Walnut Creek staff outline progress on five council priorities, from downtown vitality to climate action

Walnut Creek City Council heard detailed updates Tuesday on the city’s five priorities for 2025–26 and agreed to let staff design community outreach to inform the next set of goals.

Assistant to the city manager Joe Carozza opened the presentation, saying staff sought council direction to “survey or to conduct outreach in some other manner or a combination of both” to inform priorities for 2027–28 and to return in the fall with a plan.

The presentations, led by departmental staff, described both achievements and next steps. Economic development manager Mike Neiman said the city has focused on retention and downtown activation, reporting a successful pods incentive program with seven completed pods and one under construction and a forthcoming two‑year economic action plan. "We are now developing a key performance indicator dashboard," Neiman said, which staff plan to roll out to track progress.

Sustainability manager Candace Regan Mumbi reviewed the city’s environmental work, including an on‑bill financing agreement with PG&E to improve lighting at three city facilities, a near‑final EV strategic plan due in July, and continued outreach on waste and single‑use disposable reduction for restaurants. Mumbi also reported that the newly effective gas‑powered leaf blower ban (effective April 1) generated about 230 potential violation reports in the first month; the city is using education‑first enforcement and working through reports via SeeClickFix and direct outreach.

Community Development Director Erica Vandenbrand outlined early steps in the Walnut Creek 2050 general plan update: a city tour with the consultant team, baseline data collection and scheduled public and commission engagement beginning late June and August. Vandenbrand said the process will evaluate scenarios for housing, employment and mobility over the next 20–25 years.

Public works director Rich Payne reviewed Measure O projects, including resurfacing of courts, playground redesign public outreach (about 600 comments), Heather Farm Park construction progress and a suite of pedestrian and bike crossing enhancements. Payne said construction at Heather Farm is progressing through demolition and utility work and that the Clark Pool site would enter a study phase later in the year.

Chief of Police Ryan Hibbs described public safety priorities and new tools under evaluation, including AI modules for report writing and dispatch and selection of a vendor for a 10‑year body‑worn camera contract that will be partly funded with a $1,000,000 federal earmark. Hibbs also reported neighborhood and business watch outreach and said property crime remains the largest category of local criminal activity while collisions were down 12 percent in Q1 year‑over‑year.

Council members generally praised the briefings and asked staff to ensure outreach is both broad and targeted. Several members urged a mix of digital surveying and in‑person engagement. Carozza said staff would return in late fall or early winter with an outreach plan and timeline.

The council did not take formal policy action on the presentations; instead it supported staff direction to design and implement outreach to help set the next two‑year priorities.