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Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch delivered his 2026 State of the City speech last week where he centered his remarks on the central theme of “progress with purpose”.
“Pleasanton is not standing still, and we are not drifting,” Balch said during the address at a Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce luncheon event March 19. “A year ago, we were setting direction. Today, we are delivering progress with purpose.”
The annual event, which took place at the Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery, focused a lot on following up from Balch’s remarks during his first State of the City as mayor last year where he mainly spoke about steps the city was taking to improve fiscal responsibility, the local economy and other city goals.
Now, he was able to deliver some clear results from the work he and other city leaders have done over the past year.
“As we look forward to 2026, we will continue to strengthen our financial foundation, advance long-term planning and make thoughtful decisions that support growth while protecting what makes this city special,” he added. “Our future will not be shaped by chance. It will be shaped by the choices we make together.”
Starting off with the positives, Balch highlighted how over the past year, Pleasanton received national and state recognition for having the second-highest quality of life in the country and for being ranked the cleanest city in California.
“Those accolades are meaningful — not just because of the rankings themselves, (but) because as you know they give a glimpse of what it’s actually like to live here,” Balch said. “Neighborhoods are cared for, public spaces feel safe and welcoming, services are reliable and people look out for one another.”
Looking toward the future, Balch said the city’s priorities will be maintaining fiscal responsibility, investing in essential infrastructure, supporting the local economy and continuing to deliver the critical city services that make Pleasanton a great city to live, work and raise a family.
Regarding fiscal responsibility, Balch noted how the city last year adopted a balanced two-year budget that reflects “thoughtful spending, careful forecasting, and long-term planning”.
While last year’s budget developing process saw a lot of contention from residents who voiced their concerns over various budget cuts — most notably the reduction of library hours — Balch pointed out the financial challenges the city is facing due to decreasing revenues and increases in expenditures.
“We’re not budgeting based upon hope,” Balch said. “We’re budgeting based upon reality, because responsible optimism requires honest math.”
He said city leaders and staff are working on addressing that challenge in several ways such as improving the city’s long-range forecasting, conducting independent reviews of the city’s finances, undertaking a review of the city’s pension plans like the council did just two nights earlier, and exploring additional revenue options like a hotel tax, sponsorships and cell tower leases.
“This way, we’re not just reacting year to year, but planning for Pleasanton’s long-term fiscal health,” Balch said. “Our responsibility isn’t just to balance the budget, it’s to leave the next City Council, and the next generation, a city that’s financially stronger than what we found it.”
Balch then went over the city’s infrastructure and how the city took a massive step over the past year to understand and take account of all of the city’s assets and what it takes to maintain those assets as part of the city’s first-ever Asset Management Plan.
The plan, which is in the final stages of development, gives the city clarity on what it owns, what the condition of those assets are in and what it will cost to properly maintain them in the future, Balch said. He said that the city’s general fund infrastructure alone represents more than $4 billion of replacement value.
He added that over the next decade, the city anticipates it will need about $63 million per year to replace general fund assets. Currently, he said the city funds about $19 million per year.
“Knowing this provides clarity and clarity allows us to act deliberately instead of urgently,” Balch said.
Also regarding infrastructure, Balch said over the past two years the city has invested more than $30 million in strengthening and modernizing the city’s water system.
He said Pleasanton has replaced almost 10,000 feet of aging pipes, upgraded critical infrastructure and implemented the city’s first comprehensive water system management plan, all of which helps the city better respond to new water regulations and challenges such as the PFAS — also known as forever chemicals — that have been found in the city’s groundwater.
In addition to water system improvements, Balch noted other infrastructure achievements such as the improvements made at the Highway 84 and Interstate 680 interchange and the pavement management program, which treated nearly two million square feet of pavements across the city in 2025. He included information on infrastructure that is less visible like the sewer system and how the city’s Sewer System Master Plan and Storm Drain Master Plan are both underway.
“It’s foundational work, the kind you don’t want to see, but it allows us to better understand the system conditions, prioritize repairs, and reduce the risk of future disruptions,” Balch said.
Balch also spoke about the city’s public parks and spaces that continue to bring vibrancy and community to the city. He specifically pointed to the new bandstand and overall layout at the Lions Wayside Park, which he said also helps support downtown vitality, and the new playground at Moller Park, which he says has been bringing children much joy.
The last major update on infrastructure Balch gave was on the city’s power grid, a popular topic that many residents across the city have been dealing with over the past few years as they have experienced more and more power outages.
Balch acknowledged that the city has had challenges with reliability, which is why he said Pleasanton has been strengthening its partnership with PG&E over the past year and advocating for the corporate giant to focus on critical infrastructure upgrades in the city.
He said thanks to that engagement — including a town hall meeting that saw dozens of residents voicing their concerns directly to PG&E representatives — 11 of PG&E’s capital improvement projects that focused on Pleasanton’s grid, which were originally slated for completion in 2028, have been fast tracked and completed. Balch said there is still one more project in the works but added that it is scheduled for completion for later this year.
“This means fewer outages … for residents and businesses,” Balch said. “This is what happens when we stay focused. This is real results for our community and we did it in a respectful way.”
Moving on from infrastructure, Balch pivoted to talking about the city’s economy.
According to his presentation, Pleasanton has over 4,000 businesses with over 68,000 employees. He said the city’s office vacancy rate is 11.5% — the Bay Area’s rate is about 25% — and that the industrial vacancy rate is 14%. Retail vacancy stands at just under 9%.
Of note, Balch said the estimated annual revenue from all of the city’s businesses is $16 billion. And he said the city is only getting better when it comes to addressing those vacancies.
From zoning updates that support life sciences and innovation-based businesses to streamlining the city’s permitting process, Balch said Pleasanton is focusing on making it easier for any and all types of businesses to do business in the city. He also pointed to the city’s “Pleasanton Playbook”, a user-friendly guide that clearly explains the city’s development review process, as another tool to push this work forward.
“These changes send a clear message: Pleasanton is ready to partner with you, and that makes a real difference in our local economy,” Balch said.
He also pointed out some of the new businesses that became active in the city last year including the long-awaited Cook’s Seafood, Philz Coffee and the many new restaurants in downtown Pleasanton such as Naschmarkt, Bravazo and Planta. He noted that the city’s first-ever Costco exceeded initial monetary expectations after its first full year of operation.
Balch also said companies like Tekion, 10x Genomics and Workday all continue to support a healthy local economy.
On the topic of downtown Pleasanton — a topic that has been on the minds of residents and city leaders for a lot of 2025 — Balch said the city continues to invest in the area.
He said one of the best examples of this has been the Lions Wayside Park transformation, which not only added the bandstand but also improved lighting, seating, the lawn areas and a new parking lot.
The mayor also said that the downtown continues to thrive thanks to strong partnerships with organizations like the Pleasanton Downtown Association, which had a very successful year of events last year — he said the PDA hosted 75 events in 2025. He also noted last year’s Hometown Holiday Parade, which brought out over 10,000 community members to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season.
“This sense of community and connection carries into the programs and services that we put on as a city every day,” Balch said.
Next, Balch spent some time talking about public safety.
According to the mayor, last year the Pleasanton Police Department dispatch center handled more than 64,000 calls for service and officers responded to over 61,000 incidents — all of which happened quietly and mostly out the general public’s view so that residents can continue to feel calm and safe in their neighborhoods.
He also said the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department responded to nearly 7,000 calls — 156 of which were fires. He also noted how the fire department received an ISO Class 2 rating this year, which rewards the department’s high level of preparedness and efficiency.
“Only about 5% of fire departments achieve this nationwide rating and it’s possible this will help you when you go get your (fire) insurance on your home,” Balch said.
Regarding public safety, Balch also said the city continues to train staff and engage with the community around emergency readiness in the wake of all of the recent swarms of earthquakes that have been hitting areas like San Ramon.
Some of the other accomplishments Balch highlighted during his speech include Zippy, the new mobile outreach book library the city introduced last year; new public art initiatives like the Public Art Map, the Don Lewis Harmonic Art Project and the Wizard of Oz Bench; and the Pleasanton Unified School District students who continue to shine in things like the We the People high school civics competition.
As he wrapped up his speech Balch ended on a personal note with his “This I Believe” speech, which is based on the short essays first introduced by the famed 1950s radio program hosted by journalist Edward R. Murrow that push people to write about core values that matter the most to them.
During his closing words, Balch tearfully at times, addressed the division he is seeing across the country and said that in the spirit of democracy, it’s important to remain empathetic and to listen to others because at the end of the day, everyone deserves a chance at happiness — from Pleasanton residents to Americans across the nation.
“Liberty lives in us and calls on us to be a nation that welcomes, aspires and believes in possibility,” Balch said. “I see that spirit in Pleasanton.”
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