WALNUT CREEK — A budget hashout to close a multi-million-dollar shortfall, a process council members called “completely insane” and “bizarre,” may finally be solved. The two-year budget deficit that ballooned to more than $5 million — once the council took on the responsibility of paying for some library hours that once was paid for through an expired parcel tax — …

WALNUT CREEK — For the third time in six years, the city’s aquatics programs are again targeted for cuts and swimmers fear they will be left high and dry. The Walnut Creek aquatic community is outraged over the possibility that Clarke Swim Center may become a seasonal pool beginning this fall, like the city’s much smaller Larkey Pool. Clarke’s potential …