Councilmember Holly Tillman Confronts Reality, Along with Her Ally

After fifteen months of political theatrics, the saga of Leticia “Holly” Tillman’s claims finally appears to be winding down.

When Mayor Trupiano assumed her role, she reached out to Councilmember Tillman to discuss her previous requests for an investigation into fellow council members and staff turnover.

For months, Tillman and her associate, Tamara Steiner (owner of the Clayton Pioneer), had been circulating damaging misinformation to the public, even going so far as to suggest Clayton was a city in decline.

At the January 21st city council meeting, Mayor Trupiano mentioned she had sent an email to Councilmember Tillman seeking to meet and discuss her ongoing request regarding staff harassment and turnover. Tillman responded with evasive language and attempted to explain why she had not replied, before the meeting moved on.

During the February 4th council meeting, Mayor Trupiano reported that a meeting had finally been scheduled between herself, Tillman, City Manager Kris Louftus, and City Attorney Mala Sagramanian on January 28th.

The outcome of that meeting was unsurprising. It was determined that no investigation would take place, as we all knew there were no valid complaints from current or former staff that would warrant such an inquiry. This includes the infamous statement made by Tamara Steiner in the Clayton Pioneer in relation to a grand jury investigation.

Had any legitimate staff complaints existed, Tillman would have had no role in addressing them—such matters fall under the purview of Human Resources, not the city council.

As Clayton Watch has consistently pointed out over the years, the turnover in city staff stemmed from one primary issue: poor leadership and mismanagement by previous city managers, Brett Prebula and Reina Schwartz. Their inadequate leadership and management styles caused the turmoil at City Hall, not the actions of certain council members or public inquiries.

The political drama instigated by Tillman and her radical agenda has been the true source of division. In 2020, she accused Clayton of being a racist city where police engaged in profiling, citizens allegedly feared for their safety, and Clayton was a Sun Down Town. 

When things didn’t unfold as she hoped, Tillman set out to stir up more conflict within the council and among city staff. On several occasions, she claimed the previous city managers and staff were being harassed by the public due to Public Information Requests (PIRs).

However, PIRs related to projects like Olivia on Marsh Creek, payroll, and budget-related matters could have been easily avoided had the city’s previous city managers addressed these concerns proactively and provided the information the community requested. Their failure to do so resulted in unnecessary burdens on city staff, who felt overwhelmed and unsupported by the community and council. Once their lack of leadership became apparent, both city managers resigned.

With Tillman’s accusations now disproven and her political theater exposed, it’s time for this chapter to close. The council can now refocus on serving the people of Clayton.

Given the significant discord and unprofessional conduct displayed by certain council members, the city council approved a measure at the February 4th meeting to establish an ad hoc committee for good governance training for both council members and staff. Details of future training sessions will be announced soon.

We are calling for Tamara Steiner and the Clayton Pioneer to issue a formal retraction and apology to the people of Clayton, the City Council, and neighboring cities for spreading misleading information. Additionally, it would be appreciated if Tillman would issue an apology at the next city council meeting, though we’re not holding our breath.

Let’s look ahead and work together to heal the divisions in our community. With a renewed focus, Clayton can move forward as the best little city in Contra Costa County—one that we all care deeply about. Enough is enough.

Sincerely,

Gary Hood
Clayton Resident

A Meeting Was Held With Clayton’s City Manager 1-30-25

The following letter was sent to City Manager Kris Lofthus and shared with all council members. We wanted to express our gratitude for his willingness to meet with us on Thursday, January 30th, despite his busy schedule. We truly appreciate the time he spent with us.

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Dear Kris,

We wanted to take a moment to express our sincere appreciation for the opportunity to meet with you recently. It was truly a pleasure to have an open and constructive conversation about the city’s future. Your professionalism, insight, and positive approach were a breath of fresh air. It was clear from our discussion that you not only understand the pressing needs of Clayton but also the budget constraints and political nuances that shape the work being done.

In contrast to the challenges we’ve faced with previous leadership, it is incredibly refreshing to see someone who genuinely understands the importance of stable, effective management. The turnover in city staff, particularly in light of poor leadership and mismanagement under the previous city managers, has been an ongoing concern for many of us. The lack of direction and accountability left a significant void, which impacted morale and hindered the city’s progress.

With your leadership, we have no doubt that Clayton will regain its footing and benefit from a more cohesive, forward-thinking approach. It’s clear that you are committed to both restoring trust and fostering an environment where staff can thrive. We are excited about the prospect of continuing to work together and supporting you in the efforts to strengthen the city.

Clayton is truly lucky to have you at the helm, and we look forward to our continued collaboration. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can do to assist in the important work ahead.

Thank you once again for your time and leadership. We are optimistic about the future and excited for the positive change you will undoubtedly bring.

Sincerely,

Gary Hood and Bill Walcutt
Clayton Watch

Two Officers From Clayton's Finest Save Local Resident

It is well-recognized that police officers often come to the aid of citizens during emergencies such as flash floods, fires, and other critical situations. Recently, it was their dedicated actions and exceptional commitment to community service that made a life-saving difference.

During the city council meeting on Tuesday night, Officer Wiggins and Sergeant Enea were honored with a certificate of recognition for their life-saving efforts. The award presentation was conducted by our interim Police Chief, Don Mort, who shared the following remarks.

“It’s a pleasure to be back in front of you again tonight. Seems like it was just yesterday, but as I said two weeks ago, we’ve got an exceptional department and this makes me proud to be here tonight to award two of them for a life-saving effort that they did back on Sunday, January 5th. It’s rare that we get these opportunities. It’s stellar work on their part and truly showed what it is to preserve life and property here in the city.”

“On January 5th at approximately 12:45 in the afternoon, the two officers, Officer Wiggins and Sergeant Enea responded to a medical call on Clayton Road and Mitchell Canyon Road. The husband of the female driver reported that his wife had stopped breathing, and on arrival, Officer Wiggins located the female driver and found in fact she wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse. Sergeant Enea arrived shortly thereafter and the two of them removed her from the car and started medical treatment with CPR compressions to try to get the driver back to life.”

“They arrive prior to Consolidated Fire. That’s how quick they were on the scene. Consolidated Fire eventually came and they were able to take over the CPR efforts and revive the woman and able to get a pulse back. Consolidated Fire made comments afterward, that certainly if it wasn’t for the officers doing what they did, good likelihood this woman would not have been alive today. Two days after the event Sergeant Enea followed up and the woman was alive. She didn’t recall the details; she was still at John Muir Hospital and the prognosis was good and was going to continue her life.”

“It’s a great pleasure that I bring this to your attention tonight. I think the two of them are exceptional people. I think they did a fantastic job and it makes me proud to be honored to give them a Certificate of Appreciation for what they did that day.”

Clayton Watch and the Clayton Community extends our heartfelt gratitude to the Clayton Police for their exceptional service and dedication to ensuring the safety of our community. Once the Certificates of Recognition are ready at City Hall, we will share them with our audience for everyone to view.

Once Again - City Council Member Holly Tillman is Spreading Misinformation

Shared Correspondence from the Community: We value the diverse perspectives of our readers and aim to encourage meaningful conversations. Occasionally, we may share excerpts from correspondence received from our followers or gathered from social media to promote civil discussions. While we may not always agree with the opinions shared, we believe in facilitating a platform for respectful debates. Thank you for contributing to the ongoing conversation in the comments section. Remember to keep your comments respectful and concise.

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Dear Clayton Community,

During the recent city council meeting on December 17th, there was a notable

“Ain’t that the truth”

incident involving council member Holly Tillman, who expressed her concerns in a rather aggressive manner. She alleged that Clayton Watch, a political action committee, was improperly using her personal email address to reach out to her and threatened them by saying this was illegal.

This assertion is far from accurate. Allow me to clarify. On December 13th, Clayton Watch received an email from Tamara Steiner of the Clayton Pioneer, in which she acknowledged that Peggy Spears, one of her writers, had made a significant error by misquoting the vote count from our previous city council election.

In the same email she asked the Clayton Watch Team to create and post a comment on the Clayton Watch website on her behalf, which was rejected by the Clayton Watch Team.

In this communication, Tamara included Holly Tillman (using Holly's personal email), Rich Enea, and Clayton Watch in the Cc field. When the Clayton Watch Team replied to Tamara’s email, they utilized the “Reply All” function, which clearly included the Cc information from Tamara’s original message. See image above.

Apparently, Tamara has been communicating with Councilmember Tillman via her personal email instead of Holly's city email address. Makes you wonder why? Is Tamara trying to hide her correspondence with Tillman from the public and the council? Besides, if Holly has any grievances about her personal email address being exposed, they should be directed towards her mouth piece, Tamara Steiner, at the Clayton Pioneer, not Clayton Watch.

Additionally, after reflecting on Holly’s claims and discussing them with other community members, a pertinent question arises: why is Tamara Steiner and the Clayton Pioneer communicating with council member Holly Tillman through her personal email? It may be worthwhile to investigate their (Tamara’s and Holly’s) previous communications to understand the context better.

Perhaps it is time for someone to submit a public records request to uncover the possible origins of past leaks from city hall that have appeared in the Clayton Pioneer that have cause much of the division in our small little town. The call for a Grand Jury investigation should be directed towards them (Tamara Steiner and Holly Tillman) since their the ones that seem to be undermining city staff and the community. https://claytonca.gov/fc/city-clerk/public-records-requests/public-records-request-form.pdf.

Honesty would be a welcome change. To read the complete article, click on the following link: https://www.claytonwatch.org/2024/12/clayton-watch-responds-to-tamara.html

Thanks for reading,

Gary Hood
Concerned Citizen

City Council Meeting Summary 1-7-25

City Council Correspondence: The excerpts below have been sourced from the website of council member Jeff Wan to share with the Clayton Watch Community. You can access council member Wan's website by following this link: https://www.jeffwanforclaytoncitycouncil.net

While we may not always agree with the opinions shared, we believe in facilitating a platform for respectful debates. Thank you for contributing to the ongoing conversation in the comments section. Remember to keep your comments respectful and concise. 

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By Jeff Wan, Clayton City Councilmember

Last night the Council met to discuss and take action on several significant items.

With the new Council being seated last meeting, these actions were primarily administrative in nature and intended to increase the overall efficiency of our meetings, reduce the administrative burden on staff, and add clarity for the public. The overall theme of our actions was to look at items that aren't designed for discussion and move those items to a written format.

By having things in writing, rather than just verbally stated, it provides a clear report of actions taken and thoughts expressed. This also makes it more accessible to the public - rather than having to watch extensive video to obtain information, more will be in writing which can be easier to consume.

The first action we took was to cease the taking of remote public comments. Over the past several years, the practice of taking remote public comments has ebbed and flowed at various municipalities. In some instances, this ability has been used to berate, curse at, or attempt to derail Council meetings. In other instances, technical or user challenges has come into play and impacted the meetings as well.

We will continue to live stream our meetings, and people will be able to make comment in person at the meetings themselves. In addition, as our agendas are posted in advance, anyone is able to submit public comment in writing prior to each meeting. These submissions are sent to each Councilmember and included in the public record. By ceasing the taking of remote public comments, our meetings will be more efficient overall for both the Council and the staff.

There is often confusion as to the purpose of our meetings and the place of public comments. Council meetings are designed so that Council can discuss among ourselves and conduct the business of the City. It is not, and cannot be a dialogue between Councilmembers and members of the public. Our meetings are open to the public and recorded so that the business of the City is conducted transparently, not to hold a dialogue between the full Council and members of the audience. We are restricted in our ability to respond to public comment in general, so much of the time when a comment is made, there may be an expectation that Councilmembers respond, however this often leads to disappointment or confusion.

This is one of the main reasons I try to inform the public of what is going to be discussed prior to any meeting - to provide residents with an opportunity for such a dialogue, or to share their thoughts. I have been writing a pre-meeting introduction and post-meeting summary for each meeting since first being elected in 2018.

We also updated our Council guidelines. These guidelines document how the Council operates and it gets refreshed from time to time. The updates were non-substantive and were administrative in nature. We clarified the order of the meetings, and consistent with the overall theme shifted items that aren't up for discussion to being in writing. This will result in more efficient meetings as well as provide additional clarity to the public.

We also discussed and approved City Council committee assignments for the year. A list of these assignments can be found in the minutes.

There is quite a bit of work that needs to be done - from addressing staffing vacancies, to tightening up our budget analysis, and all the regular activities of the City. It is my goal to do the people's business in the most efficient and effective manner and reduce the administrative burden on staff where possible. The actions we took at this meeting will further that goal.