City Operations

On April 29, Contra Costa Health Services released an updated order which supersedes the initial order to shelter-in-place from March 31, 2020. The order will continue to be effective until 11:59 p.m. on May 31 2020, or until it is extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing by the Health Officer. In response to these recommendations issued by Contra Costa Health Services to prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in our community, the City has taken the following necessary actions:

All City Offices are currently closed to the Public: Except for essential  service employees, others are working remotely from home where feasible.

City Council, Commissions and Committees: all City Council and Planning Commission Meetings have been scheduled by Teleconference via Zoom Webinar. Other City Commissions and Committees will meet via Teleconference when necessary.  

Parks and Recreation: to view a very detailed list about the status of classes, camps, and programs, facility closures and refunds, please visit the Parks and Recreation Department’s COVID-19 page.

Planning Department: Although the physical offices are closed, the Planning Department is open for business with staff working remotely to provide service online by answering general planning questions, accepting planning applications, processing permits, and investigating code enforcement cases. To access the Planning Department’s virtual services while City Hall offices are closed click here.  

Furthermore, staff continue to work on long-term projects such as the Downtown Precise Plan and State requirements such as the annual review of the Housing Element of the Orinda General Plan. Housing construction is considered an “essential activity” by both the Contra Costa County Health Order and State of California Executive Order regarding COVID-19. As such, the Contra Costa County Building Department (on behalf of the City of Orinda) continues to do inspections for and process housing-related permits. In addition, the Orinda Planning Department continues to do plan checks and inspections for housing projects.

Code enforcement will be handled on a case-by-case basis, with priority toward code violations based on life/safety requirements. County inspectors continue to work with the City on building code violations that present safety issues. At this time, violations of the Contra Costa County Health Order (and State Executive Order) regarding COVID-19 are enforced by local law enforcement, not by the Planning Department; generally this is handled through education rather than citations.

Public Safety: for non-emergency matters contact Orinda Dispatch at (925) 646-244, for emergency’s call 9-1-1.

Public Works: will maintain essential services; however, non-essential services will be closed. To report urgent conditions, contact Orinda Police Department Dispatch at (925) 646-2441. For non-urgent issues, call (925) 253-4231. Please be patient as it will take a longer time than normal for Public Works to response during this emergency event.