Orinda Mayor Favors Two-Speech System

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Mayor Amy Worth said she thought Orinda, in future years, should have two state-of-the-city addresses as it will be doing this spring.

Worth is delivering state-of-the-city addresses:

• at a Wednesday, March 20, luncheon for $25, sponsored by the Orinda Chamber of Commerce.
• free of charge, at 7 p.m. Monday, April 15 at the Orinda Library Auditorium.

Worth said she thinks it's legitimate if a group invites the mayor to speak and "that's what their format is, where they have the luncheon," as the chamber does. If the city sponsors an event, she added, "it's important for it to be public."

The April 15 session is intended to be an informal gathering, with dessert and coffee where people can talk about city issues, and then go into the mayor's remarks, Worth said. The city decided to schedule the second session almost a month from now, she added, to allow for plenty of public notice.

Worth said she intends to have her written remarks available on the city website.

Initially, when the chamber event was the only state-of-the-city-address, Worth said, she received three or four emails asking for an evening event. "I appreciate people conveying their concerns to me," she said.