CITY NEWS
Mayor’s Message Join us online for Community Conversations on Social Justice August 12 and 26 What does social justice mean in Pleasant Hill? How can we ensure a fair and welcoming community for everyone? These are questions that have been on my mind. Thanks to a collaboration of our Civic Action Commission’s Diversity Committee and the Pleasant Hill Police, I’ve had the opportunity to explore these questions with a number of community members. In June, we held our first Virtual Town Hall meeting, moderated by Diversity Committee chair Lloyd Schine. The public was invited to submit questions in advance or during the Town Hall, which took place on Zoom. Police Chief Bryan Hill and I appreciated the thoughtful questions, most of which related to policing policies.
In July, we launched a three-part “Community Conversations on Social Justice,” again on Zoom, and invited the entire community to participate. While the first session has passed, there are two this month. Join us! Each session has a panel with a different focus – all are facilitated by the Civic Action Commission’s Diversity Committee and will include Police Chief Hill and members of the City Council, along with community members and subject matter experts. The first session, “Social Justice and our Community,” took place on July 22 after this column went to the printer. Panelists included mental health and homeless advocates, City Manager June Catalano, Police Chief Bryan Hill, Police Sergeant Jamalya Pierson, and myself. On August 12, we will be talking about
Matt Rinn, Mayor of Pleasant Hill
the role the Faith Community can play in ensuring social justice. On August 26, the focus will be on social justice and youth. School Resources Officer Brett Botello will be on the panel, along with Chief Hill, two City Council members, and students from College Park and Diablo Valley College. Both sessions start at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom and will also be streamed on YouTube. Register at www.pleasanthillca.org/ diversity About the Civic Action Commission Diversity Committee The all-volunteer Diversity Committee is part of Pleasant Hill’s Civic Action Commission, which is best known for putting on the Sunset by the Lake summer concert series and Community Service Day. The Diversity Committee was formed a few years ago at the request of City Council members. One of the committee goals is to bring events to Pleasant Hill that showcase different cultures, such as the self-described “Latin music adventure” band Los Gueros Guapos, and ukulele player David Bustmante of Da Island Way, who performed opening acts during the 2019 concert series.
This year, the Committee introduced a new logo with the tagline “One Community, Many Voices” and created a webpage – pleasanthillca.org/diversity. In addition to hosting videos from the Town Hall and Community Conversations, the webpage is home to news about special events, videos of community members sharing their experiences and perspectives, and links to City Council proclamations recognizing dates of cultural significance, such as Juneteenth and Pride Month. The Diversity Committee is a frequent contributor to the Civic Action Commission’s Facebook group as well. Check it out! If you are interested in connecting with the Diversity Committee, email diversity@pleasanthillca.org. Thank you, everyone, for being part of making Pleasant Hill the best community it can be. Take care.
I’m focused on two things:
1) Your home 2) Our schools I’m a neighbor, former teacher, and Realtor serving Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Walnut Creek & Lamorinda. Angie Evans Traxinger 925.305.8677 www.angieandjoan.com angie@angietraxinger.com CalBRE #01828901 8 | AUGUST 2020 | OURCOMMUNITYFOCUS.COM
