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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Walnut Creek City Council Regular Meeting - October 21, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, October 21, 2025

BodyWalnut Creek, California

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, October 21, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:01:55

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Good afternoon.

0:01

I am Mayor Sydney Darling, Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, and welcome to the Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 special meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council.

0:09

This special meeting is called for the purpose of holding a closed session related to the conference with real property negotiators for the property at 1540 Marchbanks Drive Walnut Creek, California, and under negotiations with the price and the term for the lease of the property.

0:26

Does any member of the public wish to make a comment?

0:31

Seeing no one, seeing no speakers, the city council will reconvene in closed session.

1:16

Good evening.

1:17

I'm Sydney Darling, mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, and welcome to the regular meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council.

1:24

The City Council is conducting this meeting from the City Council Chamber.

1:28

This meeting is being video streamed and can be viewed live or later on the city's website.

1:34

As some attendees may be participating in their first Walnut Creek City Council meeting, I wanted to welcome everyone and talk briefly about the public comment process.

1:45

For each agenda item, there will be an opportunity for public comment on that item.

1:51

Thus, if you desire to speak to an item on the agenda this evening, please hold your comments until the city council considers that item.

2:00

Additionally, we have a section on the agenda titled Public Communications, which is for public comments for items not on the agenda.

2:08

Any comments during public communication should not relate to an item that is on the agenda this evening.

2:14

Consistent with section 9.5 of the city council handbook.

2:17

30 minutes will be initially allocated for public communication for items not on the agenda.

2:23

Additional time for public communications for items not on the agenda will be provided at the end of the open session portion of the meeting if necessary.

2:31

If you desire to provide a public comment, please complete a speaker identification card and line up behind the lectern at the appropriate time.

2:40

Wait your turn, and then when you approach the lectern, please state your name, City of Residence for the record.

2:46

You will have two minutes to address the City Council.

2:50

Please keep in mind that this is a city business meeting.

2:53

The City Council has adopted rules of decorum to ensure that meetings are conducted efficiently and effectively, and that all members of the public have a full, fair, and equal opportunity to be heard.

3:06

The City Council handbook outlines decorum expected in the council chamber and can be found on our website.

3:12

All remarks should be addressed to the city council.

3:16

Please do not use threatening, profane, or abusive language, which disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the council meeting.

3:25

Again, each speaker will have two minutes to make your remarks.

3:30

Written comments submitted and received up to two hours before the meeting have been posted to the city website for public review and are included in the meeting record, but will not be separately read into the record.

3:46

All right, after that stirring intro video.

3:49

Good evening.

3:50

I am Cindy Darling, the mayor of City of the City of Walnut Creek, and welcome to the Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 regular meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council.

3:58

Please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

4:15

I love it every day.

4:18

Thank you all for doing a good job with that.

4:20

Um and now City Clerk Susie Martinez.

4:23

Would you please call the roll?

4:24

Councilmember DeVinny.

4:25

Here.

4:25

Councilmember Francois.

4:26

Here.

4:27

Councilmember Silva.

4:28

Here.

4:28

Mayor Pro Temwelk.

4:29

And Mayor Darling.

4:30

Here.

4:31

All right.

4:32

I would like to invite, is it Brianna's going to come up?

4:35

All right.

4:36

Our first proclamation tonight is on pedestrian safety awareness night or month.

4:42

We have a whole month of this.

4:44

It's something that we work at tirelessly in the city with our vision zero plan and our pedestrian planning, bike planning, and probably a topic of conversation later.

4:55

So I just wanted to welcome Brianna and ask you to give a short um spiel on what we do for pedestrians.

5:04

Of course.

5:05

Thank you.

5:05

Thank you, Council members.

5:06

So again, my name is Brianna Byrne.

4:59

I'm an associate traffic engineer here at the city of Walnut Creek.

5:12

For the larger crowd, Walnut Creek, we are Vision Zero City.

5:17

We are trying to eliminate fatal and serious injury collisions within the city.

5:23

This includes drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

5:26

And as pedestrians and cyclists are more vulnerable, they're more susceptible to these types of collisions.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety████████████████████20%

Zoning and Planning██████████████████18%

Active Transportation████████████████16%

Procedural██████████10%

Community Engagement█████████9%

Youth Programs████████8%

Affordable Housing███████7%

Arts And Culture███3%

Economic Development███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Walnut Creek City Council Regular Meeting

The Walnut Creek City Council convened for a regular meeting on October 21, 2025, following a special closed session. The meeting included proclamations, presentations from student ambassadors, routine approvals, and detailed discussions on regional housing policy and local e-bike safety initiatives.

Proclamations & Recognitions

Pedestrian Safety Awareness Month: The council issued a proclamation. Brianna Byrne, Associate Traffic Engineer, stated the city is a Vision Zero community working to eliminate fatal collisions. Advocate Kate Ming expressed support for slowing cars and creating more sidewalks to improve safety.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month: The council issued a proclamation. Robin Binder and Leah Johansson from Stand for Families Free of Violence detailed their organization's services and noted a 50% reduction in domestic violence homicides in jurisdictions partnering with their program.
Sister Cities Youth Ambassadors: Teachers and student ambassadors from the exchange programs with Nocetto, Italy, and Siófok, Hungary, shared their experiences and thanked the city for its support.

Consent Calendar

The council unanimously approved consent calendar items 2A through 2E. Councilmember Silva thanked engineering and arts and recreation staff for their work on the Tice Valley fields and lights project.

Public Comments & Testimony

Linda Reinmack Colberg (Shadelands Walnut Creek) announced the "Made in the Shade" Fall Festival on November 2nd.
Kayla Turnage (Field Representative for Assemblywoman Avila-Frias) provided a legislative update on bills signed into law and announced upcoming district events.

City Manager & Council Reports

The City Manager reported that the city was awarded a $1 million state grant for affordable housing/homeless programs, recognized consultant Ken Hample for a lifetime achievement award, and acknowledged City Clerk Susie Martinez for her professional accreditation.
The City Attorney reported that the council authorized a settlement agreement with Heather Farm Gardens in closed session and will bring a lease agreement forward for public consideration.
Councilmembers reported on various activities, including the League of California Cities conference, community events like the "No Kings" rally and Rossmoor Diversity Festival, and tours of city facilities.

Discussion Items

MTC Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) Policy: Community Development Director Erica Vandenbrand presented significant concerns with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's proposed TOC policy and scoring for funding eligibility. Staff argued the half-mile radius and density requirements are unworkable, contradict the city's certified Housing Element and MTC-funded Specific Plans, and would harm the city's economic strategy. Staff Position: The policy as proposed is flawed and lacks flexibility; compliance should be based on existing Planned Development Areas (PDAs) and certified housing elements.
E-Bike Safety Action Plan: Assistant City Manager Charles Ching presented the plan focusing on education, enforcement, infrastructure, and legislation. Police Captain Slater discussed enforcement challenges and outreach plans targeting middle schools. Council Discussion: Members emphasized education over immediate regulation, expressed concern about injury rates among youth, and supported monitoring state-level data and legislation for future action.

Key Outcomes

MTC Letter Approved: The council voted 5-0 to approve the transmittal of a comment letter to the MTC board articulating the city's concerns and calling for flexibility and alternative compliance pathways based on existing PDAs.
E-Bike Safety Direction: The council provided direction to continue the current focus on public education, safety checks, enforcement of reckless behavior, and partnership with schools, with a plan to report back in the spring.
Consent Calendar Approved: All items were approved unanimously (5-0).
Closed Session Action: Council authorized a settlement agreement with Heather Farm Gardens (5-0 vote).

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. I am Mayor Sydney Darling, Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, and welcome to the Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 special meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council. This special meeting is called for the purpose of holding a closed session related to the conference with real property negotiators for the property at 1540 Marchbanks Drive Walnut Creek, California, and under negotiations with the price and the term for the lease of the property. Does any member of the public wish to make a comment? Seeing no one, seeing no speakers, the city council will reconvene in closed session. Good evening. I'm Sydney Darling, mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, and welcome to the regular meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council. The City Council is conducting this meeting from the City Council Chamber. This meeting is being video streamed and can be viewed live or later on the city's website. As some attendees may be participating in their first Walnut Creek City Council meeting, I wanted to welcome everyone and talk briefly about the public comment process. For each agenda item, there will be an opportunity for public comment on that item. Thus, if you desire to speak to an item on the agenda this evening, please hold your comments until the city council considers that item. Additionally, we have a section on the agenda titled Public Communications, which is for public comments for items not on the agenda. Any comments during public communication should not relate to an item that is on the agenda this evening. Consistent with section 9.5 of the city council handbook. 30 minutes will be initially allocated for public communication for items not on the agenda. Additional time for public communications for items not on the agenda will be provided at the end of the open session portion of the meeting if necessary. If you desire to provide a public comment, please complete a speaker identification card and line up behind the lectern at the appropriate time. Wait your turn, and then when you approach the lectern, please state your name, City of Residence for the record. You will have two minutes to address the City Council. Please keep in mind that this is a city business meeting. The City Council has adopted rules of decorum to ensure that meetings are conducted efficiently and effectively, and that all members of the public have a full, fair, and equal opportunity to be heard. The City Council handbook outlines decorum expected in the council chamber and can be found on our website. All remarks should be addressed to the city council. Please do not use threatening, profane, or abusive language, which disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the council meeting. Again, each speaker will have two minutes to make your remarks. Written comments submitted and received up to two hours before the meeting have been posted to the city website for public review and are included in the meeting record, but will not be separately read into the record. All right, after that stirring intro video. Good evening. I am Cindy Darling, the mayor of City of the City of Walnut Creek, and welcome to the Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 regular meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council. Please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I love it every day. Thank you all for doing a good job with that. Um and now City Clerk Susie Martinez. Would you please call the roll? Councilmember DeVinny. Here. Councilmember Francois. Here. Councilmember Silva. Here. Mayor Pro Temwelk. And Mayor Darling. Here. All right. I would like to invite, is it Brianna's going to come up? All right. Our first proclamation tonight is on pedestrian safety awareness night or month. We have a whole month of this. It's something that we work at tirelessly in the city with our vision zero plan and our pedestrian planning, bike planning, and probably a topic of conversation later.

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