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.

I'm Kevin Wilk, Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, and welcome to the Tuesday, June 16th regular meeting of the Walnut Creek City Council.

And if I could now ask if the British please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Whereas on June 1st, I'm sorry, January 1st, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation officially ending slavery, changing the status of more than three and a half million enslaved African Americans in the Confederate States of America.

However, over two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 to inform enslaved African Americans of General Order No.

3, the people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.

This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection between existing between then becomes that between employer and hired laborer.

And so Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day, emancipation day, emancipation Celebration, freedom day, is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

It's a painful chapter in American history that also serves as an opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to combat all forms of modern day slavery, human trafficking, and racial injustice, as well as to continue to fight for freedom.

And whereas the city of Walnut Creek commemorates the anniversary of Juneteenth in recognition and celebration of the great contributions that African Americans have made to the United States, California, and the City of Walnut Creek, and therefore I, Kevin Wilk, mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, on behalf of the Walnut Creek City Council to hereby proclaim June 19th, 2026 as Juneteenth National Freedom Day, and encourage the community to honor and reflect on the significant role that African Americans have played in the history of the United States and how they have enriched society through their steadfast commitment to promoting unity and equality.

And well, I think that just deserves a round of applause right there.

So and Nicole, if you'd like to say a few words on behalf of uh yourself, the chamber, and what June 17th is.

Yes, absolutely.

Thank you, Mayor Wilk and City Council members.

Thank you very much for this pro proclamation.

I brought some supporters here.

I brought um my cousin Aaron Robertson, who does business in Walnut Creek.

So welcome, Aaron, and uh Wilson Stevens, who also is an entrepreneur in Walnut Creek and a new business owner in Walnut Creek, tell me your name.

And her your business.

Absolutely.

So they showed up here very happy for the proclamation, and we welcome all of them as chamber members, and we're just excited to be here to receive this.

Wonderful.

Well, thank you, and thank you for attending.

Well, why don't we take a picture to make sure that we get this word out?

You didn't know you guys are going to get remote.

Right, you go to oh, there's a mighty amount of that one.

I only call out all the media, don't worry.

I'm usually a little bit of a little bit of a yeah, right here.

Okay.

I think you're kind of lost.

Okay, one, two, and I got one.

All right.

Next on the agenda is the consent calendar.

Does any council member wish to pull an item for discussion?

Or any member of staff wish to pull an item for discussion.

2 F.

2 F.

I will pull to G.

Anybody else?

Okay.

Does any member of the public wish to comment on an item on the consent calendar?