If you missed the State of the City meeting, you may want to set aside some time to watch the recording. The presentation, led by Mayor Kim Trupiano, along with reports from each department head, including the Chief of Police and City Manager Kris Lofthus, provided a clear and impressive look at what’s been happening behind the scenes. Click here to watch this impressive presentation.
- The progress is real.
- The teamwork is genuine.
- And the direction is encouraging.
The leadership team currently in place has a level of organization, awareness, and problem-solving that is a night-and-day difference from the past. They not only outlined where the city stands today, but also where improvements are needed, and many of those improvements are already underway.
We encourage everyone to watch the recorded video of the meeting and see for yourself. We believe you’ll walk away with the same feeling many of us had that evening: A renewed sense of confidence and pride in the place we call home.
Clayton is on the right track — and it shows.
Clayton has come a long way from the CBCA being involved in the minutiae of daily government, and that is Progress! Clayton has moved forward to a promising, stable, and secure government with proven leadership at this time (sans Tillman), who have not been afraid to take on complex issues with grace and understanding. There is no lying or secret meetings and deals of the past taking place. Thank you, Mayor Trupiano, for getting rid of the endless verbal council reports and Zoom call-ins that made meetings twice as long as they should have been. Thank you to Jeff, Jim, and Rich for continuing to be the adults in the room and not backing down to bullies, lies, and the irrefutable abuse by a particular segment of Clayton. The work gets done when you work together and not on your own personal agenda or consistently show up for pictures and a bad attitude.
ReplyDeleteI am happy the days of CBCA people leading the city of Clayton are over; they did nothing but pat themselves on the back for doing nothing
ReplyDeleteIn my view, CBCA got way too full of itself. They acted like they owned the city. Not anymore. Clayton finally looks like it’s headed in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteWant to learn more about the CBCA. Check out this link written by a Clayton resident. https://www.claytonwatch.org/2024/04/why-is-clayton-so-divided-is-it-about.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link. I just read the complete story and now I get it. It’s been about power and control all along. Now that the Clayton Pioneer is gone, maybe things will improve here in town.
DeleteSo I missed the refreshments? Sorry I couldn’t make it, congratulations on a job well done.
ReplyDeleteAnother kick the can down the road CC meeting last night. The topic of the need to increase revenue has been on the agenda since August 19 meeting. And as of last night, NOTHING has been decided. No action has been taken. This is not good leadership/good governance or anything close. Enea says that the roads are fine, he drives on them every day and sees no problems. No need to spend money on them. At the same time the staff says we need $2+ million to keep at current state. Enea says, let's just plan on saving some money over the next few years so that any needed repairs can be done years for now.
ReplyDeleteAnother let's panic and we are going broke ill informed Pioneer reading Tillman supporter calling for us to RUSH NOW to pass something! Holly needs a crisis!!! This council is looking at all the possibilities. But Holly needs to be able to say she was right and we have to pass something TODAY! Bret Prebula over a year ago said we would be deep in the hole this year. Has that happened? No! Look, we get it, some of you want to see the city fail and pray for a HUGE deficit only to resurrect you CBCA controlled candidates for office. But so far the apocalypse that Reina, Bret, Holly and others have called for hasn't happened. So go have a drink and let the grown ups do their due diligence. We already had staff say we gave until August of next year to get something on the ballot. Let's make sure it's the right thing.
DeleteThere is no rush. We have 7 million in reserves, so we have plenty of time to explore our options. What’s the rush. Let’s do it right.
ReplyDeleteI did not say there was a rush. But what are we waiting for. Seems all the facts are presented...so make a decision and more forward. If the decision is do nothing as suggested by Enea, then be prepared for conditions to continue to degrade and cost to fix continue to rise. But the council does nothing but continue to discuss...discuss...discuss. Also, although there are reserves good governance does not indicate that should be used for regular maitenance.
DeleteHey expert, we have plenty of time. When you do things in a hurry they come out bad, especially when government does things in a hurry.
DeleteNo need to be insulting with the "expert" comment. I am not one, nor would I think you are. Doing things fast does not mean they will be bad. The council has been discussing actively or at least three months. The question is what other info do you feel is needed to make a decision and move forward. The longer you wait to make improvements, the more severe the problem is, and the more it cost to fix.
DeleteWhy all the hostility?
DeleteAgain, you don't like being called expert but you are pushing the FALSE narrative that they are kicking the can down the line to make them look bad. Our own city staff said in clear English that we have until next year in August to get something on the ballot. Last year, Bret Prebula was in a hurry to pass a sales tax on his way out! Many of his supporters were there saying to pass it without having the slightest idea what our true finances were. Now you want to repeat the same mistake. If you watch this last meeting in earnest, you saw that the discussion was around a larger capital improvement plan. Passing a sales tax (ie throwing money at the problem) without understanding the problem itself, the scope of the problem (ie the cost of what we really need) is not how you govern. Many of us are sick and tired of the effort to smear this council majority with circular rhetoric. They are working on it with staff. You are in a hurry. History is littered with the hurried solutions by government that only made things worse. And your argument that they are kicking the can down the road is not based in fact.
DeleteYes...in clear English the staff has said that we have until next August to get something on the ballot. Yes, next August is the deadline to get it on the ballot. In clear English here are the steps required to do that. Please note there is lots of work to be done prior to that. And NOW is the time to do that work!!!!!
DeleteOctober/November 2025 Council decision to pursue a measure (direction, budget authorization, staff work)
October/December 2025 Begin drafting the tax measure, legal review, polling, stakeholder outreach
February/March 2026 Confirm with County Elections / Registrar’s office the procedural
August 7, 2026 Deadline to place a measure on the ballot with the Elections Office
August 8-18, 2026 Public examination/challenge period — time for public review and filing of legal
challenges/objections to measure
August 10, 2026 Deadline for the Elections Office to designate measure letter (e.g., “Measure A”).
August 11–21, 2026 Public examination/challenge period for digests, analyses, ballot questions.
August 19, 2026 Deadline to file official proponent and opponent ballot arguments
August 24, 2026 Deadline to submit rebuttal arguments
September 24, 2026 Mailing of Voter Information Pamphlet including the measure, arguments, analyses
November 3, 2026 Election Day — measure appears on the ballot
Funny...no response when facts are presented to show what the timeline is....hmmmm
DeleteThe council will decide when they have all the information. I would suggest you watch or attend the next two council meetings.
DeleteAgree.
ReplyDeleteNo just because you can copy and paste doesn’t warrant a response. Go watch the last TLC meeting where the chair repeated this same stuff and staff said no we don’t need to do all of that. You want to make an issue where there is none because your lone council member needs a crisis. With the few loyalists she has running around town claiming we are in a 1 million dollar deficit, it’s sad the lengths you all go to in order to sell panic. It’s obvious you are regurgitating talking points but not watching any of the meetings. Maybe you should write for the Pioneer?
DeleteI agree with the post above. Life got rough for a few of you after the Pioneer went under. Now there’s no better place to spin your stories and spread misinformation than the Diablo Gazette. And we all know the owner of the Gazette won’t play your games. Please attend council meetings and get your facts straight. Barb
DeleteSince the beginning of these discussions regarding the need to increase, THE STAFF, not Holly Tillman, not CW Wolfe, not the CBCA, not Tamara Steiner, not The Pioneer, has said that the city needs to increase revenue to meet various needs. For example, just to maintain current road conditions, an additional $2+ million is needed. What was cut and pasted in was just what the staff is saying to illustrate that if you want something on the ballot next November action needs to be taken now. You don't have until next August to decide, as you intimate.
DeleteLet’s face it; since Clayton’s inception, increasing revenue has been necessary. Simple. However, what is not so simple are the methods to achieve it. Holly supporters want to raise the parcel taxes, raise the sales taxes, and sure, that can and probably will happen somewhere down the line. Clayton needs to be more innovative, given its size, location, and limited public access, in how we encourage our current businesses to stay and thrive, as well as to attract new businesses to open and flourish. All the back-and-forth and the blame games could be put to better use by teaming up and brainstorming a plan for the fiscal sustainability of businesses in Clayton.
DeleteSo the staff has brought forward a variety of ways to increase revenue. If there are more then the council should bring them to a meeting for discussion. And if you have some you should let the council know. A long standing issue...deal with it!!!!!
DeleteCouncil is dealing with it. This is not be an overnight process. As one commenter said, it would be more helpful if ideas made it to the council as opposed to just complaining and demanding something be done right now. The council isn't looking for a band-aid. As for the commenters who keep complaining, it is best we all ignore them. Some people do nothing more than complain but offer no real solutions. We had one person not too long ago writing on other social media that we should fold into Concord! Perpetual complaints and nutty solutions. There are 5 council member each with their own ideas and opinions. That's representative government. It takes time to reach a consensus. A few more weeks or even months aren't going to make a difference.
DeleteAgreed, nothing will happen overnight. It does take time and careful deliberation to ensure the fit for Clayton. Those who do nothing but complain are a part of a huge problem, and if they can't be part of a solution, they need to sit down and be quiet!
DeleteLook at the timeline that the staff has presented.
DeleteAgree. You don't need to rush. Let's do it right if needed,
ReplyDeleteGreat presentation and good information. For many of us, it was a breath of fresh air. The CBCA needs to stay in their own lane and recognize that they don’t control or run the city any longer.
ReplyDeleteI hate to be the one to bring this up, but I was at Tamara’s retirement party and overheard something interesting. Former Mayor Keith Hayden’s wife was talking, and she mentioned that the city of Clayton is going broke. I honestly can’t understand why some people seem to want Clayton to fail. My husband thinks it’s connected to the cancellation of the CBCA contract. Sure, there might have been a better way to handle the cancellation, but at the end of the day, they had been using downtown space for free for years. It only seems fair that they start paying the going rate to support the community. Signed, Not a Resident of Clayton
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely correct in saying that the reason it's being put out there, the city is going broke, was due to the cancellation of the CBCA contract. I agree it could have been handled better, and I did voice that opinion. The facts remain that, as good business practice, there is no way a 15-year-old contract should have been allowed to stand without annual adjustments to reflect inflationary increases. Another fact that has been overlooked for too long is that a nonprofit had its hand in city government, which is a clear violation of its 501(c)(3) status. The CBCA was way out of bounds, and, frankly, in my opinion, it has been operated by bullies for the last 10 years.
DeleteIt remains and has been demonstrated that the city is not broke despite those bullies trying to deem it so.
It sounds like things are really moving in a positive direction here in Clayton! It's great to hear that the leadership is making a tangible difference.
ReplyDeleteLet the staff do their jobs. We are definitely moving in the right direction. For those that want to constantly bash Clayton, you can always move.
ReplyDelete