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

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/2025/01/diablo-gazette-january-2025/

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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State of the City

Mayor Trupiano

Congratulations to all of the newly elected and re-elected Clayton City Councilmembers: Jim Diaz, Richard Enea and Holly Tillman. I look forward to working with each of them to achieve our goals this year.

My focus this coming year will be addressing the most pressing needs of the city including:

 

· Long-deferred infrastructure improvements
· Additional staffing needs
· Continued strong public safety
· Bringing the community together

Naturally, we will have other issues to address throughout the year including our mid-year budget review, continued review of our investment policy, hiring a permanent police chief and ensuring that our City Manager has the additional staffing needed to accomplish the City’s goals.

We are also planning on finalizing our infrastructure work with our partners at Climatec this year and that includes adding solar array panels, an EV charging station at the library and continued improved HVAC and irrigation equipment.

We are also embarking on a library refresh project in conjunction with the library’s 30th Anniversary and I will be updating the community more on that special project in the future.

I am looking forward to working together with my fellow councilmembers, our city staff and the members of our community to achieve these goals and I am hopeful that our effort will be respectable and collaborative in manner. We need to do this for the good of the community, for our city staff and for the people who elected us.

We are so fortunate to live in a city with a safe environment, natural beauty, great schools, a robust financial reserve and a strong community spirit, evidenced by the number of outstanding events that take place in our city throughout the year.

We have a busy year ahead of us and I look forward to achieving these goals and helping bring the community together because I truly believe that we are Stronger Together.

Here’s to a great 2025 and please feel free to contact me at kimt@ claytonca.gov or 925.673.7324.

Clayton City Council Member "Holly Tillman" Throws a Tantrum and Attacks the Public

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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Clayton Community,

Councilmember Tillman totally lost it when Councilmember Jeff Wan got nominated for vice mayor instead of her at the council's annual reorganization meeting on December 17th. She threw a fit and had the audacity to nominate herself. Then, she went on this ridiculous 6-minute rant about how it would be so unfair and divisive if she wasn’t picked for vice mayor, all while she was actually making things worse by attacking, threatening, and making false accusations about residents in the audience. This type of reckless behavior could expose the city to potential litigation.

It seems Holly thought it was a brilliant move to show off her "leadership skills" on camera by trying to shut down anyone who disagrees with her or her so-called progressive agenda. What a joke!

She clearly doesn’t understand that the city council picks the mayor and vice mayor through a majority vote, not just because of #JustHolly. Choosing the mayor and vice mayor is just like any other council decision. You need at least three votes to approve or deny any action, not some dictatorship—#JustHolly. After four years on the council, Holly should have figured this out by now.

Plus, Clayton has never had a council member self-nominate for mayor or vice mayor. You’d think it would be embarrassing for Holly to even try that, but she seems completely blinded by her desperate need for power and the ridiculous belief that she deserves the position. The #JustHolly campaign has clearly taken over any sense of rationality. It’s pretty pathetic.

Every December, the city council, by majority vote, chooses their leadership team for mayor and vice mayor. They pick colleagues who have actually earned their respect, who are team players, and who have shown they can lead the city for the next year. Respect isn’t something you can just demand, it’s earned.

Even if the mayor and vice mayor's roles are mostly ceremonial, there are still some crucial responsibilities and qualities tied to the job.

- The mayor, or the vice mayor if the mayor's not around, runs the city council meetings, sets agendas, and facilitates discussions among council members in an effort to reach consensus on important issues. You should really check out videos #5 and #6 on this site to find out why Holly didn’t get the vice mayor nod. https://www.claytonwatch.org/p/holly-tillman-in-action-her-words-not.html

- The mayor, or the vice mayor when the mayor's busy, prioritizes new policies and important community issues that will be placed on the council agenda for action. Seriously, watch video #2 on this site to see why Holly was passed over for vice mayor. https://www.claytonwatch.org/p/holly-tillman-in-action-her-words-not.html

- The mayor, or the vice mayor if the mayor's not there, has to keep the council meetings on track so they can wrap up each agenda item. Don’t forget to check out video #5 on this site to see why Holly wasn’t nominated for vice mayor. https://www.claytonwatch.org/p/holly-tillman-in-action-her-words-not.html

- The mayor, or the vice mayor in the mayor's absence, handles the preparation and approval of the city's yearly budget. You should watch video #8 on this site to understand why Holly didn’t get the vice mayor position. https://www.claytonwatch.org/p/holly-tillman-in-action-her-words-not.html

- The mayor, or the vice mayor when the mayor's not available, is basically the city's cheerleader at the Mayor's Conference, community events, and other regional gatherings. You really need to see video #1 on this site to get why Holly was not nominated for vice mayor. https://www.claytonwatch.org/p/holly-tillman-in-action-her-words-not.html

In short, just watch all 8 videos on this site to figure out why the council didn’t pick Councilmember Tillman for vice mayor. Honestly, the council made the right call, "Did The Right Thing", by nominating and approving Kim Trupiano for Mayor (5/0 vote) and Jeff Wan for Vice Mayor (4/1 vote). I’m looking forward to another fantastic year with our city's new leadership team.

Bill Walcutt
Past Mayor and Council Member

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