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| Clayton Club |
Courtesy of Clayton Watch: The following letter was sent to Jessica Yadegaran, SFGATE’s food editor, along with several of her editors. Please click the link and review the article for yourself.
We’re not sure why Jessica, along with her friend Tamara Steiner and her go-to source Jay Bedecarré, seem so determined to take repeated shots at our beautiful little city.
The article was filled with questionable claims, selective narratives, and plenty of nonsense. Read it for yourself—and decide.
_________________________
Jessica, You can do better.
The recent SFGATE article on the Clayton Club tells part of the story, but not the whole story.
It leans heavily on selective voices and negative anecdotes, while leaving out the broader reality of what the Clayton Club meant to this community for decades.
A couple important facts worth clearing up:
• Tamara Steiner is a former editor of the Clayton Pioneer, a paper that is no longer in operation, not a current local news source.
• The nearby apartment project is NOT a 55+ senior housing development, that claim has been proven false repeatedly through official records.
Clayton isn’t perfect, no town is. But reducing it to a narrative of division based on a handful of opinions does a disservice to the people who live here.
If you’re going to tell the story, tell all of it.
Correction & Clarification
Tamara Steiner is not affiliated with a current news outlet, her Clayton Pioneer Newspaper went broke months ago, and the referenced apartment project is not a 55+ development.
— Clayton Watch
_________________________
Response from: Yadegaran, Jessica
Wed, Apr 1, 8:09 AM
Hi Clayton Watch,
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I knew that the Pioneer shuttered in 2025. We forgot to add ‘now defunct’ or ‘recently shuttered’ there. I will make the correction today.
I will look into the housing project and look on Clayton Watch for the most recent articles. Feel free to forward to me as well. My interview with Jay Beddecarre and a few Mercury News articles confirmed that is was a retirement/senior housing community.
Thanks again
Jessica
Jessica Yadegaran
SFGATE Food Editor
From: Clayton Watch Team <claytonwatch94517@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 7:43 PM
To: Yadegaran, Jessica <jessica.yadegaran@sfgate.com>
Subject: [EXT] Article (Clayton Club)
Food editor? WTF
ReplyDeleteI didn't know they served food at the Clayton watering hole.
DeleteJessica, stay in your lane before you get run over and put in your place.
DeleteThank you Clayton Watch for pushing back. We're all tired of the media and all their bullshit stories. It’s about time someone called them out. Keep up the great work. Michel
DeleteJay B has been drinking Tamara's punch for years.And now both of them have gone down with the ship. I'm so glad the Clayton Pioneer is gone.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” And Tamara was apparently asking for a favor owed to her from another crooked media person.
ReplyDeleteIs this the same Jay Beddecarre that went to Chico State? The one that talks a big story but knows nothing?
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine knows Jay really well, and Jay told her that the Pioneer was going broke and hadn’t made money for several years. Our town is so much better off without the paper and its political and biased stories. So glad it’s gone. - A local realtor that wants to remain anonymous
DeleteGo Clayton Watch. You guys rock. From what I’ve read, you guys take no bull shit from anybody.
ReplyDeleteYou ask tough questions, push for transparency, and keep the spotlight on what matters in Clayton. Love them or hate them, they’re paying attention, and that matters.
In a nutshell: the article is interesting but not fully fair or balanced. It appears to push a negative narrative about Clayton while relying on selective sources and opinions, instead of sticking mainly to verified facts about why Clayton Club Saloon is closing. Nice try Tamara and Jay.
ReplyDeleteWho cares!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletePeople that love this town. People that want the truth.
DeletePeople who love this town care.
DeleteTamara lives in a simple world of hating anyone who doesn’t have her whacked out politics. Just spend a few minutes on her Facebook page and you will see she hates anyone who isn’t a woke progressive. She lives in such a bubble and claims the Olivia has divided us into red and blue. Maybe if she actually lived in Clayton she would know how many people with her politics oppose the Olivia. When all you do is surround yourself with people who think just like you, you can’t see there are others who think differently. Tamara will never accept the truth, her bias was so bad, it bankrupted her newspaper. Now all she lives for is to trash our town. She can’t even vote here yet she wants her friends on the council. We are approaching one year without her rag hitting our mailboxes and Clayton is better off as a result. Thank you Clayton Watch team for pointing out the truth.
ReplyDeleteWe checked out her Facebook page and you’re right, she is full of hate and evil. And to think that she had a local newspaper in our town. We’re so glad she’s gone. Becky and Marc, Keller Ridge
DeleteI did not go to Chico State, other than visiting there during the legendary Pioneer Days.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I NEVER told anyone that the Pioneer was going broke or anything else about its financial status since I wasn’t privy to that information nor did I ever ask.
My late wife Jill helped start the paper with Tamara in 2003. I “moonlighted” covering sports and education and sometimes other topics for the Pioneer primarily in honor of Jill’s legacy. I started as a professional journalist when I graduated from Mt. Diablo HS and attended Cal, until dropping out to work full-time in the media and marketing professions for nearly six decades.
We’ve lived in Clayton since 1988. We proudly raised our 4 children here and I have been active as a volunteer leader of numerous community organizations in the area.
I have tremendous respect for the paper Tamara founded and ran until health issues forced her to close 8 months ago, although my politics often don’t align with hers.
Reading the comments here mentioning me inaccurately and writing this response after getting a late night text from a friend is the most time I’ve spent on Clayton Watch and it’s unlikely to ever be exceeded in the future.
Jay Bedecarre
Jay, I appreciate you responding and sharing your background. But for many of us, the issue isn’t your résumé. . .it’s whether the facts were checked.
DeleteIf someone is going to comment publicly on local issues, especially as a journalist, people expect the research to be accurate. The “senior housing” description has been disputed for years, and the public record tells a different story.
This isn’t personal. Residents just want honest facts, not the same old talking points.
It goes beyond that. The article was about the Clayton Saloon and somehow it got spun into the Olivia, made up divisions based on red and blue by Tamara, trying to make the town out to be racist and homophobic. How did it devolve into that when the story was about a bar going under? Jay you participated in this drivel. You claim you don’t agree with Tamara’s crazy politics yet there you were pushing her narrative. And as for her paper, it was obvious it was losing money. It had gotten thinner and thinner. Funny how you all stick to the narrative it was thriving till the end when it was obviously floundering. I bet if we could Tamara’s books that would tell a different story.
DeleteIf it was such a great paper and so successful, why did no one buy it from Tamara? She advertised it for sale for months and even claimed she had a buyer at one point. No one bought it because it was hemorrhaging money. At one time, yes it was a decent paper and a good resource in Clayton. At the end, it was nothing but clear hatred of anyone who didn't align with Tamara and her warped political views.
DeleteMy wife and I are left wondering why someone who claims to be so sick would choose to step into politics in the first place. Public life brings scrutiny, questions, and accountability, it comes with the territory.
DeleteNice try, Jay. Now you’re getting a small taste of the same treatment you and Tamara have handed out to others for years. So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye.
Perhaps it’s time for you and Tamara to ride off into the sunset and let a new generation have the microphone. Oh, that’s right, the Pioneer went broke and the mic was auctioned off.
The new generation...like Jim Diaz?
DeleteNo. . . Like Tamara and Julie Pierce
DeleteSomething feels off. The same small group of people seem to surface again and again whenever there’s an effort to criticize or undermine our city. I’m not sure why they carry so much negativity toward Clayton, but residents are starting to notice the pattern.
ReplyDeleteThe good news is that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and more people are seeing what’s really going on.
Thank you, Clayton Watch, for continuing to ask questions, share facts, and help keep the community informed. We love Clayton.
What is really going on is a structural budget deficit. Wan and his followers are finally accepting it and working to fix it.
DeleteMaybe you all should re-read the article. The vast majority describes the history of the bar. There are a couple of comments from Jay and Tamara that are disputed, but those are their opinions and allowed by free speech. If you don't think this town is divided, then you are not paying attention.
ReplyDeleteWhy are we concerned with this, and not the $800K shortfall this year, and $1mil+ next?
ReplyDeleteBecause that “problem” you think will get all your CBCA pals elected to the councl will be resolved. And if you watched the meetings you would know it was the county that caused it not our council. Maybe you should be all over your County Stupidvisor who has money for parades that glorify his lifestyle but no money to help with our library.
DeleteThe shortfall is real....and Jeff Wan says it is unsustainable. Watch the meeting as you say. The Financial Sustainability Committee says you have 18-24 months to fix it. Enjoy the increased taxes.
DeleteFunny you say enjoy increased taxes when it was your CBCA pals that were pushing the idea when Bret was here without knowing what was in the checkbook. What was it one supporter said, it’s only a penny. That’s your big tax increase! All of you were demanding it and now you will all say you don’t want it. Elect CBCA to govt! Not too long ago the same crowd wanted to pass sales taxes, parcel taxes and grow staff by a lot. You can’t have it both ways. And the ultimate test will be the voters not the council. If the voters say no, you will cry about it and try to blame Jeff Wan. Your play book is getting old. The issue will be resolved by a vote for a sales tax or some cuts in service or both. The voters will decide.
DeleteI am in favor of the tax increase...and think it should have already been voted on. Wan/Gavidia/Diaz and others were against it. Now they are all for it, and nothing has changed.
DeleteGee, I didn’t realize that the Clayton Club was a gourmet restaurant. I remember it as a cowboy, biker bar with a lot of bar fights.
ReplyDeleteThose were the days, now all people do is hide behind their keyboards.
ReplyDeleteGreat story - thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteFor years, some claimed Clayton needed a tax increase because they believed the City was broke. But belief is not a budget, and fear is not a financial plan.
ReplyDeleteOver the past two years, significant work has been done to dig into the numbers, uncover overlooked expenses, identify unnecessary costs, and place a sharper focus on City revenues. That kind of real financial review matters far more than old talking points or political narratives.
Before anyone asks residents to pay more, the public deserves clear answers:
* What are the City’s actual reserves today?
* What wasteful or avoidable spending has been reduced?
* What new revenue opportunities have been identified?
* What is the long-term financial plan?
* What specific need justifies higher taxes right now?
Simply repeating that “we need taxes because someone once said we were broke” is not good enough. Responsible government starts with accurate books, honest projections, and disciplined management—not scare tactics.
Clayton residents should demand facts before opening their wallets. Knowing where the City stands today, and where it is headed tomorrow, is far more important than political noise or pressure from a small group of insiders.
Wake up Clayton. Pay attention. Get involved. Ask questions. And stop accepting complaints without solutions. - A Retired CPA and resident of Clayton for over 46 years
A story about a bar going under twisted into Clayton is racist and homophobic by a washed up newspaper editor and her pals in media is now about Clayton’s finances and three individuals hated by the washed up newspaper editor and her friends. Isn’t the media great?
ReplyDelete