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The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning, with multiple days of 100+ degree heat in store for Concord and the surrounding community through the Labor Day weekend.

To help the community stay cool during heat waves, the Concord Senior Center (2727 Parkside Cir.) is designated as a Cooling Center when temperatures reach over 100 degrees. 

The Senior Center will be open during regular business hours, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and welcomes everyone to cool off in the lobby during these times. Staff will monitor temperatures and may stay open until 7:00 p.m. if temperatures remain over 100 degrees. 

The City will also open the Concord Senior Center as a Cooling Center Saturday-Monday, Sept. 3-5, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., when temperatures are projected to be at their highest.  

With the Concord Library closed for renovations, the Senior Center will provide this valuable service to the community. Parks and Recreation staff members will supervise the facility. Visitors are encouraged to bring something quiet to do, like read or use earphones for their electronic devices, and bring their own snacks and drinks. Other locations to cool off include shopping malls, libraries, theaters, and restaurants.

Older adults and people with certain medical conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and taking certain medications, are more vulnerable to heat illness. Everyone is encouraged to stay indoors and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.  

For more information, visit Heat and Your Health to find a cooling center in Contra Costa County and learn more about safety precautions, or call 1-800-510-2020 or 925-229-8434.  

In an effort to preserve fire response resources during a time of high fire danger, the cities of Concord and Walnut Creek are closing their open space areas, including access to Lime Ridge. The closure will be effective Thursday, Sept. 1 through Tuesday, Sept. 6.

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has issued a statewide Flex Alert for Wednesday, Aug. 31 and Thursday, Sept. 1, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., due to high temperatures and the energy demand on available power supplies. 

The above-normal temperatures in the forecast across much of the state means the power grid operator is expecting an increase in electricity demand, primarily from air conditioning use, and is calling for voluntary conservation steps to help balance supply and demand. 

All residents are being asked to conserve electricity, especially during the late afternoon and early evening, when the grid is most stressed. Reducing energy use during a Flex Alert can help stabilize the power grid during a time of tight supply conditions, and prevent further emergency measures, including power outages. 

At its August 23 meeting, the Concord City Council approved a contract for Flock Safety to install 65 Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras at locations strategically selected throughout Concord.

ALPR is not something new to the Concord Police Department. ALPR cameras were first installed on five patrol cars in September 2008 and have been used effectively over the past 14 years to solve crime, help locate missing persons, and to make our community a safer place for everyone. What is new is that Concord will now join most of the other cities in the San Francisco Bay Area in deploying ALPR cameras at fixed locations around the city.  

ALPR cameras work by recognizing vehicles as they drive past them and taking a still photograph of the license plate. The license plate is then automatically and instantly run and compared against a “hot sheet” published by the police database that contains reported stolen vehicles, vehicles involved in serious crimes, and missing persons.

If the vehicle that passes the camera is on the hot sheet, an alert is sent to police dispatch and to officers patrolling the streets. It saves the license plate as well as the location and time the vehicle passed it in its database. The cameras do not take video and do not look for people.

The information collected by Flock ALPR is retained for 30 days in its database, unless it is involved in an active investigation, and then it is purged. The Concord Police Department’s policy is strict about how this data is used and who can view it and under what circumstances in order to ensure privacy.

Flock Safety was specifically chosen by the City of Concord for fixed location ALPR because of the options it presented and staff was able to see how effective their system had performed in neighboring communities where it has already been used effectively.  

Flock Safety ALPR will be a "service multiplier" for the Police Department by proactively providing real-time alerts when stolen or wanted vehicles drive through the city. It will allow members of the community, such as homeowner associations and businesses to purchase cameras to install at their locations and partner with the Concord Police Department to help their members and customers feel safer. Additionally, it will help police investigators by providing significant options to help them in identifying vehicles related to missing or endangered persons or to help solve serious crimes.

The City Council recently announced a recruitment for the Concord/Pleasant Hill Health Care District Grant Committee to fill two unscheduled vacancies for terms ending June 30, 2023, and another vacancy for a term ending June 30, 2025. The deadline for applications to the City Clerk is Friday, September 23, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.

The City’s Community Grants Program provides funding for programs that benefit the Concord community. The Concord/Pleasant Hill Health Care District (CPHHCD) grants committee is an integral part of the decision-making process in funding these programs.

The City is the subsidiary district of the CPHHCD, which receives revenue through property taxes to fund health-related programs and services for Concord and Pleasant Hill residents. These programs include nutrition services and healthy eating, support for victims of domestic violence, hospice care, meal delivery for homebound seniors and outreach services for the homeless. The Concord City Council serves as the Board of Directors. Funding is anticipated to be approximately $250,000 per year for the next five years.

Are you prepared for an earthquake or other natural disaster? Join us on Thursday, September 1 for Concord's Emergency Preparedness Fair, and pick up useful information and free giveaways from local emergency service organizations.

The fair will be held in conjunction with Concord's Music & Market concert series in Todos Santos Plaza. The farmers' market begins at 4 p.m., the fair starts at 5 p.m., and local bands The New Frantics and Garageland Rodeo will be playing between 6:30 and 8 p.m.

The fair will feature representatives from the Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ConFire) and HAZMAT team, the American Red Cross, the Concord Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Concord LISTOS program, the Concord Auxiliary Emergency Radio Services (CARES), various support organizations, and several emergency supplies vendors.

The California Office of Emergency Services encourages residents to have a plan for how to protect themselves in the event of an earthquake. If you receive a warning or feel shaking, there are moments to act.

There may be circumstances where a warning is issued, but no shaking occurs. It is always better to be on the side of caution when it comes to earthquakes.

Californians can now get earthquake warnings from Earthquake Warning California. You can get a jump start before shaking can be felt to take protective actions to DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON (or LOCK, COVER, and HOLD ON, if using a wheelchair).

Learn more about how to prepare at earthquake.ca.gov.

Concord's Live Strong Health Expo is an annual event that will return to the Concord Senior Center (2727 Parkside Cir.) on Friday, September 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will include more than 40 vendors who offer health and human services in Concord and around Contra Costa County.

Attend this FREE event to receive complimentary health screenings and presentations on a variety of health-related topics.

To find other libraries near you, see their hours of operation, and learn about special programs, please visit ccclib.org.

The City of Concord's upcoming public meetings include:

See the full calendar.

To receive email or text notifications when the meeting agendas are posted, please subscribe to alerts using the "Notify Me" tool on the City's website.

City Council and Planning Commission meetings are broadcast live on Concord TV (Astound/Wave 29 and 1026, Comcast 28, U-verse 99) and streamed through the City's website as well as rebroadcast at later times.