Clayton Watch Responds to Tamara Steiner's Email - Editor and Publisher of the Clayton Pioneer

Tamara,

Thank you for your recent correspondence concerning the inaccuracies you published in the Clayton Pioneer regarding the City Council election. We acknowledge your retraction; however, we find your response somewhat delayed and unclear.

We did see your retraction on your online edition, and we would respectfully request you also place your retraction on the front page of your next paper edition. Posting your retraction only in the online edition and on Facebook seems a bit dubious in how it was explained.

Regarding your request, we will not be posting a retraction for you in the Clayton Watch comment section. Should you wish to address the inaccuracies in your latest article, we encourage you to submit your comment directly on the Clayton Watch website. That’s your responsibility, not ours. Your submission will be reviewed before publication.

You mentioned that the error in vote counting was your oversight and not that of Peggy Spears. Does this imply that Peggy Spears did not author the editorial featured on the front page of your publication and that you are writing on her behalf? Are all editorials attributed to Peggy Spears in the Clayton Pioneer written by you? No matter what the answer, you failed to proofread the story for accuracy before it was published. This seems to be an ongoing excuse from what we have been told, and it raises serious ethical concerns.

With all due respect, your publication needs to enhance its standards and refrain from disseminating divisive and biased misinformation. Your publication is consistently contributing to the division within the community, and the bias is increasingly evident.

For instance, the letter to the editor on the front page of the Clayton Pioneer dated October 25, titled “Local Officials Endorse Holly Tillman for Clayton City Council,” not only raises ethical questions—but also contravenes your policy of a 175-word maximum for letters to the editor. Moreover, the other three candidates for the Clayton City Council were not afforded equal opportunity for front-page exposure in your online publication, which lacked any word count limit.

Furthermore, Peggy Spears (or her ghostwriter) has a track record of publishing negative articles about council members Wan, Trupiano, and Diaz. For example, she asserts in her article that previous votes of the city council were predominantly 3-2, a claim we have confirmed to be factually inaccurate through our analysis of the voting records from recent years.

Earlier this year, your article calling for grand jury investigations and claiming that Clayton is in decline has inadvertently harmed the very businesses that support your publication. We know of real estate deals that fell through due to the fallout from that article. You know as well as we do, there is zero evidence that any of your comments are remotely true.

A clear instance of misinformation from the Clayton Pioneer occurred when you disseminated incorrect and deceptive details regarding the city's budget deficit, asserting it would amount to $629,000, contrary to the $109,000 stated in the City Staff Report. You collaborated with the former city manager and three council members—Peter Cloven, Holly Tillman, and C.W. Wolfe—who were attempting to garner support for a new $400 per year parcel tax, while promoting inaccurate figures.

It would be more beneficial for you to focus on factual reporting rather than attempting to skew the news in favor of certain political figures. In our view, prioritizing objective news coverage over creating narratives would serve the community much better.

On September 9th, you shared your thoughts on Nextdoor regarding your code of ethics, emphasizing the importance of accuracy and fairness. However, it seems you frequently target those in political office whom you oppose. It shouldn't be necessary for us to highlight this bias to the Clayton community, yet for many years, it has been evident, particularly around election season.

In summary, the rift within our community primarily centers on power dynamics; however, the city is currently working towards achieving effective governance that is independent of external pressures. This may be difficult for you to accept, but it is the current reality. It’s time for you to adapt and report accurately.

Just so you know, Clayton Watch is here to stay, and we are actively seeking additional ways to keep the Clayton community informed and will do so regularly as needed.

Wishing you a wonderful week,

The Clayton Watch Team

P.S. For transparency, your email and this response will be published on Clayton Watch and other social media platforms.

City Council Meeting Summary 12-17-24

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 several significant items:

Before we took any action, the Mayor on behalf of the City and Council, presented Kent Ipsen with a proclamation honoring the 50th anniversary of the opening of Skipolini's. A fixture in downtown Clayton has expanded its footprint over the years and with that expansion has seen great success. Mr. Ipsen shared the story of how his father, Skip Ipsen decided to open a pizza restaurant and it was really moving. I encourage everyone to watch his comments at the 11:18 mark of the recorded video at the city website.

Mr. Ipsen has done so much for the Clayton community - as a more private person he is often not out front and may not even be recognized by everyone while walking downtown. But the City of Clayton recognized Kent Ipsen, and will continue to do so as his support of the community, his charitable activities, and his love of this town cannot be missed.

It was also fitting that Ed Moresi was in attendance to support Mr. Ipsen. Ed was honored earlier this year in recognition of Ed's 30th anniversary as well. In his comments, Mr. Ipsen recognized Mr. Moresi as Ed was his manager at Skipolini's when Kent worked at the family restaurant as a young man. Mr. Ipsen gives a lot of credit to Ed for his guidance and support.

- We appointed Donald Mort, a retired CalPERS annuitant as our Interim Chief of Police while the City conducts a recruitment effort for the next full time Chief. Chief Mort is an experienced law enforcement executive and retired Chief of Police, with extensive experience in leadership roles in the City of Concord, as well as other jurisdictions within California.

- We discussed extending the professional services agreement with 4LEAF to provide code enforcement services. The proposal was not to exceed $100K for one year, providing service up to 2 days per week at a rate of $108/hour. During discussion, Council gave feedback that this rate seemed excessive, and that it would be more valuable to include discussion of this role with the overall org design discussion that we will have next year. Historically Clayton has taken the approach for code enforcement to be complaint driven. This allowed those who fulfilled the code enforcement role to take on other duties. Council expressed interest in looking at ways that we could fill this role while simultaneously filling other roles in the City. This is consistent with the discussion we had during our 11.19.24 meeting - when looking at staff positions, roles, and compensation, it makes more sense to discuss it holistically rather than make decisions on a piecemeal basis.

- The swearing in ceremony for new and re-elected Councilmembers was performed and the City welcomed Rich G. Enea to the Council, and welcomed back Councilmembers Diaz and Tillman. Upon the seating of the new Council, for the next year, Councilmember Trupiano was appointed Mayor and I was appointed Vice Mayor. I look forward to working with Mayor Trupiano, and the rest of Council and staff in supporting the actions Mayor Trupiano will be spearheading.

Clayton Citizen Challenges Misinformation in the Local Newspaper

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,

Is the Clayton Pioneer exhibiting bias? Is Tamara Steiner attempting to create controversy where it may not exist?

In her most recent print edition, reporter Peggy Spear inaccurately asserted that Holly Tillman was merely 10 votes away from taking the top spot. However, the county election office has a different perspective, revealing that Rich Enea actually led by 156 votes. Why would Tamara allow Peggy to disseminate such a clear inaccuracy? If her goal is to provoke a response from Holly’s supporters regarding the mayoral rotation, this sensationalism certainly aligns with her intentions.

Historically, Tamara has published numerous articles that criticize candidates she does not support. In 2018, she publicly endorsed her favored candidates through her publication, and in 2020, she found multiple letters to the editor that disparaged those she opposed, which she subsequently published.

Peggy Spear's reporting raises concerns about her competence; she prematurely announced the election results on election night, even though thousands of ballots were still being counted. In 2022, Peggy authored a negative article about Jeff Wan and Kim Trupiano, who ultimately won, while citing one of the candidates she supported who did not succeed.

Journalists are tasked with presenting facts while maintaining a clear distinction between their personal beliefs and their professional responsibilities. Tamara longs for a return to previous leadership, where her allies held positions of power and her preferred CBCA received financial advantages funded by taxpayers. It is evident that following her and her allies' loss of influence within the city council, she has adopted a negative stance towards the city, attempting to undermine it at every opportunity in hopes of regaining the authority she once enjoyed.

She endorses Bill Jordan's controversial apartment complex in the downtown area and appears to dismiss residents as misinformed for wanting to maintain the town's character rather than transforming it into a city akin to San Francisco. Furthermore, she continues to assert that the Olivia on Marsh Creek project is intended for 55+ senior housing, which is misleading.

In my opinion, the emergence of Clayton Watch is timely, given the evident biases and subpar reporting from Tamara and her ineffective team, including Peggy Spear.

We encourage you to submit a letter to the editor to hold Tamara Steiner and Peggy Spear responsible for their journalistic standards and to also demand a retraction.

Thank you for your attention,

From a Concerned Citizen

Thank You to the Community - From Rich Enea, and Jim Diaz

Here’s the latest scoop! Big thanks to the community from Rich Enea, and Jim Diaz. We’re still waiting to hear from Holly Tillman. 

After a local election, it’s pretty standard for elected officials to introduce themselves and express their gratitude to the community. 

Below, you’ll find two letters—one from Rich Enea and another from Jim Diaz—that were sent to Clayton Watch. 

Just a reminder, the next council meeting is on Tuesday, December 17 at 7 PM. We hope to see you there! The council will be getting a makeover, and a new mayor will be appointed.

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Thank you Clayton Residents:

Thank you for your vote of confidence. I look forward to working with the residents of Clayton on priorities such as public safety, financial stability and our beautiful parks.

Feel free to contact me with any of your concerns, ideas or questions at 707-218-5757.

Sincerely,

Richard Enea
Clayton City Council member

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Clayton Residents:

Thank you for your continued confidence and support in my Re-Election to represent you on the Clayton City Council for another term.

Positioning Clayton for Success!

My top priority remains to ensure Public Safety for all of Clayton, and to continue to work hard to maintain Clayton’s small town charm and character.

Happy Holidays!

Jim Diaz

Clayton City Council

Maria Shulman Delivers a Heart-Felt Concession to the Clayton Community

Facing a competitive field and a tight race at every turn, Maria Shulman has officially conceded her campaign for a position on the Clayton City Council. She was short by 52 votes in her attempt to secure one of the three available seats.

The 2024 election will be notable, as voter turnout from the Clayton community was highest among all cities in Contra Costa County, with a participation rate of 83.95% of the 8,638 registered voters.

Clayton Watch extends its gratitude to Maria for her commitment to serving our community. Based on our conversations with her, we are confident that she will pursue another opportunity in the future.

Additionally, Clayton Watch would like to express appreciation to all the volunteers who dedicated countless hours to writing articles, editing videos, and preparing content for publication. 

The Clayton Watch Team will continue to monitor future council meetings and report on important community events. If you would like to join the team, contact us.

Maria's full written concession is included below.
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From Maria Shulman

Congratulations to Rich Enea, Holly Tillman, and Jim Diaz. I sincerely hope the Clayton City Council's tenor will be cooperative and beneficial for all residents.

I want to express my sincerest gratitude to everyone who supported my candidacy for Clayton City Council. I am humbled and thankful for my campaign's support, guidance, volunteers, and contributions. The community's belief in me is fantastic, and although I didn’t make it on council this time, rest assured that I will continue to be present in the community through volunteer opportunities as Chair of the Planning Commission, your neighbor, and your friend. 

The residents of Clayton and surrounding areas, family, and friends from afar are exceptional heroes, never ceasing on encouragement and advice. I could not have asked for a better group of people for support. I would have never made it this far without all of you!

With gratitude and humility,

Maria Shulman