Cindy Silva

Four-Time Mayor of Walnut Creek · President, League of California Cities · Champion of Community, Housing, and Public Trust

"I started this year with just one goal: to help all of us, as city leaders, re-energize and put new vigor into our collective work to improve the quality of life of all Californians."

Cindy Silva, four-time Mayor of Walnut Creek and 2021-2022 President of the League of California Cities, official portrait
19+ Years on City Council
4× Mayor of Walnut Creek
50K+ Volunteer Hours Generated
480 Member Cities Represented as Cal Cities President

Early Life & Context

Cindy Silva's path to becoming one of California's most influential local leaders began on the coast of Santa Cruz, was shaped by an exceptional university education, and was refined through 40 years of professional excellence and community volunteerism — all before she ever stood for elected office.

Cindy Silva is a California native, born and raised in the coastal community of Santa Cruz. The Pacific Ocean, the redwoods, and the civic culture of a small but vibrant California city formed the backdrop of her early years — an upbringing that cultivated an instinctive appreciation for community investment and the kind of place-based pride that would later animate her years of service to Walnut Creek. She left Santa Cruz for the University of Southern California, where she was fortunate to earn a full-tuition academic and financial-need scholarship — a recognition of both her intellectual ability and her circumstances. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism and went on to undertake master's-level work in communications management at USC's Annenberg School of Communications, one of the most prestigious communications programmes in the country.

After college, she worked first in Los Angeles and then in Chicago, building a multi-decade career in marketing and communications across industries as diverse as telecommunications (AirTouch International, later Verizon/Vodafone), high technology (PeopleSoft, now Oracle), biotechnology (Nektar Therapeutics), and healthcare (Hill Physicians Medical Group). In 1980, she founded her own marketing and communications consulting firm — a business she owned and operated for 36 years until 2016. This entrepreneurial background gave her a fluency in private-sector discipline, fiscal accountability, and results-driven strategy that would set her apart as a council member and statewide leader. By the time she moved to Walnut Creek with her husband Tom in 1984, she brought with her a rare combination of academic rigour, business breadth, and the energy to put both in service of a community she chose to call home.

For the next two decades before her first election, Cindy devoted herself to the civic fabric of Walnut Creek as a volunteer. She served on the boards of youth sports organisations, library capital campaign committees, school funding measure campaigns, and parent organisations for Las Lomas High School, where she served as PTSA President from 2003 to 2005. She chaired efforts to pass Measure C for the Walnut Creek School District, co-chaired the Yes — A New Walnut Creek Library Committee for the successful Measure R and Proposition 81 campaigns, and earned the California State PTA Continuing Service Award in 2005. This was not civic dabbling — it was a sustained, 20-year investment in the community that built the networks, credibility, and institutional knowledge she would bring to the Planning Commission and, eventually, the City Council.

A Scholarship That Changed a Career

Cindy Silva's full-tuition scholarship to the University of Southern California was more than financial assistance — it was the foundation upon which an extraordinary public career was built. Her summa cum laude journalism degree and subsequent graduate work at the Annenberg School gave her the communications craft to become one of the most effective advocates for California cities the League of California Cities has ever produced. The ability to frame complex policy arguments clearly, write compellingly, and speak persuasively to diverse audiences — skills honed at USC — would define her statewide leadership decades later when she became the voice of California's nearly 500 cities.

When Cindy joined the Walnut Creek Planning Commission in 2004, she brought to that body not just community relationships but genuine professional depth: a journalist's appetite for detail, a businesswoman's instinct for fiscal consequences, and a parent's emotional investment in the quality of the city's schools, parks, and public spaces. Two years on the Planning Commission — during which Walnut Creek was updating and adopting its landmark General Plan 2025 — proved the perfect preparation for council. When she ran for the City Council in 2006, she was not a newcomer but a known quantity: someone who had earned the community's trust over two decades before asking for its vote.

Leadership Journey

From 20 years of community volunteerism to the presidency of the League of California Cities, Cindy Silva's path to statewide leadership followed a deliberate and deepening arc — each step building on the last, each role expanding the community she served from a neighbourhood to a city to a region to all of California.

1

Two Decades of Community Investment

Long before elected office, Cindy built her civic credentials through two decades of relentless volunteering. From the Walnut Creek Soccer Club Board (1999–2004) and the Swim Conference presidency (2001–2004), to library capital campaign leadership and school measure campaigns for the Walnut Creek and Acalanes school districts, to PTSA President at Las Lomas High School — she was everywhere that community needed her. The California State PTA Continuing Service Award in 2005 was a formal recognition of what her neighbours already knew: that Cindy Silva showed up and delivered results.

2

The Planning Commission Apprenticeship

In 2004, Cindy joined the Walnut Creek Planning Commission — the pivotal step that transformed a community volunteer into a policy professional. Her two years on the Commission coincided with the city's adoption of General Plan 2025, giving her direct experience with the most consequential land-use planning document Walnut Creek had undertaken in a generation. This technical immersion in zoning, density, infrastructure, and long-range development was the exact preparation she needed to become the analytically grounded council member she would prove to be.

3

Building a Regional Platform (2006–2015)

After winning her first council election in 2006, Cindy rapidly built a regional presence. She became Walnut Creek's representative on the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority (Recycle Smart), the East Bay Regional Communications System Authority, TRANSPAC (the Central County transportation planning committee), and the Association of Bay Area Governments. She chaired the Contra Costa Mayors' Conference in 2017 and served as president of the League of California Cities East Bay Division in 2013 — each role extending her network and deepening her understanding of the interconnected policy systems that shape California communities.

4

Statewide Platform — The League Ladder (2015–2022)

In 2015, Cindy joined the Cal Cities State Board — the beginning of a seven-year climb through the League's leadership structure. She served on multiple policy committees including Housing, Community and Economic Development (chairing it in 2016), and a statewide Homelessness Task Force in 2016. In 2020, she was elected First Vice President of the League of California Cities — and in 2021, was installed as President for the 2021–2022 term, becoming the voice and legislative champion for nearly 480 California cities at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C.

5

Governor-Appointed State Leadership

Cindy's statewide influence extended beyond the League. She was appointed by the Governor to the California Seismic Safety Commission — the body responsible for advising the Governor and Legislature on earthquake hazard mitigation — and served as its chair. This appointment, renewed in 2021, reflected confidence at the highest levels of state government in her ability to lead complex, technically demanding policy bodies. Concurrently, she joined the National League of Cities' Community and Economic Development advocacy committee as vice chair, representing California's interests at the federal level as well.

Career Timeline

From her first Planning Commission seat in 2004 to her presidency of the League of California Cities in 2021–2022, Cindy Silva's career traces an unbroken arc of deepening service — from a single Walnut Creek neighbourhood to the policy chambers of Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Each milestone built on the one before, creating a leader of rare range and depth.

2004
Position

Walnut Creek Planning Commission — General Plan 2025

After two decades of community volunteering, Cindy made the formal transition into policy governance by joining the Walnut Creek Planning Commission in 2004. Her two-year tenure on the Commission coincided with the city's landmark process to update and adopt General Plan 2025 — the comprehensive blueprint governing Walnut Creek's land use, housing, transportation, and environmental strategy for the following two decades. This technical immersion in long-range planning gave her a depth of understanding of the city's physical and policy framework that would define her analytical approach to every council decision that followed. She arrived at the 2006 council election not as a newcomer, but as someone who had already helped shape the city's future direction.

2006
Position

First Elected to Walnut Creek City Council

In November 2006, Cindy Silva won her first election to the Walnut Creek City Council — the culmination of two decades of community investment that had made her one of the most trusted and well-connected figures in Walnut Creek civic life. She arrived on the council with a journalist's communication skills, an entrepreneur's business acumen, a planner's technical knowledge of the city's long-range goals, and the personal relationships built through years of school board campaigns, library drives, and youth sports service. Her election began what would become a nearly two-decade tenure as one of Walnut Creek's most consequential and consistently re-elected council members.

2011
Innovation

Founded Walnut Creek Community Service Day

As Mayor in 2011, Cindy Silva founded what would become one of Walnut Creek's most celebrated annual civic traditions: Community Service Day. The programme mobilises the community for a single day of concentrated volunteer service to public facilities and local nonprofits, combining civic pride with tangible community benefit. Under Cindy's founding leadership and continuing co-chairship, Community Service Day has grown year by year — ultimately generating an average of 1,200 volunteers annually, nearly 50,000 cumulative hours of volunteer service, and nearly 80,000 pounds of food plus $50,000 in donations for the local food bank. The programme received a 2012 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence from the League of California Cities — the state's highest recognition for innovative local government programmes.

2011
2013
2019
2023
Position

Four Terms as Mayor of Walnut Creek

Selected by her council colleagues as Mayor in 2010–11, 2012–13, 2018–19, and 2022–23, Cindy Silva has served as Walnut Creek's Mayor more times than any contemporary peer. Each mayoralty represented not merely a rotating honour but a period of focused community leadership: founding Community Service Day (2011), spearheading a Community Blue Ribbon Task Force on Fiscal Health, organising Second Saturday Spotlight events to drive downtown economic vitality (2013 and 2019), and welcoming a new council colleague while setting the city's policy agenda for 2023. Her four terms as Mayor give her a cumulative executive perspective on the city's challenges and opportunities that no other current council member shares.

2013
Position

President, League of California Cities East Bay Division

In 2013, Cindy was elected President of the East Bay Division of the League of California Cities — the regional body encompassing Contra Costa and Alameda county city officials. This regional presidency was her first significant statewide leadership role, giving her experience coordinating advocacy across multiple cities and building the inter-city relationships that would form the backbone of her later state-level leadership. It also established her reputation within the League as a consensus-builder with the energy and credibility to lead across jurisdictional lines — a reputation that would carry her all the way to the state presidency eight years later.

2015
Movement

Joined Cal Cities State Board & Housing Policy Leadership

In 2015, Cindy joined the League of California Cities State Board of Directors — a turning point that marked her transition from regional leader to statewide advocate for California's cities. She simultaneously joined the League's Housing, Community and Economic Development Policy Committee, which she went on to chair in 2016 — placing her at the centre of California's most urgent and politically contested domestic policy debate. She served on a statewide Homelessness Task Force in 2016, on a housing working group in 2017, and was one of 16 city representatives on the League's Strategic Initiatives Task Force. Housing affordability, transit-oriented development, and equitable community investment became the policy signature of her statewide career.

2017
Position

Chair, Contra Costa Mayors' Conference & Governor-Appointed to Seismic Safety Commission

In 2017, Cindy simultaneously chaired the Contra Costa Mayors' Conference — coordinating the policy voice of all 19 cities in Contra Costa County — and received her first Governor's appointment to the California Seismic Safety Commission. The Seismic Safety Commission advises the Governor and Legislature on policies to reduce earthquake risk across California, making it one of the most technically demanding appointment roles available to a local government official. Cindy's appointment — and her subsequent selection as Commission chair — reflected both her policy expertise and the trust that California's executive branch placed in her judgment on matters of statewide consequence.

2020
Campaign

Elected First Vice President, League of California Cities

At the League's virtual 2020 Annual Conference & Expo on October 9, Cindy Silva was elected First Vice President of the League of California Cities — the office that placed her directly in line for the state presidency. "For more than a decade, I have been part of the League's efforts to advocate for our cities on behalf of our California residents," she said at the time. "Without a doubt, my city and, in turn, our community have been the beneficiaries of the League's advocacy, educational resources, and professional development opportunities." League Executive Director Carolyn Coleman called her "an invaluable and knowledgeable member of the League for many years" whose expertise on housing and transit-oriented development would be "vital as we advocate for cities in the coming year."

2021
–2022
Position

President, League of California Cities — Voice for 480 Cities

Installed as President of the League of California Cities for the 2021–2022 term, Cindy Silva became the elected voice of nearly 480 California cities and more than 39 million Californians at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C. Her presidential year was defined by three interlocking priorities: re-energising city leaders coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the League's inaugural City Leaders Summit that rallied 100 city officials at the state Capitol to advocate for housing, climate resiliency, and reimbursement of 20 years of unfunded state mandates, and publishing monthly "President's Messages" in Western City Magazine that framed the relationship between public trust, equity, advocacy, and communication as the foundation of effective local governance. She also delivered persuasive CalPERS testimony that the League credited with protecting cities' fiscal stability during a critical board vote.

2022
–2023
Recognition

Fourth Mayoralty & Continued Statewide Recognition

Following her re-election to the City Council in November 2022, Cindy Silva was selected by her colleagues as Mayor of Walnut Creek for a fourth time — marking the SFGate headline "Cindy Silva Becomes Mayor For Fourth Time." She also joined the Institute for Local Government's board — the League's research and education affiliate — and continued serving on the National League of Cities' Community and Economic Development advocacy committee as vice chair. The Helen Putnam Award she received in 2012 for Community Service Day, combined with her Cal Cities presidential recognition, established her as among the most recognised and decorated local government leaders in California's recent history.

Stories of Impact

Behind Cindy Silva's impressive list of titles and roles are specific, tangible moments when her leadership created something lasting — a tradition that mobilises thousands, a summit that put city voices before state power, and an advocacy campaign that protected the financial stability of California's cities.

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2011 — Present

The Community Service Day That Became a Movement

When Cindy Silva became Walnut Creek's Mayor in 2011, she faced the challenge common to any leader following a difficult economic period: how to rebuild civic energy and community connection after years of fiscal austerity. Her answer was not a policy initiative or a budget manoeuvre. It was a single day — a day when the whole community would come together to do something tangible and visible for the places they shared.

Community Service Day was born from this conviction. Cindy founded it in 2011 as an annual, city-wide volunteer mobilisation — one day each year when residents, businesses, schools, and nonprofits would work side by side on projects ranging from park maintenance and trail improvements to food drives and facility painting. The model was simple, replicable, and deeply human: show up, work together, see the difference you made by the end of the day.

More than a decade later, Community Service Day has become one of Walnut Creek's most beloved annual traditions. An average of 1,200 volunteers now participate each year. The cumulative total has surpassed 50,000 volunteer hours. Nearly 80,000 pounds of food and $50,000 in donations have been collected for the local food bank. Cindy still co-chairs the event every year, maintaining the personal investment that gives it its spirit.

In 2012, the programme received the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence from the League of California Cities — the state's highest recognition for innovation in local government. The award validated what Walnut Creek already knew: that this was not just a local feel-good event but a model worth replicating across California. Cindy's founding vision had created something that outlasted any single mayoralty and belonged, permanently, to the city.

Impact & Legacy

Community Service Day has generated more than 50,000 volunteer hours for Walnut Creek's public facilities and nonprofits over its lifetime, collected nearly 80,000 pounds of food for the local food bank, and won a statewide Helen Putnam Award for Excellence — cementing it as a model of civic innovation that other California cities have studied and emulated.

May 2022

100 City Officials at the Capitol — The City Leaders Summit

As League of California Cities President in 2022, Cindy Silva faced a structural challenge that had frustrated city advocates for years: how to make state legislators feel the human weight of decisions that seemed abstract in Sacramento but had profound consequences in every California neighbourhood. Her response was the inaugural Cal Cities City Leaders Summit — and its centrepiece was audacious.

One hundred city officials from across California descended on Sacramento in May 2022, standing shoulder to shoulder outside the state Capitol, waving signs and calling on the Governor and Legislature to direct a portion of the state's nearly $100 billion surplus to cities for housing, climate resiliency, and reimbursement of 20 years of unfunded mandates. The midday rally — deliberately staged for maximum visibility — created what Cindy described as "a compelling visual for our bold ask."

The rally was only the beginning. After the demonstration, city officials spread across Sacramento in coordinated meetings with more than 35 state lawmakers and top administration officials. They came not with complaints but with local solutions to statewide problems — stories from their own cities about housing crises, infrastructure backlogs, and homelessness that no state spreadsheet could capture. As Cindy later wrote: "Advocacy is one of the most important ways that we, as city leaders, build and maintain public trust. And public trust is essential to a functioning and thriving democracy."

Impact & Legacy

The inaugural Cal Cities City Leaders Summit established a new model for collective municipal advocacy in California — combining dramatic public demonstration with precise legislative engagement. The Summit's three pillars of public trust (advocacy, equity, and communication) were formulated by Cindy and published in Western City Magazine's June 2022 issue, influencing how hundreds of California city officials frame their relationships with their communities.

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2013 — Present

The All-Abilities Playground — $380,000 and a Community's Love

The Walnut Creek Civic Pride Foundation exists to fund community projects that the city's budget cannot fully support — and one of its most transformative projects was the construction of an all-abilities playground at Heather Farm Park, designed to be fully accessible and joyful for children of every physical ability level. As a Director of the Civic Pride Foundation, Cindy Silva was a driving force in the fundraising campaign that made it possible.

The campaign raised more than $380,000 from community donors, businesses, and civic organisations — a remarkable demonstration of what a community will invest in when given the opportunity to fund something that genuinely reflects its values. An all-abilities playground is not just a recreational amenity; it is a statement about who belongs in public space and who deserves joy. For families of children with disabilities in Walnut Creek, the playground at Heather Farm Park represents that statement made concrete.

Cindy's involvement in the Civic Pride Foundation reflects a consistent thread in her civic philosophy: that the formal structures of government are most powerful when they work in partnership with the voluntary energy of community. Government provides the framework; community provides the spirit. Together, they build something neither could alone.

Impact & Legacy

The all-abilities playground at Heather Farm Park, made possible by $380,000 in community fundraising that Cindy helped lead, has provided an inclusive recreational space for Walnut Creek children of all abilities — a lasting physical expression of the community's commitment to belonging and equity for its youngest residents.

Major Achievements

Cindy Silva's nearly two decades in public service have produced achievements that span the intimate (a playground, a volunteer day) and the monumental (leading an organisation that advocates for 39 million Californians) — united by a consistent commitment to equity, fiscal responsibility, housing, and the kind of community investment that endures beyond any single term in office.

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President, League of California Cities

Elected by city officials statewide to serve as President of the League of California Cities for 2021–2022, Cindy Silva became the legislative and public voice of nearly 480 California cities and more than 39 million residents. During her presidential year, she launched the inaugural Cal Cities City Leaders Summit, rallying 100 city officials at the state Capitol to advocate for housing, climate resiliency, and unfunded mandate reimbursement. She published monthly leadership essays in Western City Magazine that shaped the national discourse on public trust, equity, and local government. She also served on the Cal Cities State Board since 2015 and chaired the Housing, Community and Economic Development Policy Committee in 2016 — making housing affordability and transit-oriented development the defining policy signature of her statewide career.

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Community Service Day — A Civic Institution

Cindy founded Walnut Creek Community Service Day in 2011 and has co-chaired it every year since — an unbroken personal commitment that has helped it grow from a good idea into a community institution. The programme now mobilises an average of 1,200 volunteers annually, has generated nearly 50,000 cumulative volunteer hours for public facilities and nonprofits, collected nearly 80,000 pounds of food and $50,000 for the local food bank, and earned a 2012 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence from the League of California Cities. Community Service Day exemplifies Cindy's belief that the most durable civic investments are the ones that give residents a direct, personal role in shaping the community they share.

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Regional Infrastructure & Emergency Preparedness

As a Governor-appointed member and Chair of the California Seismic Safety Commission, Cindy brought local government's practical perspective to statewide earthquake hazard mitigation policy — one of the most technically demanding advisory roles available to a city council member. Regionally, she served on the East Bay Regional Communications System Authority — the body that built and operates the public safety radio system for Contra Costa and Alameda counties — ensuring that emergency responders across both counties have the communications infrastructure they need when seconds matter. She chaired TRANSPAC (the Central Contra Costa transportation planning committee) in 2010 and has served on the Association of Bay Area Governments Executive Board, giving her a comprehensive command of the region's physical and safety infrastructure.

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Libraries, Schools & Community Civic Investment

Before her first council election, Cindy co-chaired the Yes — A New Walnut Creek Library Committee that worked for passage of Measure R and Proposition 81, helping to raise more than $5 million for the new Walnut Creek Library facility. She co-chaired Measure C for the Walnut Creek School District in 2001, a parcel tax that funded lower class sizes for grades 4 through 8. She subsequently served on funding measure committees for both the Walnut Creek School District and the Acalanes High School District in 2002 and 2005. As Director of the Walnut Creek Civic Pride Foundation, she helped raise more than $380,000 for the all-abilities playground at Heather Farm Park. Each of these initiatives reflects a philosophy of civic investment that Cindy has practised throughout her career: the belief that a community's most important assets are the institutions — schools, libraries, parks — where every resident belongs.

In Her Own Words

Across her monthly President's Messages in Western City Magazine, her speeches at the League of California Cities Annual Conference, and her community addresses in Walnut Creek, Cindy Silva has articulated a consistent and deeply considered philosophy of public service — one grounded in public trust, equity, communication, and the irreplaceable value of local government.

"I started this year with just one goal: to help all of us, as city leaders, re-energize and put new vigor into our collective work to improve the quality of life of all Californians. Little did I know, the year would turn out to be so much more. I learned valuable lessons that will serve me well beyond this year as president."

"Advocating for and delivering solutions that improve the quality of people's lives is at the very heart of public trust. When our actions demonstrate to residents that we understand their issues and 'have their backs,' we build strong, trusting connections with the community. Advocacy, equity, and communication — these are the critical pillars in the foundation of public trust."

"Despite its importance to a thriving democracy, trust in government is at a near-historic low. Local governments are viewed as the most trusted level of government. Of course, with that trust comes both opportunity and responsibility — so it is paramount that city leaders work every day to ensure we nurture and build on that trust. As the level of government closest to the people, cities are uniquely positioned to serve as models for how to effectively build trust with our communities."

"The decisions that we make every day as city leaders, especially housing and land use decisions, cannot be made in a vacuum. All city services and programs must be viewed through a lens of equity, and we must identify how cities can recognize and eliminate disparities in our systems. The pandemic accelerated and exacerbated many already-existing inequities in our communities around income, housing affordability, and homelessness. We cannot recover equitably without facing these facts."

"I have learned that by working together through Cal Cities, all our cities are stronger, and our advocacy is even more effective. The importance of working with a unified voice is magnified as we face complex, multi-year policy challenges together. For more than a decade, I have been part of the League's efforts to advocate for our cities on behalf of our California residents. Without a doubt, my city and, in turn, our community have been the beneficiaries of the League's advocacy, educational resources, and professional development opportunities."

"I'm honored to again be serving as mayor. I look forward to working with the community on our shared interests and opportunities. Walnut Creek's high quality of life is the product of community partnerships — and those partnerships are what I am most committed to strengthening in the year ahead."

— Cindy Silva, Mayor of Walnut Creek & President, League of California Cities (2021–2022)

Legacy & Ripple Effects

Cindy Silva's legacy is measured not only in the policies she shaped and the titles she held, but in the traditions she founded, the frameworks she established, and the thousands of city officials, volunteers, and community members whose work was enabled, inspired, or amplified by her leadership over nearly two decades of sustained public service.

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A Volunteer Tradition That Outlasts Office

Community Service Day — the annual civic mobilisation Cindy founded as Mayor in 2011 — is perhaps her most visible and enduring legacy in Walnut Creek. More than a decade after its founding, it continues to draw 1,200 volunteers, generate thousands of service hours, and build the cross-community bonds that make a city resilient. Cindy still co-chairs it personally, ensuring that the human investment she made at its founding continues to be felt by every volunteer who shows up every year.

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A National Model for Municipal Advocacy

The Cal Cities City Leaders Summit that Cindy launched in 2022 has established a new model for collective municipal advocacy in California — combining street-level demonstration with precision legislative engagement. Her three-pillar framework for public trust (advocacy, equity, communication) was published in Western City Magazine and distributed to officials across all 480 Cal Cities member cities, shaping how a generation of local government leaders understands and communicates their relationship with the public they serve.

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Housing Policy Leadership at State Scale

As Chair of the League of California Cities Housing, Community and Economic Development Policy Committee in 2016, as a member of the statewide Homelessness Task Force in 2016, and as a housing working group participant in 2017, Cindy helped shape the League's positions on California's defining domestic policy challenge — housing affordability — at the critical moment when the state's housing crisis was becoming undeniable. Her advocacy for local control in housing decisions, combined with her genuine expertise on transit-oriented development, has made her one of the most credible voices in the state on how to solve the housing crisis without undermining the communities it is meant to serve.

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Parks & Inclusive Public Spaces

The all-abilities playground at Heather Farm Park — funded by the $380,000 campaign Cindy helped lead as a Walnut Creek Civic Pride Foundation Director — stands as a physical expression of her belief that public spaces must be genuinely inclusive. For families of children with disabilities in Walnut Creek, the playground is more than a recreational amenity; it is a daily reminder that their community invested in their children's joy. That investment, secured through years of community fundraising, will serve Walnut Creek families for decades.

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Schools, Libraries & Community Institutions

Before she held any elected office, Cindy's campaigns for school funding measures (Measure C, 2001; Walnut Creek School District and Acalanes measures, 2002 and 2005) and her leadership of the Walnut Creek Library capital campaign (raising more than $5 million for the new library facility) helped preserve and build the community institutions that generations of Walnut Creek families rely on. These pre-council contributions are as much a part of her legacy as any mayoralty — evidence that her commitment to community infrastructure began long before she had any formal authority.

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Mentorship & the Next Generation of City Leaders

As a member of the Institute for Local Government board, as a graduate and enthusiastic alumna of Leadership Contra Costa and the Walnut Creek Citizens Institute, and as a consistent presence at Cal Cities conferences and regional division meetings, Cindy has invested in the development of the next generation of California city leaders throughout her career. Her endorsement list for her 2022 re-election campaign includes Supervisor Candace Andersen, Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, and a broad cross-section of Walnut Creek's civic leadership — a coalition that reflects 19 years of relationship-building in service of the community.

"Advocacy. Equity. Communication. All critical pillars in the foundation of public trust. As the level of government closest to the people, cities are uniquely positioned to serve as models for how to effectively build trust with our communities. Let us all be grateful for the public trust we have been able to build — and take advantage of the tools and resources we have to make that foundation even stronger."

— Cindy Silva, President, League of California Cities & Mayor of Walnut Creek, Western City Magazine, June 2022