City
The City of Livermore is a great place to live, work and play. In 2016, 93 percent of residents rated the city’s quality of life as “excellent” or “good” in a biannual survey. With a focus on public safety, libraries and economic vitality, Livermore is a great place to thrive and grow.
The city, officially established in 1876, is now a full-service city that operates under the council/manager form of government. Four city council members and the mayor are elected at-large by voters. Council members serve four-year terms; the mayor serves a two-year term. The city manager is appointed by the council and serves as the chief executive officer responsible for day-to-day administration of city affairs and implementation of city policies. The city council meets the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. at the council chambers, 3575 Pacific Ave. All council meetings are open to the public, and meetings are also broadcast on Tri-Valley Community Television and streamed at www.tri-valleytv.org.
The City of Livermore has traditional departments or divisions including police, public works, finance, human resources, planning and engineering. It also boasts an Office of Innovation and Economic Development and a municipal airport. The Livermore Public Library is a municipal department as well, and the city shares its fire services with the City of Pleasanton. The community’s public school district, the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District, is a separate governmental agency, as is the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District.
Customer service is a core city value that influences efforts for both residents and businesses. A single-stop streamlined permit process allows customers to easily obtain permits, answers and approvals. The city’s website, www.cityoflivermore.net, increasingly offers online options to handle licenses, payments and more. The i-GATE “Switch” is an effort to help entrepreneurs and small businesses get started with a facility, business education and training and links with local scientists and venture capitalists.
Continuous awards from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada illustrate the city’s commitment to budget transparency. The purchasing division’s regular attainment of excellence in procurement demonstrates a pledge to exceptional financial stewardship.
The Livermore Municipal Airport plays a vital role in the community, providing economic benefits, community services and disaster relief to the Tri-Valley for more than 50 years. The Livermore Airport also supports regional needs as exemplified by the 100 transient aircraft hosted there for 2016’s Super Bowl 50 in Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Public safety is a council and community priority. Half of the city’s general fund budget supports police and fire personnel, equipment and supplies, and the city is a very safe place to live and do business. The Livermore Police Department is a full-service law enforcement agency with a range of services and educational programs. Its longstanding Citizen’s Police Academy remains a popular program that creates more community volunteers each year. The Halloween trick-or-treat event at police headquarters is a successful new effort to connect police officers with families and youth.
The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department is a consolidated emergency response agency that focuses on emergency preparedness, fire prevention and public education programs. Annual Community Emergency Response Team trainings usually have waiting lists while the department’s October Fire Safety Expo generates large crowds.
The Livermore Public Library boasts the beautiful Civic Center Library, a 53,000-square-foot architectural gem. The Civic Center Library houses a collection of 200,000 items for checkout, including books, audiobooks, DVDs, educational toys, games and technology exploration tools such as programmable robots. Additional services include computer workstations, wireless high-speed internet access, story times, a maker space for children, computer programming classes, science events and a variety of cultural and educational programs for all ages. The Rincon and Springtown Branch libraries serve the surrounding community with a wonderful selection of resources, cultural events and educational programs.
Library card holders can also use the digital library, accessible through the library’s website, to download eBooks and digital audiobooks, take online classes or research a topic.
For more information about the city, call (925) 960-4000 or visit www.cityoflivermore.net. The city and several of its department are also active on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor.
County
Alameda County is one of 58 counties in California. It is home to more than 1.5 million people living in 14 incorporated cities, including Livermore, as well as in unincorporated communities and rural areas throughout 813 square miles. Alameda County provides health care, social services, public protection and general government programs.
Countywide services include the offices of Assessor, auditor-controller/recorder, registrar of voters, treasurer-tax collector, district attorney, public defender and sheriff. In the unincorporated area, the county provides primary law enforcement, fire protection, planning and public works services.
The county seat is in Oakland, and the five-member board of supervisors conducts weekly meetings at its chambers located on the fifth floor of 1221 Oak St. Scott Haggerty represents the Livermore Valley on the board.
For more information about the county, visit www.acgov.org or call Supervisor Haggerty’s Pleasanton office at (925) 551-6995.