Politics & Government

Mayor Helps Clean Up The Town... On A Street Sweeper

Mayor Kristina Lawson spent four hours Tuesday morning with members of the city's maintenance yard crew as part of her "In Your Shoes" initiative

Walnut Creek Mayor Kristina Lawson arrived for work at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

It wasn't at her law offices. It was at the city's maintenance yard.

It was the first of Lawson's monthly "In Your Shoes" tours where she spends time with various city workers to see what they do on the job. It was a promise the mayor made during her inauguration early this month.

"I want to connect with our employees," Lawson said. "I want to understand what they do and how they keep the town running."

Lawson started her shift Tuesday by riding for an hour and a half in a street sweeper with Robert Chavez.

The pair drove down the curb lane of eastbound Ygnacio Valley Road then swung through the downtown area on Locust Street.

Lawson said she learned the difficulties of the street sweeping job.

First, Chavez starts his shift at 3:30 a.m. to clean streets on major roads before commute traffic. He glides through the downtown area on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, hitting other areas on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Lawson said the concentration needed to keep the street sweeper close to the curb is demanding. She also saw people up early who wave to Chavez, happy to see him.

Chavez said he was impressed that Lawson would come out early to watch what he does.

"My wife and I voted for the mayor. It's neat to see my vote counted," said Chavez. "I think (the mayor) definitely made a connection."

After arriving back at the maintenance yard on Lawrence Way right before I-680 on-ramp, Lawson toured the vehicle maintenance area.

There, she saw how city employees fix up everything from park trucks to police cars.

Next on the tour was the building maintenance department. The mayor learned the staff of six takes care of more than 100 city buildings. The tasks include fixing air conditioning and heating units as well as light fixtures and roofs. They also work on making buildings more energy efficient.

Down the hall, Lawson was shown the conference room where city employees coordinate responses during emergencies such as landslides and floods. The workers noted they are first responders just like police officers and firefighters.

Lawson also met employees in the parks department, who, among other things, take care of the 18,000 trees on city property.

The final stop was the traffic operations center across the street.

There, Lawson was given a sign with her name on it. She also helped make a road sign.

The mayor was told about the color scheme and letter fonts the city uses to give all their signs the same look.

Lawson's tour ended at 10 a.m., when she needed to leave to go to her full-time job.

In January, the mayor will tour another department.


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