Mayor of WC

A monster storm is on its way, and Walnut Creek could drown under its own neglect.

This super El Niño isn’t just another rainy season—it’s a warning. We live in a bowl. One big hit and our creeks will turn streets into rivers, basements into swimming pools, and the Iron Horse Trail into a kayak course.

• Peak impacts: December ’26 through January ’27
• Pacific ocean temps hotter than the historic ’97-98 El Niño
• Flood zones: Walnut Creek & Tice Creek banks, low-lying downtown
• Iron Horse Trail sections expected to flood
• Bonus danger: more lightning strikes after our dry summer

We can’t pretend this won’t happen. Our city’s clogged drains and overgrown gutters are a recipe for disaster. Clear your downspouts. Test your sump pump. And demand the city do the same before we’re ankle-deep in water and scraps.

Who’s really at fault when our streets flood—the city or your wallet? Are you stacking sandbags alone or calling city hall to step up? Sound off below!

Super El Niño Could Bring Major Winter Storms to Walnut Creek, Experts Warn | Mayor of Walnut Creek Climate experts warn a potential super El Niño could bring heavy rainfall, flooding, and strong storms to Walnut Creek and the Bay Area this winter. Here's what locals should know.

Thrift stores are dead space? Not when there’s golden tickets hidden between donated sweaters—and adoptable cats lurking nearby.

This countywide thrift crawl is reinventing how we shop, support local businesses, and save shelter animals in one fell swoop.

• 10+ Contra Costa thrift shops on the map
• Hidden golden tickets at Joybound’s Concord location
• $275 grand prize gift card up for grabs
• No-pressure cat lounge inside Joybound
• Free to join through August 18

We’ve been mindlessly scrolling Amazon for too long. This crawl proves it’s time to bring our dollars and our hearts back home—one thrift score and one adoption at a time.

Would you hunt for secondhand treasures or click “buy now”? Which matters more: the deal or the cause?

Joybound's Thrift Crawl Turns Bargain Hunting Into a Treasure Hunt — With Cats | Mayor of Walnut Creek Joybound People & Pets launches the East Bay Thrift Store Crawl through Aug 18, with golden tickets, prizes, and adoptable cats at its Concord thrift store.

We’ve turned our bird feeders into death traps—and innocent squirrels are paying the price.

The way we “get rid” of rats is crushing paws, maiming wildlife, and dumping the bill on Lindsay Wildlife’s ER. This isn’t cute nature—this is backyard brutality, and our neighborhood hospital is begging for help.

• 50+ animals hurt by snap traps so far this year
• This week’s patient: an Eastern fox squirrel with a shattered paw
• Lindsay treats hundreds of raccoons a year right here in Walnut Creek
• Their wishlist: eggs, chicken thighs, dry pet food, heating pads, baby bottles

If you set traps, you’re part of the problem. If you don’t help supply their hospital, you’re part of the solution—just not a very good one. We can’t pretend “pest control” and wildlife rescue don’t belong in the same sentence.

Would you give up snap traps for safer feeders? Or is a critter-free yard worth crushing paws?

A Squirrel Named Patient of the Week: Lindsay Wildlife's Hospital Needs Your Eggs (Seriously) | Mayor of Walnut Creek Lindsay Wildlife in Walnut Creek needs donated eggs, pet food, and supplies to treat injured wildlife - including its newest Patient of the Week, a rescued fox squirrel.

Everyone brags about Walnut Creek’s “small-town vibe”—until Civic Park turns into Oktoberfest chaos.

This two-day Bavarian takeover is free, massive, and proof our downtown isn’t slowing down. Love it or hate it, this weekend will test every part of your commute, appetite, and tolerance for polka.

• Sept 25–26 takeover at Civic Park East
• Free admission with RSVP (yes, really)
• 15+ German beer imports plus local craft taps
• Kinder Karneval zone with inflatables and games
• Artisan market featuring local makers and handmade steins

Look, packing our streets with festivals pads downtown businesses and gives us great selfie ops—but every beer stein adds more traffic, more noise, and another weekend where finding parking feels impossible. Are we celebrating community or just chasing big-event bragging rights?

Do you RSVP and join the fun, or is Walnut Creek turning into an event carousel gone wild? What’s your take?

Walnut Creek Oktoberfest Returns to Civic Park for Two Days of Bavarian Fun | Mayor of Walnut Creek Walnut Creek Oktoberfest returns Sept 25-26 with two days of German beer, bratwurst, live oompah music, and a family-friendly Kinder Karneval at Civic Park East. Free admission.

They’ve splashed four giant murals across downtown—while our sidewalks crumble and traffic snarls every morning.

This paint party tells you exactly what Walnut Creek cares about right now. We’re shelling out direct grants to artists to brighten up N. Broadway and Main Street. It looks great. But is pretty walls the best way to spend our city dollars?

• Four new murals up this month at 1419 N. Broadway and 1372 N. Main St.
• City scrapped the matching-grant rule—now artists get full funding.
• Public art program launched in 1982, revamped just last year.
• Tonight’s free bash: DJ Bukue One, refreshments, and a 90-minute mayoral pep talk.
• Sponsored by BH Development, Lamorinda Developments, Walnut Creek Downtown, Zebra Tattoo.

We all love eye-catching color. But let’s be honest: this isn’t about art lovers—it’s a PR boost for a downtown that still needs better parking, smoother streets, and fewer late-night noise complaints. If our leaders can find cash for murals, why can’t they fix the potholes and ease traffic?

What matters more to you: a vibrant block full of murals or a city that fixes its broken roads?

Four New Murals Bring a Burst of Color to Downtown Walnut Creek | Mayor of Walnut Creek Four new murals funded by Walnut Creek's Mural Grant Program have arrived at 1419 N. Broadway and 1372 N. Main Street. Here's what to see and when to go.

While City Hall fusses over park fees, a little rescue just delivered the perfect Friday night—for five bucks.

Big idea: When nonprofits like Joybound People & Pets turn an industrial lot into a blockbuster outdoor cinema, it shows two things: how much our community cares and how little the city gives us.

• Joybound has rehomed 50,000+ cats and dogs since 1991
• “Up” under the stars tonight—Gates open at 6pm, sliding scale $5–$10
• Meet adoptable pets before the movie (adoption floor open until 7)
• Free on-site parking at 2890 Mitchell Drive
• Expect 100+ dogs, blankets on the grass, and cool July nights

Whether you love Pixar or just want a cheap date night, this is Walnut Creek at its best—and its worst. Best because neighbors pack in to support a great cause. Worst because we shouldn’t need a nonprofit to give us free community fun.

Should Walnut Creek’s budget step up to fund more free outdoor events? Or are we fine letting volunteers carry the load?

Joybound Brings Outdoor Movie Magic to Walnut Creek With Summer Screening Series | Mayor of Walnut Creek Joybound People & Pets kicks off summer Community Movie Nights with a screening of Pixar's Up on the Mitchell Drive campus. Sliding-scale admission, free parking, dogs welcome.

We’ve turned Walnut Creek into a tourist theme park—and locals are paying the price.

This “Local’s Guide” brags about shiny shops, pricey hikes, and foodie hot spots. But what about the gridlock, the fees, and the weekend crowds that choke our streets?

• Broadway Plaza: 960,000 sq ft with 80+ shops and 30+ eateries
• $10/day fee just to park at Mount Diablo
• Iron Horse Trail: 32 miles, jammed by 9 am on weekends
• Heather Farm Park: 102 acres—yet picnic tables disappear fast
• Downtown parking is “free” for 3 hours, then watch the meter

We’ve banked so much on attracting visitors that we’ve turned our own backyard into a carnival. It’s time to ask if this boom is serving us or trapping us.

Is Walnut Creek’s growth worth the gridlock? How do we balance livability with popularity? Tell us your take!

Things to Do in Walnut Creek: The 2026 Local's Guide | Mayor of Walnut Creek The local guide to things to do in Walnut Creek: Mount Diablo hiking, Broadway Plaza shopping, downtown dining, festivals, farmers markets, and day trip ideas.

They’ve filled Broadway Plaza with every designer label imaginable—yet the crown jewel corner has been a DEAD ZONE since 2021.

This isn’t just a shopping guide. It’s a reality check on our traffic chaos, vacant storefronts, and what really drives growth downtown.

• 960,000 sq ft open-air mall
• 80+ retailers, 30+ eateries
• 3 garages—first 3 hrs free (but often packed by noon)
• Former Neiman Marcus corner EMPTY for 5 years
• Restoration Hardware ditched its fancy “Mediterranean oasis” plan in ’26

Opinion: We brag about our luxe brands while circling for parking and staring at boarded-up windows. Walnut Creek needs real solutions—affordable housing, public green space, community hubs—not another high-end boutique.

What do YOU want on that empty corner? A pocket park, apartments for families, or more shops? Discuss!

Broadway Plaza Walnut Creek: Stores, Restaurants & Parking Guide | Mayor of Walnut Creek Complete guide to Broadway Plaza Walnut Creek: stores, restaurants, parking (first 3 hours free), hours, BART access, and the latest on the vacant Neiman Marcus corner.

Our “quaint” downtown is turning into a burger-and-ramen chain carnival.

All these new spots look great on Instagram. But they’re exposing our worst headaches: zero parking, sky-high rents, and a downtown that feels less local by the day.

• 4 big openings since 2025: Marufuku Ramen, Roam Artisan Burgers, Smitten Ice Cream, Mixt
• Raising Cane’s drive-thru (chain #7!) lands early 2027
• 10+ outdoor patios—yet still no real parking fix
• Chains now elbowing out old-school favorites

Opinion: We’ve hit “restaurant boom” overload. More chains won’t solve our traffic gridlock or save our mom-and-pops. It’s time to pump the brakes on grand openings and invest in what makes Walnut Creek unique.

What’s worse: another ramen line or circling for parking? Should we cap new restaurants until infrastructure catches up?

Best Restaurants in Walnut Creek: The 2026 Local Guide | Mayor of Walnut Creek Discover the best restaurants in Walnut Creek for 2026 — from downtown dining and outdoor patios to new openings like Marufuku Ramen and Mixt.

North Main’s Wendy’s is dead. Soon, it’ll be a 3,200 sq ft Cane’s drive-thru monster.

This isn’t just chicken fingers. It shows North Main turning into chain-central—and that costs us traffic jams, late-night noise, and local flavor.

• Early 2027 opening—way later than the summer 2026 we all expected
• Full gut remodel at 2955 N. Main (former Wendy’s)
• Double-lane drive-thru—get ready for bumper-to-bumper backups
• 3,200 sq ft of pure Cane’s—one of the largest footprints in town
• Likely open 10 am–12 am Sun–Thu, 10 am–1 am Fri–Sat

I love a good chicken finger combo, but every time we swap local spots for another national chain, our small-town feel takes a hit—and so does our patience in traffic.

Are you stoked for Cane’s or fed up with another chain takeover on North Main?

Raising Cane's Walnut Creek: Opening, Menu & Location | Mayor of Walnut Creek Raising Canes is opening in Walnut Creek in early 2027 at 2955 N. Main St. Get the latest on construction, menu, hours, drive-thru, and hiring timeline.