It is through sidewalks we are connected to one another. The second ever recorded and first ever "special" meeting of the 6 month old Town of Martinez Board of Trustees (a body later to be called "City Council") occurred December 18, 1876 as a result of citizens petitioning for streets, sidewalks, and street crossings. Martinez's Town Ordinance No. 25 and December 09, 1884 ordinance no. 30 discusses sidewalks in terms of wood planks. But as early as May 4, 1887, Town of Martinez minutes show a Mr. Hough requesting cement walks along his property on Ferry Street. November 1897 a resolution is passed for cement walks to be laid on Main Street at block "329" and in that same year it is proposed Estudillo get sidewalks laid from Haven to Ward. On July 23, 1901 L.M. Lasell petitions the Town for cement sidewalks along the west side of Castro Street because "the present walk is dangerous".

Wood plank sidewalks, however, would continue to be approved by the Martinez Town Trustees. On December 08, 1908, Estudillo property owners again petition Town Trustee Board for sidewalks from Ward to Alhambra Creek:

"A discussion ensued as to whether the sidewalks should be of cement or plank, during which Trustee Ingraham expressed a preference for uniformly wide cement sidewalks. Many property owners had already put down cement walks and it would add much to the appearance of the street if the walks were all alike.

Trustee McNamara was in favor of allowing the property owners to put down either cement or plank. Some were not able to bare the expense of cement walks, and it would not be fair for the Board to order them to do so while property owners in other parts of the town were allowed to do as they please.

It was finally decided that the [Town, not to be confused w/ J.A.] Marshall inform the property owners on Estudillo Street to lay plank or cement as they feel disposed--the cement to be 4 inches thick and four feet wide, and the plank walk to consist of three 12-inch planks two inches thick laid on redwood."

In August 1909 the minutes show the Town advertised for construction bids for cement sidewalks on the West and North sides of the Town Plaza. "Said walks to correspond with those already constructed..." The ordinance for rounded corner sidewalks was already defined August 19, 1884. Living eye witnesses recall skating on wood planks near the old post office as late as the early 1920's.

Sidewalks, because of their populous domain, also brought rules: On June 14, 1904, Ordinance 102, Section 2 of the Town of Martinez states: "All persons are prohibited from riding a bicycle of any description or tricycle on any side-walk within the corporate limits of the Town of Martinez." Violators were subject to "misdemeanor charge, $10 fine, or imprisonment."