The Town of Moraga Incorporates – “What do we do now?”
By Vera Kochan – Excerpt from Newsletter 2024 Q4
According to a resolution dated Nov. 12, 1974, by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, “A petition for the incorporation of certain territory entirely within the County of Contra Costa into a general law city to be known as the Town of Moraga has been filed with this Board and all proceedings required by law have been taken. The election for said incorporation was held on Tuesday, November 5, 1974, in accordance with the law.” The Board acknowledged that there were 3,686 votes in favor of incorporation and 2,546 against.
The Resolution also noted the five out of a field of 13 candidates (and 27 write-in votes) who would be Moraga’s first town council members: Michael T. Cory (3,115 votes), William G. Combs (2,676), Barry Gross (2,595), Merle D. Gilliland (2,572), and Susan H. McNulty (1,920).
Before Moraga’s official incorporation occurred, many residents today are unaware of the early discussions with regards to the town’s boundaries. In a Jan. 7, 1974 letter to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), from proponents of the incorporation, the point was made that “you have requested that we address the alternative of incorporating the communities of Orinda, Moraga and Lafayette as one city (the “Tri-community Concept”). This idea, while attractive from many aspects, particularly financial, was rejected after considerable study, because it was felt to be politically unfeasible and contrary to the desires of a majority of the citizens in both Orinda and Moraga.”
Possibly in order to appease LAFCO, the letter added, “it is felt that the best plan for the future is to incorporate Moraga and then work toward consolidation of some or all of the governmental functions and services with Lafayette, and perhaps Orinda.”
McNulty (now Rainey), who along with Gross, are the only two remaining council members still with us, were interviewed for this article. “There were disagreements about the boundaries,” McNulty recalled. “Lafayette wanted a large chunk of Moraga.”
Immediately after the Nov. 5 election, four of the five new council members went to Sacramento and met with Governor Ronald Reagan in order to receive the official certification of incorporation. Reagan mentioned that Moraga was the only city incorporated up to that point of 1974.
During her campaign for town council McNulty enumerated several factors that needed to be considered once Moraga incorporated: creating a new general plan while keeping in mind a projected growth in the population; slope density and ridgeline ordinances to protect the hills; establish a new budget; give consideration to roads and transportation; and give thought to commercial standards, signs, tree ordinances and open space.
“We had only three employees – a clerk, a planner, and a manager,” stated Gross. “We had no public works department, and we told the manager that he’d have to fill any potholes himself. We tried to be economical. We did not have our own police department and joined Lafayette with a contract. We later used East Bay Regional Parks.” Moraga also turned to Lafayette’s attorney, Charles Williams, to help out in setting up a government structure.
Within the week Town of Moraga offices went into operation at the Hacienda de las Flores in a former caretaker’s cottage. Town Council meetings were held on the first, second, and fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm. The meetings were held in the Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School auditorium. The very first town council meeting was held the day after incorporation, on Nov 13, to a capacity crowd which gave a standing ovation for the occasion.
It was decided that the county would continue all ordinances in effect for 120 days and continue to furnish services until the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 1975.
An article in the Nov. 15, 1974, Moraga Sun stated, “The Town of Moraga will also immediately execute a promissory note of $10,000 from the county for operating expenses for the remainder of the fiscal year with a six to eight percent interest charge. Up to $100,000 can be borrowed.”
Additionally, “This relief allows the new Council to set up its commissions and get the finances in order through incoming revenues.”
Some immediate council decisions included: filing a statement of boundary creation for tax purposes; creating a special gas tax for street improvements; imposing a documentary stamp tax on real property; recognizing that the county jail would be used for imprisonment of town ordinance violations; adopting zoning regulations with regards to land use permits; and approve the joining of the League of California Cities.
Both McNulty and Gross agree that the first five council members were a close team. “We developed strong friendships,” she said. “We got together for potlucks and parties, but we stuck to our guns about the Brown Act. The enthusiasm was always there between us.”
Gross added, “The thing that amazed me was the number and quality of the volunteers.”
When the town celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1984, the Contra Costa Sun newspaper ran a story to commemorate the occasion. “In the fall of 1974, Moraga was blessed with leadership of the Citizens to Incorporate Moraga (CIM), headed by Robert Merritt, which overcame horrendous obstacles to incorporate the city of the Town of Moraga.
“The time was right. Cityhood has been immensely successful, and none of the dire predictions of the opponents have come about. The proliferation of government has not happened. The taxes have not gone up. The “big egos” of empire-builders have never surfaced. The town has not run out of volunteers or spirit.”
The article continued, “Moragans had the wisdom to vote in a unique first council. They had their disagreements, but through those fledgling years, they pulled together, and measured all their hard work by what was best for ‘our town’.”
Happy 50th Anniversary Moraga!!
(Special thanks to Moraga’s Director of Public Works/Town Engineer Shawn Knapp for providing copies of maps and documents for the purpose of this article.)
