As Tri-Valley communities continue to grow, their mayors are facing many of the same questions: how to attract jobs, build housing, improve infrastructure and prepare for emergencies.
These shared priorities guided the conversation at the Tri-Valley Mayors’ Summit, held as part of the 2026 Wine Country Luncheon Series at Garré Vineyard and Winery in Livermore.
The panel July 30 included mayors John Marchand of Livermore, Jack Balch of Pleasanton, Sherry Hu of Dublin, Mark Armstrong of San Ramon and Newell Arnerich of Danville – with Catharine Baker, former state assemblymember and current director of the U.C. Student and Policy Center, moderating the discussion.
The conversation opened up with a discussion of economic development, with each mayor highlighting business growth and long-term planning in their respective cities.
Marchand highlighted two recent ribbon-cuttings in Livermore. Inertia Enterprises, a company working to commercialize laser-driven fusion technology, opened its new 50,000-square-foot headquarters on Las Positas Road, while Velo3D, a metal 3D-printing company, unveiled a nearly 289,000-square-foot facility designed to accommodate more than 100 metal 3D printers.
Balch pointed to Tekion, a company that helps car dealerships and automakers, which he said has secured $200 million in growth equity capital in Pleasanton’s Stoneridge Mall area. He also mentioned Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley’s major expansion, with a three-story east wing that will more than double the hospital’s emergency department capacity.
Hu said Dublin is working on bringing jobs closer to where residents live, a measure advanced by the Dublin Fallon 580 project and the Fallon East Economic Development Zone.
For many of the cities, economic growth and development are directly tied to housing and land availability. Marchand said the workforce remains a major challenge for Livermore.
“Workforce remains a huge challenge,” Marchand said. “We’re creating affordable houses so people can afford to live and work here in the Tri-Valley.”
Hu said that Dublin has been working on housing for years and is now focused on job growth so residents no longer have to worry about long commutes. For Danville, Arnerich said the town is nearly built out, forcing the town to balance housing needs with limited land resources and existing commercial zones.
Armstrong said San Ramon faces similar limitations. “The biggest challenge to economic development is the availability of land,” he said.
Armstrong stated that San Ramon does not have many vacant parcels left for business development, leading to a strategy of reusing existing retail and commercial spaces.
Housing development also emerged as a prominent theme.
Arnerich said Danville has several housing projects underway, including The Nova. Hu discussed residential development across Dublin, including the construction of single-family neighborhoods in eastern and western parts of the city. Armstrong stated that San Ramon has about 10 ongoing construction projects, which are expected to bring about 500 single-family homes.
Infrastructure projects were another focus of the discussion. Balch pointed out how Pleasanton’s joint groundwater supply project is intended to restore a reliable local water supply and provide uncontaminated drinking water to residents.
On regional transportation, the mayors discussed Valley Link, a planned passenger light-rail system that would connect the Dublin-Pleasanton BART Station with Livermore and communities in the Central Valley. Hu also stated that the Dublin Boulevard-North Canyons Parkway Project is “coming a little bit closer” and would create a new regional connection between Dublin and Livermore.
Emergency preparedness and response also surfaced in the discussion. Armstrong said recent earthquakes were unsettling for San Ramon residents and prompted the city to strengthen public communication. He pointed to an Earthquake Swarm Town Hall held in February, where experts and first responders shared pertinent information about preparedness and safety.
Balch discussed Pleasanton’s response to a recent wildfire near Vallecitos Road and credited the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department, public works staff and other responders with helping protect the city.
“We had an amazing response by LPFD,” Balch said, adding that there was “a lot of great work done by a lot of great people”.
Balch stated that ultimately, no lives were lost and no structures were burned, and he encouraged residents to sign up for AC Alert to receive emergency notifications.
While each mayor focused on different local aspects, the discussion showed that cities across the Tri-Valley are working through many of the same pressures to continue supporting their citizens and advance into the future.
