Council approves 2026 street-closure list and asks staff to cost a Second Street Halloween closure

Pleasanton's City Council approved the regular annual list of event-related street closures and directed staff to return with cost estimates to consider a city-sanctioned Halloween closure on Second Street.

Vice Mayor Gatos requested that the council add a Halloween closure after recounting resident and public-safety concerns about the large, unsanctioned Trick-or-Treat crowds that gather on Second Street. "If anybody chooses to drive down the street on that night, it's terrifying," Gatos said, asking staff to evaluate making the Second Street night a formally closed city event rather than a resident-run block party.

Staff cautioned the council that how the event is classified matters: a resident block party requires resident signatures and different insurance arrangements, while a city-sanctioned special event generally carries overtime, insurance and traffic-control costs for police and public works. Staff asked for time to prepare a scope and estimate.

Resident speaker Jamie Ye supported a city-sanctioned Second Street closure, noting the event draws large crowds and that the neighborhood has shouldered safety responsibilities in the past.

Council approved the consent item on annual street closures and voted to "matter-initiate" the Halloween Second Street closure so staff can return with the cost and logistics required for a city-managed closure. Council asked staff to bring back a cost estimate quickly to allow planning before the fall season.