Cindy Darling (Walnut Creek City Council At-large, California, candidate 2024)

Cindy Darling

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Walnut Creek City Council At-large

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Personal

Profession

Environmental specialist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Cindy Darling ran for re-election to the Walnut Creek City Council At-large in California. Darling was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Darling completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Cindy Darling provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 12, 2024:

• Bachelor's: University of California Davis
• Profession: Environmental Specialist
• Incumbent officeholder: Yes
• Campaign slogan: Experience. Rooted in Community.
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook
• Campaign Instagram

Elections

General election

General election for Walnut Creek City Council At-large (3 seats)

Incumbent Cindy Darling, incumbent Kevin Wilk, Craig Devinney, Brendan Moran, and Laura Patch ran in the general election for Walnut Creek City Council At-large on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Cindy Darling (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Kevin Wilk (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Craig Devinney (Nonpartisan)
		Brendan Moran (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Laura Patch (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Darling in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cindy Darling completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Darling's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My husband and I moved to Walnut Creek over 20 years ago to raise our family in a city that was welcoming, safe, and great fun to live in. Where else can you be walking in the open space and 10 minutes later sipping a beverage at a great downtown restaurant?

By trade, I am a wildlife and fisheries biologist which seems an odd mix with local politician. In my career, I learned how to listen to all sides on an issue, help everyone sort their needs and wants and find the win win solution that works for all of us.

I’ve served my community with 10 years on the planning commission and now 4 years on council. We on the council have been working hard to all row in the same direction. We have made great progress on our priorities public safety, economic vitality and sustainability We also have great working partners: the Chamber of Commerce, the DRAA, Walnut Creek Downtown, our non-profit partners, and our schools. Again…rowing together for the benefit of all has delivered some great results.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Sustainability: Walnut Creek's Sustainability Action Plan lays out the commitments we as a city have made to reduce green house gas emissions, conserve our resources and build a greener city. These commitments address transportation, electrification of public buildings, homes, and commercial buildings, water conservation and other sustainability practices. Implementation is through incentives, education, and regulation.
• Public Safety: Public safety, in its broader sense, is an important priority. I have worked to add additional police officers, dispatch personnel and a crime prevention specialist. I have also looked beyond just adding officers to focus on building a modern and healthy police department that has the tools, education, and training it needs to keep us all safe. I will work to maintain our full time team of social workers to assist our homeless as well as funding and supporting the Trinity Center where homeless can get help. I've worked to implement an alternative non-police mental health response program so anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can get help.
• Economic Prosperity for All: To make our city work for all, we need to attract new businesses while we also build the housing and infrastructure needed to support the workers who come with those businesses. I will continue to look for opportunities to make it easier to do business with the city and to make it safer to walk, bike, and drive here. And we will get the new pool and swim center built.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I want to work for all of you as we continue to make Walnut Creek an even safer, more welcoming place to live, work, and play.

So, what can we get done in the next four years?
Let’s continue to make it easier to do business with the city and welcome new businesses
Let’s find further innovation to respond to mental health crises and homelessness.
Let’s keep building a modern and healthy police department
Let’s use new technology both to reduce our carbon footprint and to save money.
Let’s keep our budget balanced and our reserves healthy.

Let's get the pool built, find a pickleball home, and the soccer fields lit!

What legacy would you like to leave?

My family moved to Walnut Creek because it was a safe, welcoming place where everyone could succeed. I want to continue to build on the legacy and leave Walnut Creek a better place to live, work, and play. I am committed to continuing to build a modern healthy police culture, to addressing homeless in a compassionate and logical way, to find innovative responses to mental health crisis, to using new technology to reduce our carbon footprint and save money, to make it easier to do business with the city, to leave a balanced budget and healthy reserves, and to build the new pool, community center, turf fields, lights at Tice, and find a new home for pickleball so we can all enjoy our parks.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

In order to be a well functioning city council member, a candidate should have an understanding of what is within the city's jurisdiction and what is not. They should understand how to make decisions as part of a group with their fellow council members. They should understand the role of staff, the city manager, and the council and how to work effectively with each. In addition to my 25 plus years working in conservation for a range of state and federal agencies, I spent 10 years as a Planning Commissioner for Walnut Creek and have now been on City Council for four years. I have put my listening skills along with my deep understanding of Walnut Creek history and issues together to be an effective City Council member.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, Senator Steve Glazer, Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and Tim Grayson, Supervisors Gioia, Carlson, and Anderson, Walnut Creek Council Members Matt Francois, Cindy Silva, Treasurer Ron Cassano, Former Council Members Rich Carlston, Kathy Hicks, Dick Hildebrand, Sue Rainey, Kish Rajan, Gwen Regalia, Sandy Skaggs, and Gary Skrel, 23 current or former Walnut Creek commissioners, Education leaders Rebecca Barrett,
Chris Grove, Jennifer Chen, Aimee Moss, Cherise Khaund, Planned Parenthood Northern CA Action Fund, Walnut Creek Police Association, United Professional Firefighters Contra Costa, Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce, 350 Bay Area Action for the Climate, Contra Costa Labor Council, Moms Demand Action

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Walnut Creek has a long history of fiscal prudence and transparency and I'm proud to carry on this legacy. When it comes to public finance, elected officials have a duty to invest carefully for the future of our city. One time money goes for one time projects. Future fiscal challenges such as pension costs should be mapped out and appropriate steps taken to prepare for them rather than ignoring them and hoping for the best. Reserves are an important part of my approach to fiscal prudence. A healthy reserve to carry an agency through a rainy day is important.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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