A Message from the City Manager
I want to begin by thanking our residents, businesses, City Council, and dedicated staff for the incredible teamwork and community spirit demonstrated over the past week. Weed continues to prove what true collaboration looks like when we face challenges together.
Fire Incident and Emergency Response
Last Sunday, our community experienced a significant structure fire that affected several historic downtown buildings, including the former Black Butte, U.S. Bank, and flower shop locations. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Weed Fire, Public Works, Weed Police, and our regional partners — including CAL FIRE, Grenada, and South Yreka (and others) — the fire was contained, and six additional ember fires were quickly extinguished.
The City is deeply grateful to everyone who responded for immediately stepping in to support affected businesses. This teamwork prevented a much larger catastrophe and showed once again how strong and capable our community is when it matters most.
Iron/Metal Framework from Black Butte Building
A few residents have asked about the iron and metal framework in front of the old Black Butte building. I want to clarify that this site is privately owned and not under the City’s control at this time. Anyone interested in the materials or cleanup would need to contact the property owner directly.
For everyone’s safety, please do not enter the property, as it is both a hazardous area and private property. Climbing over the fence or accessing the site without permission would be considered trespassing. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping yourself and others safe while we continue to work with property owners on next steps for downtown recovery.
Preparing for the Future: Emergency Readiness
Our focus now turns to preparedness and planning. The City of Weed will participate in the California ShakeOut on October 16 at 10:16 a.m., a statewide earthquake drill designed to raise awareness and readiness. Each City department will conduct its own version of the drill to ensure that every employee knows how to respond safely.
We’re also planning a citywide emergency exercise for February 2026, with the assistance of Siskiyou County Emergency Management. We hope to include local schools, downtown businesses, the nursing facility, and possibly neighboring cities. These exercises make sure we’re ready — as a City and a community — for whatever challenges may come our way.
Library Property and State Review
The City continues to work with the State of California on the administrative process related to the 150 Alamo Avenue property, which currently houses the Weed Public Library. To clarify, no decisions have been made regarding the future of the library building. The library will remain open no matter what route we decide to go. The State’s review determines whether the property could be considered surplus if the Council ever wished to explore future options.
In the meantime, we’ve had the property inspected and maintained, and I’m happy to report the building is structurally sound with only minor safety updates needed. Library services will continue uninterrupted, and I’m working closely with library staff to explore every option for maintaining strong services for our community.
Website and Communication Improvements
We’re excited to share that the City of Weed’s official Facebook page is now live and connected to our website’s news feed! This means that updates posted to the City’s website will automatically appear on Facebook, providing residents with quicker access to important news and community information.
📱 Follow us on Facebook: City of Weed Government Page
We Want to Hear From You — City Services Feedback Survey
As part of my commitment to listen and learn from our community, the City of Weed has launched a City Services Feedback Survey. This survey gives every resident a chance to share their experiences and opinions about how the City is performing — from Fire and Police services to Public Works, Library operations, and City Hall customer service.
Your input will help us identify what’s working well and where we can improve. Whether you’ve had a positive interaction with a City department or you see opportunities to serve our community better, we want to hear from you.
How to Participate:
Online: Complete the survey at City Services Feedback Survey
Paper Copy: Surveys were also mailed with utility bills and can be dropped off in the City Hall utility payment box at 550 Main Street.
Deadline: Please submit your responses by October 25, 2025.
Once results are collected, I will share a summary with the City Council and the community. This will help us better understand residents’ priorities and strengthen our shared vision for the future of Weed.
This survey is one of many steps the City is taking to increase transparency and communication. It’s also an introduction from me, your new City Manager, a way to let you know that your voice truly matters in shaping how we serve you.