|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Livermore Mayor John Marchand delivered the annual State of the City address this spring, celebrating the jurisdiction’s recent achievements with nods to its 150 years of incorporation.
Coinciding with the Livermore’s sesquicentennial, “Honoring our history. Planning our future,” took center stage as the motto of Marchand’s speech.
“I get to talk about the community that I love and that I get to serve,” he told a crowd of attendees May 28 at the Robert Livermore Community Center. “It truly is a privilege.”
Marchand kicked off the program with a recorded slideshow that recapped historic moments in Livermore’s past.
Prior to incorporation, the town was founded in 1869 with founding stockmen recognized as Robert Livermore and William Mendenhall.
After incorporating in 1876, the city saw its first annual rodeo in 1918 as well as the establishment of Lawrence Livermore National Lab in 1952 with Sandia National Laboratories following just four years later.
LLNL became the namesake of element no. 116, Livermorium in 2012 in honor of Livermore scientists’ contributions to its synthesis.
The lab also conducted history’s first successful controlled fusion experiment in 2022 and it deployed the world’s fastest super computer, El Capitan in 2025.
Following the historical recap, Marchand shifted toward the city’s latest news.
“A lot has happened since the last time we spoke,” he said, referring to the 2025 State of the City address.
A late Livermore native and U.S. Army bombardier, who died during an aircraft explosion in World War II, was returned to his hometown last May.
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr. died at 21 years old. His remains had been lost for over 80 years.
“Livermore doesn’t forget our veterans and our hometown heroes,” Marchand said.
He switched gears to discuss Livermore’s financials, noting the growth of operating reserves since at least the 2020-21 fiscal year.
During 2024-25, general fund expenses exceeded general fund revenue. The spike in expenses that year occurred in part due to construction of the L Street Garage as well as contributions to workers compensation, liability and reserves.
A projection for the following fiscal year showed a greater amount of general fund revenues than general fund expenses.
As for the 2026-27 fiscal year update, the city’s total general fund revenue was shown as $158.7 million with the top two sources being property taxes (40.9%) and sales and use taxes (25.4%). On the expenditure side — also $158.7 million — the majority of the general fund dollars were split between police (35.8%) and fire services (19.4%).
“The budget is your numerical representation of your priorities,” Marchand said. “Our number one priority continues to be public safety.”
As a result of the city’s investments, Livermore ranks as the second safest suburb in California and 37th in the nation, Marchand said, citing a news article from the Patch.
The rankings were determined through a 2025 study by SmartAsset, a financial information and advice marketplace.
“That’s the kind of commitment we have from our police and from our city,” he added
Crime rates declined from 2024 to 2025, including reductions in burglary (53.7%), robbery (42.4%), motor vehicle theft (29%), larceny (17.3%), fraud (16.2%) and vandalism (2.4%), according to Marchand.
On the subject of roadway safety, he noted that 64% of e-bike and traditional bike incidents occur on eight streets in Livermore with the highest rates on East Avenue (13%), Livermore Avenue (11%), First Street (9%), Portola Avenue (7%), Mines Road (6%), P Street (6%), Railroad Avenue (6%) and Vasco Road (6%).
Cyclists ages 7 to 18 years old make up a total of 43% of electric and traditional bike incidents, Marchand showed on a presentation slide.
“We need to focus on education and on these high-incident injury networks,” he said.
In addition to funding police services, Marchand pointed to the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department as a “great investment.”
The LPFD was certified as Class 2/2X by the Insurance Services Office, effective March 1, making it one of the top 5% of fire agencies in the nation.
During his speech, Marchand also gave a run-down of recent achievements in the city.
Livermore was named in April a Clean California Community, making it one of just six cities in the Bay Area to receive the designation through Caltrans’ Clean CA initiative.
The city was also recognized for the 32nd year with the Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation.
In terms of projects, the city completed its renovation of Flagpole Plaza and construction of the L Street Parking Garage.
“Our parking will continue to be free,” he added, a note that was met with applause from the audience.
The city has also advanced housing projects, issuing building permits for 422 units in 2025, Marchand said. Over 60% of the units are set to be sold at below market rate, he added.
Among the approved residential projects in 2025 were Cornerstone (253 units including 114 affordable), Abboud Townhomes (13 units including one affordable) and Pacific and Livermore Townhomes project (115 units including 17 affordable).
Also part of the Livermore community, Las Positas College in 2026 was ranked No. 2 community college in California and No. 4 in the nation, per Niche, a website with data analysis on schools and neighborhoods.
As for future projects, safety improvements are coming to the railroad crossings at L Street and Junction Avenue with the help of $25 million from the Alameda County Transportation Commission, he said.
“We are honoring our history. We’re planning our future,” Marchand said at the closure of his speech.
A recording of Marchand’s address is available at the Tri-Valley Community Television website here.
