December 2015
2015 is coming to a close. It has been an extremely busy and satisfying year. Our City continues to be active on many fronts, ranging from emergency and storm preparedness to hosting numerous community events during the holiday season.
I hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends over these next weeks. City staff and I look forward to providing you a wide array of outstanding services, programs and projects in 2016.
Questions, comments about this Update or anything else? Email me at CMUpdates@walnut-creek.org.
Police launch downtown bike and foot patrol
If you happen to be downtown this holiday season, be sure to say hello to Walnut Creek police officers patrolling the area on foot or by bike. This new pilot program is a way of increasing visibility during the busy shopping season, when there is an uptick in 'snatch and run' crime. In addition to deterring crime, the officers enjoy the chance to interact with residents -- in fact, they are frequently asked for directions to restaurants or a nearby coffee shop!
Preparing for El Nino
Our Public Works staff has been busy preparing for the predicted heavy El Nino rains. Sand bag stations are available in 5 locations throughout the City; thanks to the citizen who reached out via Nextdoor to let us know that the station at Howe Homestead needed more sand!
Everyone can help reduce the danger of flooding by keeping leaves and debris out of street gutters and storm drain entrances. If flooding occurs during the week, don't hesitate to call Public Works at 925-943-5854 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. After hours, call Police Dispatch at 925-935-6400.
Workshops on Community Choice Energy
An
informational workshop on Community Choice Energy will be held on Thursday,
Dec. 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the 3rd floor conference room at Walnut
Creek City Hall, 1666 N. Main Street. The workshop is hosted by the county Department of Conservation and Development.
Community
Choice Energy (CCE) allows cities and counties to pool the electricity use of
their residents, businesses and municipal facilities with the goal of offering
consumer choice, affordable rates and cleaner energy. The City Council will get an update about CCE options at their December 15 meeting.
Learn more about Community Choice Energy and other workshop dates and locations by visiting the City's Going Green Together website.
 Join the Walnut Creek Citizens Institute
Want to know what the City organization does to serve the community? Join the Walnut Creek Citizens Institute! Participants learn first-hand how the City works through tours, interactive exercises and presentations by Council members and key staff members. Classes will be Wednesdays, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., February 24 through April 6, with graduation the morning of Saturday, April 9. For details and a link to registration, visit the Citizens Institute webpage.
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Trellis Project goes to City Council on December 15
The City Council will consider a request by Pulte Homes to build 53 homes on 5.3 acres next to the Tice Valley Gymnasium at their December 15 meeting. The development would require a General Plan Amendment. More information is available on the City website.
Get the low-down on West Downtown Specific Plan
The
City Council will review the Vision and Guiding Principles for the West
Downtown Specific Plan at 4 p.m. Tuesday, December 15 at City Hall.
The goal of the West Downtown Specific Plan is to define a long-range
vision for future development and public improvements in the west
downtown, with a focus on making it easier to walk and bike between
BART and downtown; and to plan for new homes
and businesses between Olympic Boulevard and BART while
preserving the Almond-Shuey neighborhood. Click
here for a map of the Plan Area.
The
Specific Plan process began in 2012 with the first of 10 community
workshops hosted by a 13-member Citizens Advisory Committee. Over the
past year, the
Plan has been reviewed by City commissions in a series of special public
meetings. The comments
and proposed revisions to the Vision and Guiding Principles
(chapter 2) and the Plan Area-wide concepts (chapter 3) coming
to the City Council on December 15 are the outcome of that review.
More information on the West Downtown Specific Plan is available online.
Police Lieutenant Sean Conley
 Lieutenant Sean Conley leads the Special Operations team for Walnut Creek Police. In addition to the new downtown bike and foot patrol featured in this Update, Special Operations includes the K-9 units, the Traffic team, and the Special Enforcement team, which focuses on crime trends and problem areas. Conley enjoys the variety of assignments Special Ops offers; even more, he appreciates that these assignments give him a chance for more interaction with the public and other City departments.
Later this month, Lt. Conley will celebrate his 20th anniversary in law enforcement. "Technology is the biggest change I've seen in policing," he says. "When I first started, it was still pens and paper; now we use computers to file reports. And the amount of investigative resources available today through the Internet is incredible."
Best of all, though, is the way technology has made it possible to build relationships and collaborate with the public, Lt. Conley says. "It has changed policing philosophy. Instead of keeping everything inside the department, we are sharing information via social media, and getting the community involved in crime reduction and prevention with very positive results."
Learn more about what's new with the Walnut Creek Police Department by visiting their new website. Want to get regular updates from your neighborhood police officers? Join Nextdoor, a free, private social networking website.
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Toys for Tots
The Walnut Creek Police Department is hosting a Toys for Tots drive through December 17. Share the magic of the season by bringing new, unwrapped toys to the donation bins in the lobby of City Hall, 1666 N. Main Street. The police will deliver the toys to the Marines for distribution.
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Half-marathon returns to Walnut Creek
The Walnut Creek Half Marathon starts at 7 a.m. Saturday, December 12 at Civic Park, and will make a loop from Treat Boulevard to Ygnacio Valley Road. Traffic may be impacted between 7 and 10 a.m. Learn more at www.runwalnutcreek.com.
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Walk Walnut Creek self-guided tours
Learn about Walnut Creek history and the story behind various pieces of public art with Walk Walnut Creek. The series of self-guided tours use mobile technology to provide information at each site. Walnut Creek Walk is a joint project of the Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek Historical Society and the City, and was paid for through a combination of private fund-raising, public art funds and developer fees.
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Holiday happenings in Walnut Creek
We are fortunate to live in a community that offers a rich array of activities and events for all ages and interests. If you are looking for something to do in December, including details on where to find parking downtown, check out "Home for the Holidays."
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