Walnut Creek City Council convenes special meeting and goes into closed session on litigation

Walnut Creek Mayor Kevin Wilk opened a special meeting Jan. 20 and said the City Council would go into closed session to discuss legal matters involving one anticipated litigation case and three existing litigation cases. "This special meeting is called for the purpose of holding a closed session," Wilk said as he read the stated purpose.

Wilk told attendees that, "Under California law, public comments at special meetings are limited to subjects on the agenda only," and invited public comment on the listed items. After a brief pause for comment, he said, "Seeing none and seeing no public, we'll convene for now and be back at 6." The council then moved into closed session; the transcript does not identify case names, parties, or any public comments submitted.

The announcement indicates the council intended to discuss litigation with outside or in-house legal counsel; no public deliberations or votes on those matters were held in open session. The mayor's remarks were procedural and limited to the agenda and closed-session logistics. The meeting record shows no public commenters spoke before the council left for closed session.

The council is scheduled to return from closed session at 6, according to the mayor's statement. Additional details about the cases or any actions taken in closed session were not disclosed in the open portion of the meeting.