Orinda marks 40 years as city with speeches, proclamations and volunteer tributes

ORINDA, Calif. — The Orinda City Council marked the 40th anniversary of the city’s incorporation on July 1 with a proclamation, remarks from founders and former mayors and recognitions from federal, state and county representatives.

The ceremony at Orinda City Hall drew current council members, former mayors and dozens of longtime volunteers. The event included presentations from legislative offices and comments from three former mayors who led Orinda’s incorporation campaign and later shaped the new city’s early policies.

The council presented a city proclamation noting that voters approved incorporation in March 1985 and that the inaugural incorporation ceremony took place on July 1, 1985. Kaylee Deland, representing Congressman Mark DeSaulnier’s office, and staff from State Senator Tim Grayson and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan delivered congratulatory remarks and certificates. Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen read a county proclamation and praised Orinda’s volunteer tradition.

Founding organizers and former mayors framed incorporation as a grassroots effort driven by local control. Joyce Hawkins, who led early incorporation organizing, said the effort “was a year of hard work, full time devotion, ups, downs, false starts, new ideas, and ultimately great joy.” Bobby Landers, an inaugural council member and former mayor, urged continued volunteerism and recounted campaign moments that mobilized residents in the 1980s. Former Mayor Amy Worth described the city’s post-incorporation accomplishments and said, “Incorporation really delivered that promise.”

Speakers credited incorporation with allowing Orinda to keep locally generated development fees and to invest those funds in community priorities such as the library, community center, parks, planning and public safety. Several speakers recounted earlier failed incorporation efforts in 1953 and 1967, and noted the successful 1985 vote followed a campaign that organizers said included knocking on roughly 5,600 doors and collecting about 4,500 signatures.

City staff and volunteers who organized the event were acknowledged from the dais, including City Clerk Sherry Smith, City Manager Linda Smith, Acting City Manager Doug Alessio, City Attorney Elsa Wolf and former City Manager Janet Keeter. The council noted there were no public comments during the meeting and closed the formal session to continue the celebration with an ice cream social.

The gathering was ceremonial; no formal vote or council action was taken on policy matters during the meeting. The council read the city’s proclamation and accepted congratulatory resolutions presented by state and county offices.

The council’s recognition and speakers highlighted continuity with Orinda’s early incorporation goals — local control over police, planning, public works and parks — and emphasized the role of volunteerism and civic engagement in the city’s development over four decades.