Hercules mayor leading city's revamp as its population grows
HERCULES — A Bay Area mayor has just received an invitation to the White House, and they're one of the youngest mayors in the country.
Alexander Walker-Griffin grew up in Hercules. At the age of 13, he got interested in politics. Back in November, at the age of 25, he was elected mayor, and now he's leading a city that's changing fast.
Hercules has added about 1,000 new residents in just the past year as Bay Area residents look for more space.
"It's a shame that people like myself who grew up in the city, you're likely not going to be able to afford staying here or moving back here if you left," he said.
For Hercules, the sudden arrival of new people is creating challenges beyond affordability.
"You know, historically most people, minus the laboratory here in town, the daytime population was super low," he said of the city. "We've never had to think about what walkability looks like at 2:30 in the afternoon. We didn't have to think about how many of our bathrooms in our parks are open because everybody was gone, right? We didn't have to think about activities for senior citizens, or what does this housing plan look like?
Leslie, who moved to Hercules four years ago, believes there has been an influx of people since the pandemic because there is more space.
"I don't think the infrastructure really can't support all the people kind of moving out here," she said.
Basic infrastructure is one thing Hercules needs to get up to scale. In one recent case, it was rebuilding a major road that was crumbling under new capacity.
"And we don't have a clear sidewalk for people who are walking," the mayor said. "It's kind of a major artery for us here in the city."
But despite the new developments, Leslie said there are no businesses in the area to attract more people.
That is the other civic infrastructure Hercules is trying to build up, all of the things these new people might want or need, especially those who are now working from home.
The city is offering up to $25,000 to help fill empty commercial spaces.
"And so to the businesses out there, if you want to come and set up shop in Hercules, feel free to reach out and we'll help you get that squared away," Walker-Griffin said.
So, Hercules is changing, no longer just a quiet bedroom community.
"We finally have to think about, 'What does living in town and being in Hercules in the middle of the week look like? What's fun out there? What is there actually for me to do,'" Walker-Griffin said.
There is one request he gets a lot of that is not unique to Hercules.
"One of the things I hear all the time is, 'Can we get a pickleball court in town,'" the mayor laughed. "I'm like, 'I'm totally in favor of it.' I totally support it."
The mayor said another question he gets all the time is what is the status of the Hercules Hub, a plan to bring a Capitol Corridor train station and a ferry terminal to the city's waterfront.
It's a game-changing project, and Hercules is charging ahead on that with state and federal partners. They just picked up another $30 million in funding.
The mayor said he is hopeful it could all be taking shape here by 2026 or 2027.
As for the White House trip, the mayor has been working with the Biden Administration on that Hercules Hub. Next week's event will mark the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, which does include money for cutting carbon emissions, with transit funding.