Crime Falls, Drones Rise and ICE Fears Grow in Wide-Ranging Concord Session

The Concord City Council packed its April 14 meeting with a sweeping police department update, a major energy rate cut announcement, and a pointed exchange about immigration enforcement — all against a backdrop of smart-infrastructure investments that signal where the city is headed. The nearly three-and-a-half-hour session touched every corner of civic life, from refugee families receiving groceries to stolen cars intercepted by license plate readers.

• Police report crime down across every major category; drone program cuts response times by a third and boosts arrests by 50%

• Council Member Benavente presses chief on ICE activity near Concord courthouse; chief confirms no cooperation with immigration enforcement

• MCE announces 14% rate reduction and $10 million in new low-income bill credits for Concord energy customers

• $42.8 million in grants back new Transportation Management Center to synchronize traffic signals citywide

• Measure V sales tax revenue finally reaches neighborhood streets in Monte Gardens and East Concord

• Music and Market lands first-ever presenting sponsor, reveals 2026 summer lineup

Police Chief Mark Bustillos delivered the department's annual update to a council eager for details, and the numbers told a clear story: violent crime, property crime and vehicle theft all fell over the past year.