City Council Update
The City Council will meet Tuesday, September 5, beginning at 5:00 p.m. During that hour, the Council will select candidates to interview for seats on the Measure O Citizens' Advisory Committee. Thank you to those who applied. Beginning at 6:00 p.m., the Council has several proclamations and presentations recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Farmers Market, National Preparedness Month, and the Walnut Creek Bomb Squad. The Council will also discuss locations that might suit new pickleball courts in areas less concerning to neighbors.
After this meeting, the next City Council meeting date is September 19, when the City Council's priorities will be discussed. The Council set its latest priorities in February of this year, and each quarter, staff provides an update on progress made. PG&E will also be providing an update on recent power outages that have hit parts of Walnut Creek.
You can view agenda material and prior meetings on the public meetings agendas and videos webpage. As always, you're invited to attend in person, or watch live on YouTube, Walnut Creek TV, Zoom, or on our City's website.
Your Measure O Tax Dollars at Work
Funds are just starting to be received by the City from the voter-approved ½ sales tax increase known as Measure O. The ten-year measure will be used to fund high priority programs, projects and services for residents. The proceeds from Measure O will have a major impact on the City’s ability to better serve the community. In the area of public safety, Measure O will cover the costs of an additional five police officers who are dedicated to a downtown patrol, and crossing guards to make access to schools safer. A crime prevention specialist will be added to the Police Department, to provide community outreach and crime-prevention education, along with a Police Services Supervisor to increase support to the City’s dispatch team.
Measure O funding will be used to help support our homeless programs, with a homeless outreach team and in partnership with the County for social service support. The Lesher Center for the Arts will benefit from increased funding to help support the implementation of its strategic plan including the “Lesher Center Presents” programming series, and marketing activities. Funding is also included to help implement the City’s recently adopted Sustainability Action plan. Economic development is a high priority for the City, and Measure O will support the City’s downtown, by funding various events and initiatives.
A significant effort will be to replace the pool and community center at Heather Farm Park. They are both more than 50 years old, and maintenance of the aging pool and equipment is becoming increasingly difficult. The City Council recently provided staff feedback on the community engagement strategies that will be used to keep Walnut Creek residents informed along the way. Other improvements will be coming in the form of lights at the Tice fields, and a new synthetic turf for some of the fields at Heather Farm Park. All of these enhancements relate directly to the priorities identified by you, the voters, who approved the additional ½ cent sales tax.
Emergency Preparedness Month
September is nationally recognized as Emergency Preparedness Month, and the City Council will recognize that with a proclamation at Tuesday's Council meeting. This is the time of year when everyone should be prepared for the potential for wildfires. Although Walnut Creek was not identified as one of the red flag warning areas earlier this week, it can happen at anytime. We encourage everyone to sign up for emergency alerts on the City's website. It's also a good idea to register for alerts from PG&E about power outages on their site,
The City has an emergency preparedness webpage with details on how you can take important actions to prevent impacts to yourself, your family and your home. Please visit the page for more details.
Community Service Day: Saturday, October 14
 It's time to register to take part in next month's Community Service Day in Walnut Creek. Led by the Walnut Creek Civic Pride Foundation, Community Service Day is an opportunity to give back to our Walnut Creek community. There are dozens of projects to help beautify Walnut Creek, and we encourage you to be part of it. Visit the Community Service Day website for details. Thank you for giving back to Walnut Creek!
Back to School: Safety First
My kids, like most in Walnut Creek, are back in school, and I hope everyone is paying special attention to the children walking and biking in our neighborhoods. It's a good idea to give a little extra time if you're driving around a school, and definitely slow down. The City has developed a "safe routes to school" website to encourage walking and biking to school, on the safest path getting there. Find out more online.
Walnut Creek Police provide assistance in San Pablo
Walnut Creek Police serve as the bomb squad for all of Contra Costa County, and the team was recently put in action to resolve a major situation. A hazardous materials incident arose when a significant stockpile of potentially explosive chemicals was found at two sites in San Pablo. Our bomb squad was able to clear the scenes of the potentially dangerous chemicals without incident, with more than 1,000 bottles of chemicals recovered with no injuries to officers or nearby residents over a period of two days. The size and scope of this incident far exceeded anything the bomb squad has encountered before; great work, Walnut Creek Police!
Summer Construction Updates
Public Works crews have been busy this summer making improvements throughout the City. This summer, the City began making improvements at the Civic Park Community Center.
Improvements at the Civic Park Community Center include Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades. Lobby improvements will improve accessibility by installing ADA compliant interior doors and signage, enhancing lighting, and replacing the reception desk with an accessible desk. In addition, the building will also include an upgraded fire alarm system to protect the public and staff who utilize the building. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of this month.
63 ADA ramps were installed in the Northgate, Brooktree, and Scottsdale neighborhoods, with a sealing program happening this month to preserve and protect one million square feet of pavement there.
Multiple improvements along South Main Street are also underway, including a refreshed roadway between Newell Avenue and Creekside Drive, a new midblock crossing at Kaiser Hospital, as well as concrete and striping improvements at Lilac Drive. Lilac now has a pedestrian scramble phase similar to Olympic Blvd, allowing students to navigate in all directions upon walk signal.
There are many more projects underway in Walnut Creek as crews take advantage of the weather. Thank you to everyone who has been impacted by our construction work.
Center for Community Arts and the Walnut Creek Youth Leadership Commission will co-host a Teen Arts Night at Shadelands Art Center on September 9. It will be an evening of art, crafts, and live music. The event is open to high school students, including 2023 grads. Students must show a high school ID at the door. Admission is $5 per student, with tickets available at the door or purchased in advance online.
Join us for a good time at the Walnut Creek Boo Bash
Trunk or Treat is back October 27, with our Arts + Rec Department teaming up with Walnut Creek Downtown on two special events. First up is the "Spooktacular Stroll" with trick-or-treating in Broadway Plaza from noon until 3:00 p.m. Then bring the little ones over to Civic Park for the 4th annual "Trunk or Treat," as we invite families to walk through the trick-or-treat lane in the park, visiting entertaining booths filled with games, bounce houses, face painting, a train ride, food trucks and more.
The City is putting out the call to vendors who want to be part of the Makers Market or be a be vendor providing food for Trunk or Treat 2023.
This free, fun event brings out a huge crowd. To register as a vendor or offer to be a volunteer, visit the Boo Bash website.
Visit your Walnut Creek and Ygnacio Valley Libraries
The County's library system has 26 community libraries, and Walnut Creek is lucky to be one of two cities with two full service libraries. The Ygnacio Valley and Walnut Creek libraries serve thousands of customers each year, and offer not only books to check out from each branch, but an enormous digital collection. September is Library Card Sign-Up Month, library staff is encouraging residents to visit one of our libraries and register for a card. Find out more at their website.
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