San Ramon Adopts Trails Master Plan, Locks In Employee Raises Amid Impassioned Public Comment

The San Ramon City Council moved unanimously on every vote Tuesday night — adopting a 42-project trails master plan, approving a new compensation model for nearly 150 city employees, and directing staff to fill a Planning Commission vacancy — but it was the public comment period that revealed the sharpest community tensions, as residents clashed over Pride flag policy, climate legislation, and conditions at a troubled senior housing complex.

• Council adopts trails master plan with 15 miles of new off-street trails, eight trailheads, and 10 regional connections
• Residents rally for permanent Pride flag policy as advocates warn the LGBTQ community could be "excluded from future events" under a revised flag framework
• Students and climate advocates push council to back California's Make Polluters Pay Climate Superfund bill
• Two seniors describe management intimidation, pest infestations, and disability accommodation failures at Deer Creek Senior Apartments
• New 3% annual raise model replaces market salary studies for 142 city workers and six executives at $1.1 million over two years
• County supervisor targets 2027 construction for $2M Iron Horse Trail bike-pedestrian separation pilot

Why it matters: Ninety-eight percent of surveyed residents said new trails improve quality of life, and the plan now gives the city a strategic roadmap for grant applications and impact-fee spending — without tapping the general fund.