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City of Pleasanton Operating Budget • FY 2023/24 - FY 2024/2519 Historical Overview The area that grew to be the city of Pleasanton played a significant role in California history as a Native American settlement and later a Spanish settlement during the Mission period, a growing crossroads during the Gold Rush and railroad development eras, and in the agricultural and film making industries. The City’s environs were settled 4,000 years ago by the Ohlone Indians and became a thriving agricultural area when the Spanish arrived in the 1770s. Located along the first Transcontinental railway, the area was known as Alisal in the 1850s when it served as a main mercantile stopover during the Gold Rush era. The town also enjoyed the nickname “The Most Desperate Town in the West,” due to many bandits who ambushed gold miners returning with their riches. Rolling grasslands were dotted with cattle and the area was home to the largest hops crop in the United States. The town was also home to a 500 acre ranch purchased in the 1880s by George and Phoebe Apperson Hearst. Pleasanton was incorporated in 1894 and named for Major General Alfred Pleasonton of the Union Army. A typographical error by the U.S. Post Office is believed to be responsible for the current spelling of the City’s name. Vision Statement Pleasanton is a well-planned, balanced community with desirable neighborhoods, an award-winning downtown with a small- town character, a diversified economic base, excellent schools, and a wide variety of community facilities. Pleasanton is a great place to live, raise a family, work, and do business. As the City approaches buildout in the next few years, it will strive to maintain these desirable qualities by continuing to develop a safe, convenient, and uncongested circulation system by providing a comprehensive system of bicycle and pedestrian trails; by providing additional recreational and cultural facilities for the health and well-being of its residents; by strengthening outreach to business of all sizes; and by preserving natural resources, including water and air quality, and the community’s environmental sensitivity. The City will seek to minimize health and safety hazards. Pleasanton is committed to sustainable community principles and will meet the needs of the current generation without compromising future generations. Pleasanton will maintain a positive and productive relationship with the Tri-Valley region, working collaboratively to address traffic and land use issues. The City will continue to emphasize community participation and model the principles of the “Community of Character” of respect, responsibility, compassion, self-discipline, honesty, and integrity. The City’s future, this vision, will depend upon maintaining a balanced budget, using its financial resources wisely, and continuing to promote Pleasanton as the premier place to live, work, and do business. PLEASANTON ABOUT THE CITY OF