City commissions comprise five to seven members. Commission members must be registered voters and must also live within the City of Walnut Creek, with the exception of the two architects and one landscape architect serving on the Design Review Commission, and up to two Arts Commission at-large members. These commissioners must be registered voters, but need not reside in Walnut Creek. All commissioners serve without compensation and are limited to two consecutive terms.
Selection Process
Commissioners are appointed by a majority vote of the City Council and serve staggered terms. Commission recruitment occurs biennially in January through the City Clerk’s office. The process begins with the City Council interviewing current commissioners who are up for reappointment for a second term. After reappointments are complete, the City Clerk recruits for open seats utilizing multiple types of advertising, the media and networking opportunities to present qualified candidates to the City Council for consideration.
The interview and selection of candidates is an open process. The City Council reviews the applications and votes to select the most qualified applicants to interview. The full City Council conducts interviews in February. Following the interviews, the City Council ballots and appoints the applicant(s) receiving the highest number of votes.
Attendance, Unscheduled Vacancy & Resignation
If an unscheduled vacancy occurs on a commission, the City Council either appoints from the pool of applicants on file (the eligibility list) or opens up the position to new applications where the above process is followed.
The City Council receives an attendance report for all commissioners and may remove a commissioner for excessive absences. Commission members who are unable to continue their service, for whatever reason, should submit a formal letter of resignation to the City Council. A commission member may be removed from office at any time by majority vote of the City Council.
