City Council Meeting Summary - Jeff Wan 2-18-25

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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Councilmember Wan

Last night the Council met and had one significant item on the agenda, however the meeting had extensive discussion on some other topics.

- We discussed a renewal of a noise abatement agreement with Oakhurst Country Club.  Due to the nature of golf course operations, several maintenance activities occur daily and at early hours in the day.  Things like mowing the grass and resetting tee boxes and greens take place before play begins, which is typically at sunrise.

Current City ordinances prohibit certain noise creating activities like mowing lawns prior to 7am each day.  Because time of use for the golf course starts at 7am, maintenance has always happened prior to that time.  Historically there has existed a noise abatement agreement which granted Oakhurst permission to operate certain equipment at earlier times in the day - with the focus on areas away from homes, though not entirely.

The noise abatement renewal did not change any of the existing provisions substantively.  We later determined that the wrong version of the agreement was included in the agenda packet.  In addition, there was feedback provided by residents regarding Oakhurst maintenance operations, alleging operations outside the time permitted per the noise agreement.  As such, the Council tabled this until a later date and asked our City Manager to approach Oakhurst to see if there were other provisions that could be adjusted.

- We discussed the salary schedule of the Police Chief position which is currently vacant and being filled on an interim basis.  The Council agreed to increase the salary schedule by 4% consistent with the agreement that was in place with the prior Police Chief.  When the recruitment period ends, we will discuss with the City Manager whether any additional changes need to be made to attract qualified candidates.

The Oakhurst Geological Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) Board also met and discussed a few significant items:

- We selected a new Chair (myself) and Vice Chair (Boardmember Enea)

- We received the annual engineer's report which indicated several areas where maintenance was recommended.  Without adequate maintenance, the risk of damage due to Earth movement increases.  Without additional funding however, the GHAD would need to use between 2-3 years worth of funding from the future to cover the cost.  Without additional funding, I did not think it was prudent to spend all of the remaining GHAD funds on maintenance that may not add value, and would need to be performed on a repeated basis.  Rather, I thought it was more important to take steps to increase the revenues so as to make the GHAD more solvent.

- We discussed the process for a ballot measure to increase GHAD assessments.  A notice would be sent to all residents in the GHAD, and ask them to approve a rate increase.  The amount of the increased assessment would vary based on the type of residence.  Votes are counted on a per residence basis, with a greater weight going towards those residences of higher value or at higher risk of being impacted.

The Board gave direction to pursue the rate increase, including the establishing of a reserve, and determine whether a citizen oversight committee was possible with this type of assessment.  If the voters of the GHAD approve the rate increase (towards the May/June timeframe), then the GHAD would be funded sufficiently to perform the operations it was intended to.  If the voters reject the rate increase, that would cause nearly all GHAD activities to cease.

Councilmember Holly Tillman Confronts Reality, Along with Her Ally

After fifteen months of political theatrics, the saga of Leticia “Holly” Tillman’s claims finally appears to be winding down.

When Mayor Trupiano assumed her role, she reached out to Councilmember Tillman to discuss her previous requests for an investigation into fellow council members and staff turnover.

For months, Tillman and her associate, Tamara Steiner (owner of the Clayton Pioneer), had been circulating damaging misinformation to the public, even going so far as to suggest Clayton was a city in decline.

At the January 21st city council meeting, Mayor Trupiano mentioned she had sent an email to Councilmember Tillman seeking to meet and discuss her ongoing request regarding staff harassment and turnover. Tillman responded with evasive language and attempted to explain why she had not replied, before the meeting moved on.

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 Sagramanian on January 28th.

The outcome of that meeting was unsurprising. 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. This includes the infamous statement made by Tamara Steiner in the Clayton Pioneer in relation to a grand jury investigation.

Had any legitimate staff complaints existed, Tillman would have had no role in addressing them—such matters fall under the purview of Human Resources, not the city council.

As Clayton Watch has consistently pointed out over the years, the turnover in city staff stemmed from one primary issue: poor leadership and mismanagement by previous city managers, Brett Prebula and Reina Schwartz. Their inadequate leadership and management styles caused the turmoil at City Hall, not the actions of certain council members or public inquiries.

The political drama instigated by Tillman and her radical agenda has been the true source of division. In 2020, she accused Clayton of being a racist city where police engaged in profiling, citizens allegedly feared for their safety, and Clayton was a Sun Down Town. 

When things didn’t unfold as she hoped, Tillman set out to stir up more conflict within the council and among city staff. On several occasions, she claimed the previous city managers and staff were being harassed by the public due to Public Information Requests (PIRs).

However, PIRs related to projects like Olivia on Marsh Creek, payroll, and budget-related matters could have been easily avoided had the city’s previous city managers addressed these concerns proactively and provided the information the community requested. Their failure to do so resulted in unnecessary burdens on city staff, who felt overwhelmed and unsupported by the community and council. Once their lack of leadership became apparent, both city managers resigned.

With Tillman’s accusations now disproven and her political theater exposed, it’s time for this chapter to close. The council can now refocus on serving the people of Clayton.

Given the significant discord and unprofessional conduct displayed by certain council members, the city council approved a measure at the February 4th meeting to establish an ad hoc committee for good governance training for both council members and staff. Details of future training sessions will be announced soon.

We are calling for Tamara Steiner and the Clayton Pioneer to issue a formal retraction and apology to the people of Clayton, the City Council, and neighboring cities for spreading misleading information. Additionally, it would be appreciated if Tillman would issue an apology at the next city council meeting, though we’re not holding our breath.

Let’s look ahead and work together to heal the divisions in our community. With a renewed focus, Clayton can move forward as the best little city in Contra Costa County—one that we all care deeply about. Enough is enough.

Sincerely,

Gary Hood
Clayton Resident

City Council Meeting Summary - Jeff Wan 2-4-25

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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Councilmember Wan

On Tuesday the Council met and discussed several significant items:

- We first interviewed three applicants for one open Planning Commissioner seat. The seat was vacated when Councilmember Enea was elected and we interviewed applicants in order to fill the open seat for the remainder of the term ending in June 2026. Of the three applicants, the Council discussed and voted to appoint Nate Brzovich to the Planning Commission. Nate's approach to listening to community feedback and balancing that with what the law requires was what was persuasive to the Council. Congratulations, Commissioner Brzovich!

- We discussed and decided in favor of entering an agreement for investment advisory services with UBS. UBS currently acts as a custodian of City funds in a non-discretionary manner. This means that UBS can execute transactions for various securities, but only as the City specifically directs. There are associated fees, and we are essentially buying at retail. By entering into a advisory agreement, UBS becomes a fiduciary to the City, and will be authorized to act on the City's behalf within the approved investment policy of the City.

There are multiple benefits of such an arrangement. While there is a 30 basis point fee associated with this arrangement, there is no cost for any individual transaction. Because UBS is authorized to act on the City's behalf, there will be no time where cash is sitting idle and not being invested. This will yield greater returns, but it will also free up staff time so they can focus on other activities. We will also be able to exit certain positions that are underperforming and redeploy those funds towards higher performing securities. Overall this should yield greater returns on the over $12M in City funds.

- We formed an ad hoc committee consisting of Mayor Trupiano and Councilmember Tillman. Upon taking the role of Mayor, Mayor Trupiano reached out to Councilmember Tillman in an effort to address her previous requests for an investigation into fellow Councilmembers and training. A result of that meeting was an agreement to propose this ad hoc committee in order to facilitate a governance training workshop for Council and staff. Councilmember Tillman stated that this ad hoc committee and training satisfies her previous requests and I'm glad the Council can move forward and appreciate Mayor Trupiano's leadership in this matter.

- We authorized the City Manager to enter negotiations with Three Putt Development, the company that owns the Oakhurst Country Club, for the sale of city owned property adjacent to the overflow lot near Oakhurst. The city owned property does not front any street, and was declared surplus by the City last year. We also discussed with the City Manager the terms that the City was interested in during closed session later in the evening.

- We discussed the potential restriping project on the 4 lane section of Mountaire Pkwy. Many residents spoke at the meeting, and others have been in communication via email and phone calls. There were several that were opposed to taking action, and several that were in favor of taking action. What was under discussion was a "road diet" - reducing the number of lanes in an effort to reduce speeds. Included in this plan was also the addition of dedicated bike lanes.

There was some concern expressed regarding emergencies and egress. Because there were no physical barriers being contemplated, in the case of emergency the overall width of the road was not going to be impacted so access would be unchanged if there were a need.

When the Dana Hills HOA surveyed its residents on a potential lane reduction, approximately 25% of households responded. Of those that responded, 2/3 were in favor of the lane reduction, and 1/3 were opposed. Ultimately the HOA did not feel it had enough feedback to take a position on the matter.

The largest concern the Council had was cost. The section was recently repaved, though marked with temporary paint in anticipation of the discussion we had. We have also applied for a grant that would cover a portion of the overall projected ~$250K cost.

Overall I was in favor of this work because the goal is public safety and reducing speeds. Traffic safety and speeding is a significant concern I hear from residents all over town and while it does cost money I believe it worth it in an effort to improve overall safety. The Council decided to proceed with the planned road diet, wait to hear if we are awarded the grant, then incorporate the actual road work into the already planning 2026 road work. This has the potential of reducing the overall cost as we would get some economies of scale by grouping this project with larger projects. The vote was 3-2, with myself, and Councilmembers Tillman and Diaz in favor. Councilmember Enea and Mayor Trupiano voted no primarily based on the cost.

A Meeting Was Held With Clayton’s City Manager 1-30-25

The following letter was sent to City Manager Kris Lofthus and shared with all council members. We wanted to express our gratitude for his willingness to meet with us on Thursday, January 30th, despite his busy schedule. We truly appreciate the time he spent with us.

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Dear Kris,

We wanted to take a moment to express our sincere appreciation for the opportunity to meet with you recently. It was truly a pleasure to have an open and constructive conversation about the city’s future. Your professionalism, insight, and positive approach were a breath of fresh air. It was clear from our discussion that you not only understand the pressing needs of Clayton but also the budget constraints and political nuances that shape the work being done.

In contrast to the challenges we’ve faced with previous leadership, it is incredibly refreshing to see someone who genuinely understands the importance of stable, effective management. The turnover in city staff, particularly in light of poor leadership and mismanagement under the previous city managers, has been an ongoing concern for many of us. The lack of direction and accountability left a significant void, which impacted morale and hindered the city’s progress.

With your leadership, we have no doubt that Clayton will regain its footing and benefit from a more cohesive, forward-thinking approach. It’s clear that you are committed to both restoring trust and fostering an environment where staff can thrive. We are excited about the prospect of continuing to work together and supporting you in the efforts to strengthen the city.

Clayton is truly lucky to have you at the helm, and we look forward to our continued collaboration. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can do to assist in the important work ahead.

Thank you once again for your time and leadership. We are optimistic about the future and excited for the positive change you will undoubtedly bring.

Sincerely,

Gary Hood and Bill Walcutt
Clayton Watch

Two Officers From Clayton's Finest Save Local Resident

It is well-recognized that police officers often come to the aid of citizens during emergencies such as flash floods, fires, and other critical situations. Recently, it was their dedicated actions and exceptional commitment to community service that made a life-saving difference.

During the city council meeting on Tuesday night, Officer Wiggins and Sergeant Enea were honored with a certificate of recognition for their life-saving efforts. The award presentation was conducted by our interim Police Chief, Don Mort, who shared the following remarks.

“It’s a pleasure to be back in front of you again tonight. Seems like it was just yesterday, but as I said two weeks ago, we’ve got an exceptional department and this makes me proud to be here tonight to award two of them for a life-saving effort that they did back on Sunday, January 5th. It’s rare that we get these opportunities. It’s stellar work on their part and truly showed what it is to preserve life and property here in the city.”

“On January 5th at approximately 12:45 in the afternoon, the two officers, Officer Wiggins and Sergeant Enea responded to a medical call on Clayton Road and Mitchell Canyon Road. The husband of the female driver reported that his wife had stopped breathing, and on arrival, Officer Wiggins located the female driver and found in fact she wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse. Sergeant Enea arrived shortly thereafter and the two of them removed her from the car and started medical treatment with CPR compressions to try to get the driver back to life.”

“They arrive prior to Consolidated Fire. That’s how quick they were on the scene. Consolidated Fire eventually came and they were able to take over the CPR efforts and revive the woman and able to get a pulse back. Consolidated Fire made comments afterward, that certainly if it wasn’t for the officers doing what they did, good likelihood this woman would not have been alive today. Two days after the event Sergeant Enea followed up and the woman was alive. She didn’t recall the details; she was still at John Muir Hospital and the prognosis was good and was going to continue her life.”

“It’s a great pleasure that I bring this to your attention tonight. I think the two of them are exceptional people. I think they did a fantastic job and it makes me proud to be honored to give them a Certificate of Appreciation for what they did that day.”

Clayton Watch and the Clayton Community extends our heartfelt gratitude to the Clayton Police for their exceptional service and dedication to ensuring the safety of our community. Once the Certificates of Recognition are ready at City Hall, we will share them with our audience for everyone to view.