Editing Alameda, California (section)

== Government ==
[[File:Alameda City Hall, exterior (March 2024) 01.jpg|thumb|Alameda City Hall]]
Alameda is a charter city governed by a five-member City Council, including the Mayor, who are all elected at large. The city operates under a council-manager system defined by the City Charter,<ref name="Key Documents">{{Cite web |title=Key Documents |url=https://www.alamedaca.gov/GOVERNMENT/Key-City-Documents#section-3 |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=www.alamedaca.gov |language=en-US}}</ref> with a professional City Manager overseeing daily administration.  The City Manager is responsible for city operations, budget administration, and implementing council policies, distinguishing Alameda from strong-mayor systems often in bigger cities. The City Attorney and City Clerk report directly to the council.

The budget for the city is greater than $310 million a year as of the 2023-25 biannual budgets planning cycle.<ref>{{Cite web |last=alamedapost |date=2023-06-23 |title=Council Approves Strong Budget |url=https://alamedapost.com/news/council-approves-strong-budget/ |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=Alameda Post |language=en-US}}</ref> The City Treasurer and City Auditor are independently elected.<ref name="Key Documents"/> Residents appointed by the Mayor and City Council serve on a range of boards and commissions overseeing major components of the city (for example recreation and parks, library, transportation and planning).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Boards & Commissions |url=https://www.alamedaca.gov/GOVERNMENT/Boards-Commissions |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=www.alamedaca.gov |language=en-US}}</ref>

Alameda's government is responsible for a range of municipal services, including public safety, transportation, parks, and land use planning. Rare to a city of its size, it operates its own city-wide electricity utility, [[Alameda Municipal Power]], which has 100% clean electricity<ref>{{Cite web |title=Power Content Label {{!}} Alameda Municipal Power, CA |url=https://alamedamp.com/336/Power-Content-Label |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=alamedamp.com}}</ref> and as much as a 48% savings over comparable PG&E rates.<ref>{{Cite web |last=alamedapost |date=2024-06-05 |title=Alameda Electric Rates Will Increase 3% on July 1 |url=https://alamedapost.com/news/alameda-electric-rates-will-increase-3-on-july-1/ |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=Alameda Post |language=en-US}}</ref>[[File:Alameda Free Library (Alameda, CA).JPG|thumb|right|Alameda Free Library]]

===Alameda Free Library===
There are three library locations: the Main Library in downtown Alameda, the Bay Farm Island Library and the West End Library. Beyond books, services at the library include events and author talks, computer labs, home delivery of books,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patron Services |url=https://www.alamedafree.org/SERVICES/Patron-Services |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.alamedafree.org |language=en-US}}</ref> as well as e-book, streaming digital media, and audio book catalogs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BOOKS & MORE |url=https://www.alamedafree.org/BOOKS-MORE |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.alamedafree.org |language=en-US}}</ref> Historical resources of Alameda's past include local newspaper and magazine archives, high school yearbooks, books by local authors and maps.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local History Resources Available at the Alameda Free Library |url=https://www.alamedafree.org/Local-History-Resources-Available-at-the-Alameda-Free-Library |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.alamedafree.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2000 voters authorized a [[bond measure]] to construct a new main library to replace the city's [[Carnegie Library]], damaged during the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]]. The city also received state funds for the new main library and opened the doors to the new facility in November 2006.