in the Walnut Heights area.
And so they'd reached out to staff and they said,
hey, we're gonna be surveying some county residents.
This is where we were thinking.
So there were two options actually.
They were looking at Mountain View Boulevard
or Sammy Gell Drive.
And in the end, they got a lot of feedback
about preferences from county residents
about Sammy Galt Drive.
At the same time, city staff also did reach out
to residents along our portion
because you can put in a pathway,
but then it would sort of be a pathway to nowhere.
And so the idea is really to complete a sidewalk network.
Those county residents are in sort of a pocket
of unincorporated county that really,
all those residents are served by our schools, right?
Los Alamos High School, they're walkable to the downtown,
Kaiser, Broadway Plaza, et cetera.
So, and the Iron Horse Trail as well.
So we thought this was a really great connection
to bring those people over into the downtown area.
So with that, really it's just
this pedestrian improvement project.
So in our portion of it, it will be actually
curb gutter and paved sidewalk,
and in the county portion it's going to be more of a,
decompose granite pathway? Yeah, so the county is looking at doing asphalt, an asphalt pathway,
and an asphalt berm, more of a rural style feel, and we are actually looking to make improvements
for a full curb gutter sidewalk that meets our city standard plans. That's, you know, a full
improvement, really what we would desire to try and achieve in along that street. It also provides
continuity to existing sidewalk curb and gutter. Because we also already have some portions of it
in that area. Yeah further down. And this is really a good way to approach this. This is
not unusual to have these partnership agreements when you're abutting another local agency and
you're like Pleasant Hill Road is in multiple agencies or Treat Geary Road was done in a
with Pleasant Hill, correct? That's right, this is definitely a, it's an opportunity project, and
again that county staff had reached out to city staff a couple years ago. So this project has
actually been in our, it was on our CIP, the capital investment program that we brought to you
not two years ago, a year ago, a year and a half ago. Sorry, I'm thinking about future. So we'll be
carrying the cost for our portion, the county will carry the cost for their portion,
and the county is going to serve as the lead agency in it?
That's right, that's the intent.
So the county would be able to do all of the design,
manage the construction, and we'd just be giving them
essentially our funds to help support the project.
And if we approve the giving the authority
to the city manager to enter in the JPA,
how long before we see a path?
Because that's what people are gonna ask, right?
Yeah, so I think that county really intends
to, you know, all of this needs to get worked out.
We're just in a initial design phase.
These are just concept designs,
so this needs to go into the design.
You know, there's some environmental clearance
that has to happen, but this is likely exempt
because it's a pretty small improvement project.
And then if there is any right-of-way acquisition
associated with it, then that would need to get taken care of,
but we're not anticipating that at all
within the city portion.
So anytime Right of Way kind of gets involved,
it can lengthen the process.
But I do think that the county intends
to proceed with this in the next year or two.
Okay, great.
Thank you.
You're done?
Mm-hmm.
Oh, that's good news.
So may I have a?
Mayor Pro Tem Darling, I believe, had her hand up.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Thank you.
Cindy, please.
This was really big up in our neighborhood and it was hotly debated between Mountain View and San Miguel
And I'm glad we're here where we are when this goes to construction
Are we going to make sure that they're that people understand that it's a cooperative project between the city and the county?
Yeah, we'll definitely be working on a lot of outreach for our residents then with with the county staff as well
speaking to the county
residents to you so there's mailers will probably do some fliers and that kind of thing some social media posts
Yeah, it'll be great
Anyway, I'll be happy to move to approve
Item to whatever. Thank you
second I
Have motion in a second. May I have a roll call vote, please mayor pro time darling?
Hi councilmember Silva, I councilmember Francois councilmember. Well, I may or ask you. Absolutely
Okay, next is council member staff and announcements and reports on activities or no public communications
I am sorry. I really want to shorten this to the bitter end
public
Communications this portion of the meeting is reserved for the comment on items not on the agenda
Under the Brown Act the council cannot act on items raised during public communications
But may respond briefly to statements made or questions posed request clarification or refer the item to staff
Consistent with section nine point five of the City Council handbook 30 minutes will be allocated
I think that's going to be enough at this time for public communications for items not on the agenda
If additional time is needed we will do that at the end of the meeting which will be shortly after this
So is there anybody here for public comment?
Good, thank you
I don't know if anybody else is cold, but whoo
Anyway, my name is Barbara Guinness. I've been a resident of Walnut Creek since 1996
Regarding the public safety update
That was provided in tonight's City Council meeting. Please remember that public safety can be an issue in the open spaces as well
Please be aware that simple activities like hiking, walking, jogging, horse-riding in our open spaces can be a public safety risk to Walnut Creek citizens.
With no enforcement of the open space municipal codes, our open spaces can resemble, as some start to call, the Wild Wild West.
Not only do mountain bikes travel on single track trails that are not designated for their use,
but now more powerful e-bikes are being used on those trails.
In addition, you may be buzzed by a motorcycle.
Everyone realizes the open space staff cannot be everywhere all the time,
so infractions to the municipal codes will occur.
But no enforcement policy puts everyone at risk if they use the trails in the open spaces.
No longer can you have a quiet walk, run, and just observe nature or breathe the fresh
air.
You need to be aware at all times that a mountain bike, a fast-moving e-bike, or even a motorcycle
can be upon you in a few seconds.
City Council members, mayor and the mayor, are officials elected to represent the community
and to set policies and priorities.
codes are policy items set by the City Council. The enforcement of these municipal codes should
be a City Council priority to provide for the safety of the citizens. An enforcement
of municipal codes must be a priority in our open spaces as citizens deserve to feel safe
while visiting the trails in the open spaces. One other item the Chief gave his public safety
update today and thank you for that. I just wanted to say I was happy to see that in your
recruitment video you did have a policeman going up a trail so maybe there's hope though.
Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you for waiting us out and thank you for
being here. Anybody else want to step forward to public comment? Any Zoom.
There are no individuals on zoom wanting to provide comment. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you
And now we are finally up to item four council members staff announcements and reports on activities or uh, requests
Thank you madam mayor, there are no reportable actions from closed session this evening city manager
I do have one update this evening. I'm pleased to announce that the city's citizen
Citizens Academy will be coming back
after a hiatus that was induced by COVID.
We're bringing that program back this fall.
Tentatively it appears the first session
will begin October 8th.
And for those that may be listening
who might be interested, not familiar with the program,
it's an opportunity to learn about your local government,
about your local community,
to go on tours of places you may not be aware of
and see the behind the scenes operations
and opportunity to hear from the mayor
and each of the council members as well as several staff
overseeing key programs.
So if you're interested, stay tuned,
we'll be putting information out very soon.
All right, Matt, would you start us off please?
So as the liaison to the Chamber of Commerce,
I attended their August 15th meeting.
I was able to give the city report at that meeting,
many of the items you already know,
because we've talked about them.
We had an update from the various different Vice Chairs
from the Chamber and heard from many partners
of the Chamber, Walnut Creek downtown,
East Bay Leadership Council.
In terms of future planning,
we've got the East Bay Women's Conference
scheduled for March 4th of next year.
And I believe that will be at the Lesher Center,
again, the third year in a row
that we'll be hosting it here in downtown.
And the Art & Wine Festival will be May 31st to June 1st.
And that will be held actually very close to here.
I believe the details are still being worked out,
but somewhere in the vicinity of City Hall, shall we say.
While the construction gets underway
for the pool and the community center at Heather Farm,
Bob Lynchide, who's here tonight,
gave his update and also provided some outreach work
that the Chamber is doing in terms of a startup guide
for entrepreneurs and business owners,
and also they're doing a survey for business leaders
soliciting their input to help them
with our priority planning.
I also serve on the Recycle Smart Board
and am on the Vendor Ad Hoc Committee,
looking at new providers for our recycling and trash
collection services.
And we've separated that process between post-collection
and collection.
We're in the post-collection phase.
It's not cart before the horse.
There is some logic to this to try to make the collection
process more competitive.
So we're in the post-collection phase, which
includes things like transfer, processing, and disposal.
and the ad hoc vendor committee has directed staff
to continue negotiations.
We're close to making recommendations to the full board,
which will make a decision in October,
and then we'll pivot to the collection RFP process,
and that rolls right into the Recycle Smart meeting
that we had end of August,
and we approved staff entering into an option agreement
for a certain property in the Martinez area
to potentially be leased by the authority
for a truck yard facility,
with the thought being that this would make
the collection process more competitive
that collection service providers
that may not have facilities in Contra Costa
could still potentially bid on the collection services
with the advantage of having this truck yard relatively
close by.
And then just rounding out my updates, my local community.
I live in the Park Mead community.
And the Park Mead Community Association
hosted a neighborhood block party at the end of August.
And so I'm just putting out, because there's
a real feel-good event.
There were about 150 people there.
There were kids drawing chalk on the ground,
playing hopscotch and jump rope.
and everyone had a really good time
and it was a very nice community building environment.
So I'd like to see more of that happening
in neighborhoods all across the city.
And that's my report.
We do that in the Foothill neighborhood.
Yeah, and I know San Miguel
or the Ranch San Miguel neighborhood does that as well.
It is a great event.
Over the last, well, I guess month,
there was a terrific panel on homelessness.
And I think the mayor, you're probably gonna,
you or the mayor of Pro Tem will be talking on this,
I take it, but it was a terrific event.
It was recorded and I would recommend anybody
that's interested in this, take a look at the city's website
because, or the chamber website, is it?
The chamber website?
Chamber website.
Chamber website.
Chamber website, okay.
Because there was a lot of great information
and the people that were in the room
have all of this information that they want to impart,
so please do watch that.
I was at the Aqua Nuts, their showcase on Friday night.
They have an annual fall showcase.
And it was terrific to see this is a top two
program in the country.
I was talking to a few different parents there
and was sitting right behind the mayor and her husband.
And between us and Santa Clara, it
seems that there's a real competition there.
But this is top two of artistic swimming or synchronized
swimming, as it was known, in the country.
And from little kids all the way up through high school,
They are coached by Olympic athletes and coaches.
My soccer teams, they had Coach Kevin Wilk.
But the Aquinas have Olympic champions.
So this is just a terrific opportunity.
If your kids are interested, girls, boys, all of them.
I thought you were going to say you had players playing
in Paris this year.
No, Paris, Texas, maybe, but not Paris, France.
Right, right.
But for next year, just keep an eye out.
It is a terrific event.
I was at the Labor Day Band concert last night in the park.
Six, seven o'clock, about 100 people were there.
And it's just always great to see the Wall & Creek Band.
And as warm as it was yesterday, it's
just a perfect evening for this.
And kids of all ages were there from 5 to 95,
and wonderful to see.
A couple of specific areas I want
make sure that I touched on before leaving. One is the county connection has
also been on break, but there was an issue this last month that we are trying
to resolve right now and the wave induction system for recharging the
electric buses at BART, the entire system has gone offline. What happened was the
company that is in charge of this can't be reached anymore. We, somebody finally
got a hold of the CEO, but something is going on and we think maybe they declared bankruptcy.
We're not quite sure, but what it meant is that we did not have the power to be able
to charge our buses.
So a couple things are happening.
This is priority one for County Connection and they are following up as we speak to make
sure that we can get this all back online for our electric buses.
And the second is that we're looking at getting larger batteries for the buses and seeing
if that'll help so we don't have to charge throughout the day so frequently.
This is part of the consequence of being cutting-edge.
The county connection was the first bus route in the entire county connection for Walnut
Creek and the manufacture of the Gilligan Bus Company, which is the largest bus manufacturing
plant in the country, in North America actually, the first to use electric buses.
So we are truly leading-edge.
The problem is when you're at the front of that, when changes happen and there might
be certain accessories that go obsolete and those businesses are making different parts
now, we're then left with potentially having parts and buses that can become obsolete.
So great to be leading edge, also could be a challenge when the push comes to shove at
the end.
So I'll have an update on that during our next meeting and hopefully it's that the electric
buses are going back through.
and lastly the Walnut Festival is back. We heard that last year, well last year
of course it didn't happen, we were all kind of caught surprising by that, but I
was I was alerted by the organizer the Walnut Festival is back and they are
getting volunteers right now and if you go to their website and I'm going to be
looking at our communications manager to help get this information out too, the
website is thewalnutfestival.org. Make sure you have the thewalnutfestival.org
for volunteer signups. You can go right now and sign up.
It requires volunteers to have the Walnut Festival.
So nobody say, why don't we have the Walnut Festival when you haven't volunteered?
That's all I've got on board to help volunteer there. We'll have that Walnut Festival back.
And that's great news. So that's my report.
Thank you. Cindy Silver, please.
Thank you. Well, in addition to some really nice family time off,
time off, there was work that happened during August.
The first thing I'll mention,
I sit on the board of the two county East Bay
public safety radio system.
And our finance committee is currently working
on issues related to enhancing the policies
we use for billing, accounts receivable and collections,
because it appears that some of our member agencies
have not been paying their bills quite on time
or they're going to the wrong person at the city hall.
Anyway, we have a new executive director
and he seems to be right on top of it
and really pleased with that.
And the board will be considering
the policy recommendations on that in the coming weeks.
Speaking of Recycle Smart,
along with the mayor Pro Tem and the mayor,
we attended the grand opening of the new location
in Concord for White Pony Express.
And the reason I'm,
They basically are a leading edge non-profit organization
that is really was at the forefront
of developing the recovery of food in our area.
And they started their work and they're helping us.
They started in Walnut Creek, then they expanded
and they were in Pleasant Hill.
And now they are in a very large facility and conquered.
And the way they help Recycle Smart is we have a requirement
to have a certain percentage of our food recovered
from our restaurants and grocery stores, et cetera,
to meet state mandate requirements.
And so they're a key partner of ours
and we really appreciated that they were expanded
and that they're so successful.
Speaking of volunteers,
Community Service Day is now open for registrations.
It is like it has been in the last 10 years.
It is on the second Saturday in October.
This year the date does coincide with Yom Kippur,
but for those who cannot attend or participate that day,
there is flexibility in the scheduling
in our neighborhood food drive project.
The neighborhood food drive project is one of 35 projects
that are being organized by nonprofits
and public agencies across the city,
so I hope everyone will sign up.
If you want information,
go to the City of Walnut Creek website homepage
and then click on one of the homepage banners.
But incidentally, this is not a city
of Walnut Creek sponsor, well it's a sponsored event,
but it is not organized by the city of Walnut Creek.
It is organized by the Walnut Creek Civic Pride Foundation
and the Completely Volunteer Community Service
Day Committee.
And finally, in case you missed the notice this weekend,
the Ruth Bancroft Garden has been named
the most beautiful garden in the world.
Yeah, no kidding. It's in the world. And so congratulations to the Ruth Bancroft Garden, Mayor Pro Tem, please.
Thank you. As Councilmember Wilk already mentioned, we have the Civic Affairs Homeless Forum and I was happy to represent the city on it.
Molly Clop and Bob Linchide from the Chamber of Molly with Trinity Center to pull together
all the panelists to kind of walk through all the different components of homelessness
outreach and services within the city that is available on the Chamber website.
And you can go back and look at it.
One of the great things this time was this was the first time that we had the A3 program,
which was anywhere, anyone, any time there.
And they gave some really great stories about places or calls that they had taken where
they had really helped people in a moment of mental health challenge and had very successful
outcomes.
So that was really great.
A couple things that the group emphasized.
One is that there are multiple ways if you see somebody that's homeless and you want
to get them help.
There's 211, there's 911, there's the Walnut Creek PD's non-emergency number.
that all of those, it was funny, when we were planning, even those of us that work in the field
all the time, like, well, when do you call? And the message that got out that day was,
there is no wrong place to call, just call and the systems are there so that you will get the help
you need to the person that you identified. A couple great ribbon cuttings, Bristol Hospice
was out they are out over by Planned Parenthood we had a after hours ribbon cutting for them and
it was a great group that works at hospice and they're expanding their operations here in the
city they're a great partner we also had the Chateau on um had their their new opening and
I'm still not quite sure how you explain them but it's like caviar and cocktails and
Anyway, it was very cool. It was ready for the Instagram generation. And then this week,
Congressman Marcus Salvier came to town at Walnut Creek downtown, and I walked him around
to four different businesses, Torcepti, Telus, Love and Chocolate, and Lita, and introduced him
to the owners of the businesses. He got a chance to talk to them about what's working, what's not.
we talked about crime, we talked about all kinds of different things going on. And I learned that
his staff are really in tune with the congressman, the fact that once he's having a really good
conversation with somebody, he will not cut it off himself. And so they started telling me,
okay, Cindy, it's time for you to stand up so that the congressman will stop talking and we
could go to the next one just to keep us on schedule. But it was a great chance to
introduce them around in town and really showcase some of our great local businesses. That's my
report. If I got the part where I was there too, holding the doors. Oh yeah, you and I were both
there. Yes. Okay, so on my official side, I am the DRAA representative and we went and talked about,
I learned about the update on Broadway plans,
which will be October 5th.
I understand that there is some need.
If you intend to go, you probably should buy your ticket now,
or it even may be too late.
But there are many new wonderful shows coming up
at the Lesher and Bedford Gallery,
and I encourage you to look at the Lesher Center website.
Certain people would rip my arms off
If I didn't remind the public that just because it's not summer anymore, that doesn't mean
arts and rec aren't doing what they need to do to make your life better and happier
and smarter.
As a matter of fact, I did manage to get to a class where I learned a lot more about how
to use my iPhone so much that I remember half of it and I've got to take the next class
over again so I get the other half.
I've been to many of the things that we shared, the staff picnic, Heather Bellinger's retirement
dinner, the Aquanaut show, working on where we know that two of our residents or people
who are from Walnut Creek have won, oh, a gold medal in something called the Olympics.
We're well aware of it and we are on it.
there will be a Walnut Creek celebration for our champions.
We just don't know what it is yet.
And so let's see if there's anything else.
For those of you that didn't get to see the Presto event,
which is that automated vehicle for Rossmore,
there will be another one in Martinez at the hospital
on the 10th of, well, I don't even understand mine,
on the 10th at 10, 10 a.m.
I did a lot more than that.
I should be tired.
Anyhow, I think that's it.
So if nobody has any other formal business
or I haven't screwed up on something else already,
we are at the moment of adjournment,
which we will do in memoriam of William Hartman.
We're closing this event in his meeting.
He was a planning commissioner, and he passed away
the 25th of June at the age of 83.
He was raised in Berkeley and attended Stanford University
for his undergrad education.
He then served as a First Lieutenant Army Intelligence
Washington DC during that tour.
He supplemented the Secret Service
at the Kennedy Inauguration in 1960.
He returned to Berkeley and attended Cal to study law.
That's where he met his wife, Pat.
And they moved to Walnut Creek and raised their three children
and were married for 49 years.
Public service was in Bill's DNA.
Following graduation with his JD,
he started his legal career at the county district attorney's
office in 1965.
Later in his career, he opened his own office
and he retired in Walnut Creek and he retired in 2002.
He was appointed to his first term
on the Walnut Creek Planning Commission in 1972,
and he was reappointed to the Planning Commission
and later selected as chair.
His first term on the Planning Commission
included extensive review of the core area plan,
which was the plan for development
in the downtown area for 10 years.
He served his community as president
of the Mount Diablo Bar Association
as a member of his church vestry,
spent time in retirement volunteering
at John Muir Hospital Loves and Fishes
and other community service organization.
He is survived by three children, seven grandchildren,
a brother, as well as his beloved companion of nine years.
Bill will be profoundly missed by all who loved him.
The Walnut Creek City Council extends
It's heartfelt thanks to Bill for his commitment
and contributions to the city of Walnut Creek
and the greater Walnut Creek community.
Thank you very much for being here at tonight's meeting
and it is adjourned.
♪ ♪ ♪