Mayor Karla Brown presented an update on the City of Pleasanton, which is part of the Club’s effort to highlight what is happening in the communities that surround Castro Valley. Mayor Brown was elected to her first term as Mayor in November 2020 after serving two terms on the City Council. As Mayor and a Council Member, she has served on many city, county, and regional committees the impact the City of Pleasanton.
Mayor Brown has lived in Pleasanton for 28 years. For 10 years, she traveled the world a Global Account Manager for a Silicon Valley semi-conductor company, but then decided to settle down and moved to Pleasanton. Since 2002, Mayor Brown has worked as an Associate Broker in real estate, which she described as red hot currently.
In her presentations, Mayor Brown described the 127-year transition of Pleasanton from an agrarian community to a city of 82,000 residents. This transition included
- An agrarian community based on dairy farms, hop fields, and vineyards.
- In the 1980’s and until the late 1990’s, the population rapidly grew. In fact, at the time, Pleasanton was the 3rd fast growing city in California. The development of Hacienda Business Park occurred during this era. In the late 1990’s, Pleasanton experienced a slow growth movement.
- According to Mayor Brown, Pleasanton in 2021 has three major factors going for it - location, location, and location- with an excellent transportation access (Interstates 580 & 680, BART, Wheels, ACE train). The Mayor described the testing of a driverless shared vehicle project that is currently under way.
Mayor Brown’s presentation further touched on the following topics:
- Economic Development: Pleasanton is the home of many Fortune 500 companies including Safeway/Albertson’s and has seen an influx of new businesses, including Workday with a Pleasanton Police Department station in the building that services the area around BART.
- Historic Preservation: There is a City Task Force working on historical preservation including older homes and downtown. Mayor Brown shared the work of volunteers to beautify and maintain Pioneer Cemetery where many of the founders and famous early residents of Pleasanton are buried.
- Community Amenities: Pleasanton is well-known for its parks and sports fields. The Mayor mentioned many community amenities including Bernal Community Park with its 38 acres of oak woodlands new sports fields, bocce courts, a skateboard park, and the first all abilities playground to serve residents with disabilities. She also shared information about the new fire station that is being build.
- Housing: With the high price of housing, the City has worked to create 185 affordable senior apartments at Kottinger Gardens and Sunflower Hill at Irby Ranch for adults with intellectual or development disabilities as well as the City’s Homeless Outreach program that has two officers assigned to the program.
Before taking questions, Mayor Brown concluded with an overview of how the City of Pleasanton develops and decides on its priorities.
Watch Mayor Brown’s presentation here.