History Blog: City Council Meeting Locations

When Union City was incorporated in 1959, the Alvarado firehouse was officially City Hall. There was no room for public meetings, so the City Council used the Decoto School District meeting room at Barnard School. For smaller meetings, the City Council met at the Alvarado Firehouse and for larger meetings, they met in the Auditorium at Barnard School.

In January 2009, during the Union City 50th Anniversary, a special City Council meeting was held in the same room where the City Council first met and was integrated into office.

In November 1964, the City Council moved their meetings to Room #2 at James Logan High School and continued to meet there until September 1966. Early in 1966, City Hall was moved to a building at 1154 Whipple Road (corner of Whipple and Central). In March 1966, there was one City Council meeting in the new building, but the meeting space was too small.

After meeting at James Logan, the City Council moved back to Barnard School meeting in either the music room or the auditorium. The new City Hall did not have any Council Chambers, so in late 1966 and early 1967, an addition was added to City Hall that included the Council Chambers and room for the Police Department. From then on, the City Council met mostly at the Council Chambers.

When necessary, the City Council would hold meetings at other city locations, like the Holly Center, joint meetings with the School Board at the School Board meeting room, and even a Joint Session with Fremont and Newark in Fremont.

In March 1979, the new City Hall and Library complex was built and the first City Council meeting in the new chambers was held on March 19.

The most interesting location for a City Council meeting was three meetings at the Embassy Suites hotel in Napa, held from March 9 - 11. The meeting minutes provide no detail other than the phrase "workshop." It was mostly likely a working off-site for the City Council.