A tepid summer day, a delicious plate of food and a vibrant, still-new venue were just some of the highlights of this year’s State of the City Dinner, held inside Woodland Community College’s Performing Arts & Culinary Center on Thursday evening.

Presented by the Woodland Chamber of Commerce and the city of Woodland, along with the leading sponsor in Dignity Health, this year’s dinner and accompanying speeches from special speakers Mayor Rich Lansburgh and City Manager Ken Hiatt provided updates on completed and ongoing city projects over the past year, while also looking forward to new endeavors for the city, including the massive plans for the proposed Research and Technology Park.

“The Woodland Chamber of Commerce’s State of the City event brings together business owners and community members, offering a chance to hear directly from elected officials and local leaders about their goals, values, and the challenges we face as a community,” Communications and Business Advocacy Coordinator for the Chamber of Commerce Spencer Langan said. “This gathering serves as a vital platform for fostering collaboration and understanding between the local government and its constituents.

“The event also highlights the Chamber’s commitment to supporting local businesses and promoting economic growth within the community. With a focus on transparency and community involvement, the State of the City event underscores the shared vision for a thriving future in Woodland.”

After a brief period of refreshments and networking beginning at 5 p.m., everyone in attendance was ushered into the still-impressive 450-seat performing theater to begin the evening’s program.

Among the nearly 150 attendees was the entire Woodland City Council, Yolo County’s Assessor/Clerk Recorder/Registrar of Voters Jesse Salinas, Chamber of Commerce members, Woodland Police Chief Ryan Kinnan, Yolo County Superintendent of Schools Garth Lewis, as well as representatives from the offices of Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, Congressman Mike Thompson and Majority Leader of the State Assembly Cecilia Aguiar-Curry.

“We were thrilled to welcome representatives from various sectors, including nonprofit organizations, small businesses, agricultural representatives, real estate professionals, banks, and more,” Langan said. “Thanks to Woodland TV’s support, we will have a recording available for the entire community, allowing everyone to experience the program from the comfort of their homes.

“We extend our gratitude to the City of Woodland for its ongoing partnership that makes this event possible. We are also deeply appreciative of Woodland Community College for graciously hosting us at their remarkable new Performing Arts & Culinary Center. A special thank you goes to our Leading Sponsor, Dignity Health, along with all our incredible sponsors for their support, and to our wonderful volunteers for ensuring the event runs seamlessly.”

Last year, the dinner was held at The Maples Wedding & Event Center, located at 40162 Best Ranch Road just outside of Woodland. The two years before that, it was held at The HIVE, located at 1221 Harter Ave.

Following an introduction from the Government Relations Representative for PG&E and Chamber Board Member Clay Merrill, WCC President Dr. Lizette Navarette began the proceedings by welcoming everyone in attendance.

She then formally introduced a program at the college called Reconnect @WCC, a new initiative offering free tuition or a $300 cash grant to individuals who want to return to college and complete their degree.

According to a WCC press release, the program is designed to empower adult learners who have some college experience but no degree, providing financial aid and student support services tailored to the unique needs of working adults in historically underserved communities.

As a sponsor of the initiative, the city of Woodland has set aside more than $40,000 to support WCC in offering the program to local residents.

Lansburgh then came up for his speech, but before so, debuted a special video poem titled “Dear Woodland,” written by Chris Worden and performed by Woodland resident Tomás Montoya. Following the video, Lansburgh began with a brief foray into the city budget.

According to Lansburgh, the council adopted a balanced budget for the fiscal year 2025-2026 this past week. While the 25-26 budget is balanced, Lansburgh mentioned it required the use of $3.4 million of General Fund Reserves.

He then went on to shower praise on the day-to-day achievements from various city departments, including the Public Works Department, Community Development Department, code enforcement staff, Water Department, Community Services Department, the staff at the Woodland Public Library, and the Woodland Police and Fire departments.

Highlights included:

From July 1 through December, the Public Works Department completed 105,000 square feet of asphalt patching on surface streets and cleaned out 219 miles of sewer pipe

The Community Development Department issued $127 million in new permits for projects, including the Spring Lake residential development and new hotels in Woodland

The city’s Code Enforcement staff, led by Brent Meyer, handled 497 complaints last year from residents regarding such things as unpermitted food vendors to substandard housing conditions

The Water Department treated 2.7 billion gallons of water, which is now stored in underground aquifers

Woodland Public Library recorded 154,000 visits last year, with around 28,000 of those kids

The Community Services Department, headed by Christine Ferrara, served 14,701 youth in 2024 with various programs sponsored by the city, such as Summer Camp, swim lessons, youth boxing, basketball league, spin classes and science classes throughout the year

Woodland Police Department handled 60,000 calls for service a year, with well over 1,000 a week

The Woodland Fire Department, led by Eric Zane, handled over 8,000 calls last year, encompassing a wide range of services, including fires, medical aid, and inspections. Also noted was a 44% CPR success rate, higher than the national average of just 10% for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival. Estimated that the department has saved over $12 million in property value that could have been lost to fire.

Following recognition of the city’s unsung heroes, Lansburgh provided an update on how the city has worked to fulfill and meet its priority goals and strategic plans.

Recent accomplishments that go towards the goals and plans include:

An increase in affordable housing thanks to the opening of the Vista Del Robles 72-unit complex on West Main Street, the recent groundbreaking of the Freeman Garden complex, and the ongoing work at the East Beamer complex

Completion of pickleball courts at Crawford Park

New parks in Springlake Area

Opening of 160-acre Woodland Regional Park Preserve

Reclamation of downtown’s Freeman Park

Speedbump installation in the area of Thomas and Oak near Campbell Park

Completion of the Gibson Road rehabilitation project, along with much-needed improvements to Matmor Road and Gum Avenue

Completion of the pedestrian overcrossing connecting Sports Park Drive and the Woodland Community and Senior Center

Completion of an entitlement of the Research and Technology Park, as well as annexing another 600 acres in the industrial area for future development

Completed work on East Main Street that includes the opening of Sprouts, Chipotle, and the Stay Bridge Hotel

Work with an organization called Advance Peace, which has significantly reduced gun violence. In 2021, there was an average of a shooting per week. In 2024, there were 13 shootings in total

Then, before wrapping up, Lansburgh shared some projects the city is currently working on.

For the quality of life strategic plan or goal, Lansburgh mentioned the upcoming completion of the new Aquatics Center, set for the north side of the Woodland Community & Senior Center.

He also brought up the partnership between the city and the Yolo County Housing Authority in their efforts to reposition public housing in Woodland.

Phase 1 of the project looks to completely transform Yolano Village and Donnelly Circle. The transformation plan will focus on redeveloping the 60 units at Yolano Village and the 72 units at Donnelly Circle into over 265 units of high-quality, mixed-income housing in that area.

To achieve the goal of enhancing governance and fiscal responsibility, Lansburgh highlighted the Civic Fellowship Program, which is now in its third year. The program is an eight-week paid summer gig for individuals early in their careers who are seeking public service experience. Fellows are assigned a city department, such as Public Works, at the Woodland Public Library.

To conclude, Lansburgh mentioned some notable Woodland natives, including Jillian Camarena, Vicente Escobedo, Dustin Pedroia, Thomas Haden Church, Loreto Garza, Alyssa Nakken, Sagen Maddalena, and Mungo Thomson.

“The list goes on and on,” he said. “What this tells me is that Woodland is home to so many wonderful people and families. People are what make a city, not things and not buildings. It’s people. Like you… I trust that you would agree with me that Woodland is alive, well, and moving forward.”

Other sponsors for the event included MOOTENS Productions, Marriott Fairfield Inn Suites, Waste Management, Clark Pacific Woodland Cannabis Dispensary, Perfect Union, Travis Credit Union, Yolo Federal Credit Union, First Northern Bank and Woodland Ford.