Government
The City of Livermore is a great place to live, work and play. In 2018, Livermore residents overwhelmingly rated the city’s quality of life as “excellent” or “good” in a National Citizen 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 a full-service city that operates under the council manager form of government. The mayor is elected at-large, and city council seats recently transitioned to district elections.
The mayor serves a two-year term and council members serve four-year terms. 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, 1016 South Livermore 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 neighboring 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 supporting residents and businesses. A one-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 Innovation Hub’s technology incubator in Downtown Livermore is designed to help entrepreneurs and small businesses get started with a facility, business education, and training and with links to 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, and the 2019 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Regional Fly-In event supporting nearly 500 aircraft.
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 while yearly events, such as the Halloween Trick-or Treat Trail at the police department, successfully connects law enforcement personnel with Livermore families and youth.
The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department (LPFD) is an all-risk emergency response and community service organization. The LPFD’s goals are to limit the risk of fire, to limit injury and property damage associated with fire, explosions, hazardous materials incidents, storms or other natural and technological emergencies; to prepare city forces for disaster response, and to better prepare the community for self-help in the event of a major disaster.
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, early learning classes, maker space for children, small business support, 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 at www.livermorelibrary.net , 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 departments 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 1.6 million people living in 14 incorporated cities, including Livermore, as well as in unincorporated communities and rural areas throughout 821 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. Supervisor David Haubert represents District 1, which includes the cities of Dublin and Livermore; most of the City of Fremont; the unincorporated community of Sunol; a portion of the City of Pleasanton; and most of the unincorporated area of the Livermore-Amador Valley.
For more information about Alameda County, visit www.ACgov.org or call Supervisor Haubert’s District office in Pleasanton at
(925) 551-6995.
