Prepare for the upcoming storm
 City Public Works crews are busy today making sure new supplies of sand and bags are available at all of the City's sandbag stations. The incoming storm is expected to bring as much rain as we experienced over the weekend. In addition to filling sandbags and placing them in vulnerable areas around your home or business, you can also take other steps to prepare your property. Visit the City's storm preparedness webpage for all the details.
City Council and Measure O Update
 The Walnut Creek City Council selected Cindy Silva to serve as Mayor for 2023, with Loella Haskew serving as Mayor Pro Tem. January will be a busy month for the Council, with meetings on both January 17 and January 24. Items on the agendas include adopting the new outdoor dining ordinance discussed in December and adoption of the City's updated Housing Element.
Next month, the Council will receive an update on the voter-approved Measure O sales tax increase. The additional half-cent sales tax will begin to be collected in April, with the first funds received by the City in June. The Council will be setting up a five member oversight committee to review the financial reports that will capture how the funds are spent.
You're invited to participate in our Council meetings, either in person or virtually. You can find out more details and where to view meetings by visiting the City Council meeting agendas and videos webpage.
Construction launching soon along Locust Street
 Aging water and sewer lines in parts of downtown Walnut Creek are about to get an upgrade. The initial work will be done on East Bay Municipal Utility District's water pipeline that runs along Locust Street between Civic Drive and Mt. Diablo Blvd., as well as on Bonanza Street between Shuey Avenue and North Main Street. This portion of the project is expected to last up to 5 months, and work will take place from 7:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Following the water pipeline installation will be a sewer line replacement in the same general area. For details and how it might impact your work or travel through downtown Walnut Creek, you can visit the EMBUD project webpage.
Walnut Creek's Sister Cities International program returns: meeting on January 10 for those interested in the exchange program with Italy
 Walnut Creek Sister Cities International will restart its Youth Ambassador Exchange program with Noceto, Italy, for the 2023-2024 school year. The program sends local 8th grade students to Italy for a one-week exchange in the Fall; the Italian students then visit Walnut Creek in the spring. To apply for the program, students must live in Walnut Creek and be currently in 7th grade. Interested students and their families must participate in a mandatory Zoom kick-off meeting on January 10. Applications will be due by February 15. Email events@wcsci.org to register for the January 10 meeting.
Arts and Recreation Summer Camp Registration
 The calendar may say January, but it's not too soon to start thinking of summer! Registration for all Arts and Recreation Summer Camps will begin on Wednesday, January 18th at noon. Register before January 31st to get our best early bird rate of 10% off select Arts and Rec camps. Our camps include Arts, Sports, STEAM, Specialized Recreation, and so much more.
On View soon at Bedford Gallery: Erin Fong - The Sensation of Color
 Opening Reception: January 14, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Our world is saturated with colors that inform our day-to-day experience in subtle, unconscious ways. Through dedicated experimentation, Bay Area artist and letterpress printer Erin Fong explores this concept and how color affects our emotional responses. Erin Fong | The Sensation of Color will transform the gallery into a vibrant lab with the artist’s prints, paintings, and installations. The exhibition invites visitors to tap into their experience, both individually and collectively, as they are immersed in hues across the spectrum. How do colors make us feel, and how do they foster human connection.
Trailblazing Bluegrass at the Lesher Center - January 22, 7:30 p.m.
 Join American music masters Mike Marshall, Edgar Meyer, George Meyer, and Bryan Sutton for the kind of special collaboration usually heard only at a bluegrass festival. Marshall is a mandolin virtuoso rooted in bluegrass. The Meyers (Edgar on acoustic bass, son George on violin) come from the classical world. Sutton is the most accomplished and awarded acoustic guitarist of his generation. Together, they make acoustic music that can only be categorized as “amazing.”
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