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Clayton Council to Explore Governance Training - By the Diablo Gazette / Comments by Clayton Watch

The article below is from the Diablo Gazette, March 1, 2025 issue, shared with the Clayton Community.

While we appreciate the coverage of Clayton in the Diablo Gazette (reprinted in black type below), the team at Clayton Watch felt it was important to add some commentary (in blue) throughout the article to provide clarity and offer a more accurate perspective. See the updated version below.

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Featured in the Diablo Gazette, March 1, 2025

Clayton Council to Explore Governance Training

For years City of Clayton has suffered from high staff turnover. Councilmember Holly Tillman has repeatedly asked Council for an independent investigation since October 2023. She felt it was the actions of some of the other councilmembers behavior responsible for the high turnover.

* For over 15 months, Holly Tillman's repeated requests for an investigation were disruptive and wasted time during council meetings. As we have stated in previous articles, the turnover of staff had nothing to do with the council; it was entirely due to two poor hiring decisions. (Past City Managers Reina Schwartz, and Bret Prebula) To read our past articles, click the links below:

1. Holly Tillman: When Did Asking Questions Become a Problem?

2. Clayton Residents: Get the Truth and Know the Facts

3. City of Clayton: It's Time to Get Back on Track

In a March 11, 2024, a Clayton Pioneer editorial by Tamara Steiner elevated the drama stating the “City is in decline” and called for a Grand Jury investigation.

Clayton City Hall is in chaos. It’s time for the Contra Costa Grand Jury to step in for a close look at City Council governance and the behavior of some individual councilmembers.”

* Not only did Tamara Steiner constantly bang the drum, she also participated in a podcast where she tried her best to tear the city down, calling it a city in decline.

Click on the following to read one of her past articles.

https://www.claytonwatch.org/2024/03/theres-no-limit-on-what-community-can-do.html

Once again, Tamara is mistaken. There is no need for an investigation. For some unknown reason, she seems determined to cast a dark shadow over Clayton.

Bringing civility to the issue, Mayor Trupiano arranged a meeting between herself, Tillman, City Manager Kris Louftus, and City Attorney Mala Subramanian on January 28th to review the turnover.

* At the January 21st city council meeting, Mayor Trupiano stated that she had sent an email to Councilmember Tillman requesting a meeting to discuss her ongoing concerns about staff harassment and turnover. Tillman responded with evasive language, attempting to explain why she had not yet addressed Trupiano's request.

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 Subramanian on January 28th.

According to a post on ClaytonWatch.org, which is no fan of Tillman, “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. The turnover in city staff stemmed from one primary issue: poor leadership and mismanagement by previous city managers... (whose) styles caused the turmoil at City Hall, not the actions of certain council members or public inquiries.”

* As we've mentioned all along, poor leadership and mismanagement by previous city managers were the issues. Now that we have a true professional at the helm, we have a fantastic team working for all of us at city hall.

Also, as a result of that meeting, Mayor Trupiano and Tillman formed an ad hoc committee with the council’s unanimous approval in order to facilitate a governance training workshop for Council and staff. Tillman stated to Councilmember Jeff Wan in that meeting that the ad hoc committee and training satisfies her previous requests for an independent investigation.

* Maybe now Holly Tillman can reach out to her friend and ally at the Clayton Pioneer to share the news: 'No investigation is needed,' and she was wrong.

However, Tillman told the Diablo Gazette, “I will let people know if it’s resolved based on council members’ behavior in the future. Now, the rubber will hit the road once we find the person to do the training and if all five council members show up for the training and actually complete it. It’s baby steps.”

* We’re not sure what Holly Tillman meant by the ‘rubber will hit the road’ comment, or why she would doubt for even a moment that the other council members wouldn’t show up for the training. It appears that she is still in the early stages of grasping the operations of a city council, as well as the importance of interacting with fellow council members and the public professionally. However, you can form your own opinion by clicking here to observe her in action. To us, it seems like she’s the one that needs some serious training, and she is the one taking baby steps.

City Council Meeting Summary - Jeff Wan 3-4-25

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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Last night the Council met to discuss one significant item:

- We authorized the recording of a noise abatement agreement for Oakhurst Golf Course. City ordinance prohibits landscaping work before 7am, however due to the nature of golf course operations Oakhurst has always had an agreement with the city that allows them to start earlier. The prior agreement had expired and the City renewed it with updated terms last night.

The new agreement has a 36 month term, and provides that no maintenance activity shall be performed prior to 5:30am. It also specifies later start times around certain areas of the course to reduce the noise impact to nearby residences. The agreement provides an avenue for complaints and a resolution process as well, and includes a provision that a survey of adjacent residences towards the end of the term of the agreement will be conducted in order to collect feedback for any future modifications.

Clayton City Council - From the Desk of Kim Trupiano 3-1-25

City Council Correspondence: The excerpts below have been sourced from the Diablo Gazette to share with the Clayton Watch Community. You can access the article in the Diablo Gazette's website by following this link: https://www.diablogazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Diablo-Gazette-MAR-25D.pdf

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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The City Of Clayton Kicks Off Full Events Calendar This Spring

Mayor Trupiano

There is so much happening in Clayton this spring including several events, a new restaurant, and outdoor activities, all right at our doorstep. 

“Noises Off” performed by Clayton Community Theatre runs March 13 – 24 at Endeavor Hall. 

The Art & Wine Festival sponsored by Clayton Business and Community Association returns April 26 and 27 to downtown Clayton. 

Concerts in the Grove kicks off its 18th season on May 17 and continues every other Saturday thereafter through August 23. Fan favorites like Pride & Joy and East Bay MUDD are back again this year at The Grove downtown Clayton. 

Take the Clayton Garden Tour, sponsored by the Clayton Historical Society & Museum on May 16 and 17. 

A new dining option at Enye Latin Table which just opened in February, explores the vibrant flavors of Latin America. It’s a wonderful addition to our downtown dining offerings. 

Our City has 27 miles of hiking, biking, and walking trails, five community parks, one dog park, and equestrian staging all on over 500 acres of open space. For a complete list of our trails, visit the City’s trail system page at Claytonca.gov. We also have maps available for the entire trail system for $2.00. 

Unsung Hero Award 

Each month the City is awarding an Unsung Hero Award to someone making a significant difference in our community. We honored Linda Pinder for the month of January and on March 4 we will have honored Paul Jordan for the month of February. If you have suggestions about future Unsung Heroes, please send them to me directly kimt@ claytonca.gov. 

In other City news: Our City is nearly ready to begin the recruitment process for a permanent Police Chief. At our February 18th City Council meeting, we reviewed and approved a new salary schedule for this position. We also agreed to make additional changes to that salary schedule if necessary when the recruitment process ends. 

Also, at our February 18th meeting, the Board of the Oakhurst Geological Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) selected a new Chair, Jeff Wan and Vice Chair, Richard Enea. 

After reviewing the annual engineer’s report, we determined that for the District to be able to make the necessary repairs, provide maintenance, and build a reserve, a ballot measure was in order to increase the assessment rates in the district. 

The board approved moving forward with a ballot measure this spring with a proposed schedule of new rates for district residents. There will be a community outreach program to address questions and concerns and increase awareness about the District funding challenges. More information on this will be coming in March. 

At the February Budget & Audit committee meeting, co-chairs, myself and Vice Mayor Wan, reviewed the City’s midyear budget and determined that there were several items that needed to be included in the presentation before it comes to the full City Council on March 4th, including an in-depth summary and analysis of where the City is and the anticipated financial outcome for the end of the year, ending on June 30, 2025. The City staff is also actively working on the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget and the Budget & Audit committee will review that soon. 

Finally, our job search for five open positions resulted in over 200 applications and our City staff is reviewing those now and getting ready to schedule interviews. Staff has remarked that there are some outstanding candidates amongst the applications and they are hoping to have all positions filled by May. 

If you would like to reach me, please contact me at 925.673.7324 or kimt@claytonca.gov. Stronger Together!

Clayton City Council - From the Desk of Kim Trupiano 2-18-25

City Council Correspondence: The excerpts below have been sourced from the Diablo Gazette to share with the Clayton Watch Community. You can access the article in the Diablo Gazette's website by following this link: https://www.diablogazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/DiabloGazette-FEB-25D.pdf. 

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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Addressing the Needs of the City

Mayor Trupiano

As we embark on a new year in the City of Clayton, one of my highest priorities was to ensure that our City Administrative Team has the support that they need to be successful now and in the future. Many residents may be surprised to know that our entire City staff is made up of just 26.6 employees, 13 of which are employees in the police department (11 sworn officers, two civilian). That leaves just 13.6 employees to manage the City’s other departments: HR, Finance, Maintenance and Community Development. We have often supplemented our staffing by the use of consulting firms, which has had a short-term benefit but is not the same as having consistent, yearround, full and part-time employees.

Back in July, our then Interim City Manager proposed a reorganization of the duties of the staff and the creation of new positions including a new Assistant City Manager/ Administrative Services Director, who would oversee HR and Finance, elevating the positions of City Clerk to include Assistant to the City Manager and promoting our Accounting Technician to full time Accountant. The Council approved those changes, including the outsourcing of our Community Development Services until we could determine exactly what the needs of the department and community would be. 

After an extensive review process by the Budget & Audit committee and a number of City Council meetings and discussions, the Council unanimously approved the following changes to the city’s staffing line up on January 21, 2025: 

• Fill the full-time Administrative Clerk and part-time/hourly Community Services Leader (formerly Facilities Attendant) positions, both of which are already budgeted in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 

• Reclassify the Community Development Director and Assistant Planner positions with a Senior Planner 

• Add a Management Analyst position to support the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Accountant and City Clerk as needed 

• Add a Community Development Technician to oversee complaintbased code enforcement issues, handle temporary use permits, special event permits, park and facility rental applications, and aid the Senior Planner. 

Filling these positions will provide our City leadership team with the support that they need to be successful and to provide our residents and community with the services that they require. For a complete outline of the positions, job descriptions and salary schedules, please visit www.claytonca.gov/fc/ agendas/council/2025/01212025. In addition, our staff has diligently worked on getting these positions posted and they can be found here: Job Opportunities | Sorted by Job Title ascending | Clayton, City of (CA) Careers.

Officers Save Life - I would also like to recognize the outstanding work done by Officer Wiggins and Sergeant Enea of our Clayton Police Department. On January 25, they responded to a distress call by the husband of a woman who was in her car and had stopped breathing and had no pulse. They administered CPR until Con Fire arrived who resumed CPR until they could get a pulse. Because of their quick response and efforts, this woman is alive today. The City honored them with a Certification of Appreciation, for exceptional bravery, quick thinking and unwavering dedication to duty, exhibiting the highest standards of public service resulting in the saving of a life.

Remember, We are Stronger Together. 

Please feel free to contact me at kimt@claytonca.gov or 925-673-7324.