I'm Kevin Wilk, 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 the 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 communications 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 lector, please state your name and 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's website for public review and are included in the meeting record, but will not be separately read into the record.

Right, good evening.

I'm Kevin Wilk, mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, and welcome to the Tuesday, May 19th, 2026 regular meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council.

And if you'd all please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

And City Clerk Susie Martinez, would you please call the roll?

Councilmember Darling.

Here.

Councilmember DeVinny?

Here.

Councilmember Silva.

Here.

Mayor Protein Francois.

Mayor Well.

Here.

All right.

So our the first few things that we have are proclamations.

And uh we've got four.

And for people in the audience, I just want to let you know that if everybody could stay for through the fourth one.

At that point, we'll go to the consent calendar.

We would love you to stay all meeting long, but we understand if people do want to leave after the proclamations, but that's not disrupt them in the middle.

So the first one that we have is on National Public Works Week.

And in recognition of Public Works, I'd public works week, I'd like to read the proclamation, share a video, and then invite public works director Rich Payne forward to accept the proclamation.

I know Richard's around here somewhere.

There he is.

All right.

So whereas public works professionals focus on infrastructure, facilities, parks, open space, and services that are vital to sustainability and resilient communities, public health, and a high quality of life for the people of Walnut Creek.

Public Works professionals are responsible for rebuilding, improving, and protecting our transportation, our water supply, water treatment, and solid waste systems, public buildings and other structures and facilities essential for our citizens.

And whereas the dedicated people of the Walnut Creek Public Works Department maintain, operate, and provide engineering for 213 miles of streets, 171 miles of street markings, 1,650 street lights, 100 signalized intersections, 9,500 traffic related signs, and 1,550 parking meters, 14,000 miles of street sweeping, more than 4,000 catch basins and over 100 miles of storm drain systems, 19 parking lots, 69 buildings, 181 on road vehicles.

I feel like I this is the most numbers I've ever read since math class.

And 131 equipment items and 22 parks and green belts totaling over 300 acres and nearly 3,000 acres of open space with nine miles of paved trail and 43 miles of unpaved trail and 30,000 trees.

Whew, with a lot of work.

In any city you live in, public works is the backbone of what makes that city work.

The year 2026 marks the 66th annual National Public Works Week sponsored by the American Public Works Association with a theme rooted in service, powered by community, and whereas the Walnut Creek City Council supports and recognizes the importance of a qualified and dedicated public works department.

I therefore Kevin Wilk, Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, on behalf of the Walnut Creek City Council, do hereby proclaim the week of May 17th, 2026 as National Public Works Week.

With that, let's see that video.

So Rich, why don't you come on down?

And the City of Walnut Creek encourages all residents and civic organizations to acquaint themselves with the issues involved in providing our public work services and to recognize the contributions that public works professionals make every day to improve and maintain our health, safety, comfort, and quality of life.

And if you'd like to say a few words, and then we'll take that picture.

Yes, thank you, Mayor.

I'm your public works director, Rich Payne, and thank you for this honor to come up and receive this proclamation.