City Council Meeting Summary - Jeff Wan 3-4-25

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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Last night the Council met to discuss one significant item:

- We authorized the recording of a noise abatement agreement for Oakhurst Golf Course. City ordinance prohibits landscaping work before 7am, however due to the nature of golf course operations Oakhurst has always had an agreement with the city that allows them to start earlier. The prior agreement had expired and the City renewed it with updated terms last night.

The new agreement has a 36 month term, and provides that no maintenance activity shall be performed prior to 5:30am. It also specifies later start times around certain areas of the course to reduce the noise impact to nearby residences. The agreement provides an avenue for complaints and a resolution process as well, and includes a provision that a survey of adjacent residences towards the end of the term of the agreement will be conducted in order to collect feedback for any future modifications.

Clayton City Council - From the Desk of Kim Trupiano 3-1-25

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/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Diablo-Gazette-MAR-25D.pdf

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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The City Of Clayton Kicks Off Full Events Calendar This Spring

Mayor Trupiano

There is so much happening in Clayton this spring including several events, a new restaurant, and outdoor activities, all right at our doorstep. 

“Noises Off” performed by Clayton Community Theatre runs March 13 – 24 at Endeavor Hall. 

The Art & Wine Festival sponsored by Clayton Business and Community Association returns April 26 and 27 to downtown Clayton. 

Concerts in the Grove kicks off its 18th season on May 17 and continues every other Saturday thereafter through August 23. Fan favorites like Pride & Joy and East Bay MUDD are back again this year at The Grove downtown Clayton. 

Take the Clayton Garden Tour, sponsored by the Clayton Historical Society & Museum on May 16 and 17. 

A new dining option at Enye Latin Table which just opened in February, explores the vibrant flavors of Latin America. It’s a wonderful addition to our downtown dining offerings. 

Our City has 27 miles of hiking, biking, and walking trails, five community parks, one dog park, and equestrian staging all on over 500 acres of open space. For a complete list of our trails, visit the City’s trail system page at Claytonca.gov. We also have maps available for the entire trail system for $2.00. 

Unsung Hero Award 

Each month the City is awarding an Unsung Hero Award to someone making a significant difference in our community. We honored Linda Pinder for the month of January and on March 4 we will have honored Paul Jordan for the month of February. If you have suggestions about future Unsung Heroes, please send them to me directly kimt@ claytonca.gov. 

In other City news: Our City is nearly ready to begin the recruitment process for a permanent Police Chief. At our February 18th City Council meeting, we reviewed and approved a new salary schedule for this position. We also agreed to make additional changes to that salary schedule if necessary when the recruitment process ends. 

Also, at our February 18th meeting, the Board of the Oakhurst Geological Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) selected a new Chair, Jeff Wan and Vice Chair, Richard Enea. 

After reviewing the annual engineer’s report, we determined that for the District to be able to make the necessary repairs, provide maintenance, and build a reserve, a ballot measure was in order to increase the assessment rates in the district. 

The board approved moving forward with a ballot measure this spring with a proposed schedule of new rates for district residents. There will be a community outreach program to address questions and concerns and increase awareness about the District funding challenges. More information on this will be coming in March. 

At the February Budget & Audit committee meeting, co-chairs, myself and Vice Mayor Wan, reviewed the City’s midyear budget and determined that there were several items that needed to be included in the presentation before it comes to the full City Council on March 4th, including an in-depth summary and analysis of where the City is and the anticipated financial outcome for the end of the year, ending on June 30, 2025. The City staff is also actively working on the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget and the Budget & Audit committee will review that soon. 

Finally, our job search for five open positions resulted in over 200 applications and our City staff is reviewing those now and getting ready to schedule interviews. Staff has remarked that there are some outstanding candidates amongst the applications and they are hoping to have all positions filled by May. 

If you would like to reach me, please contact me at 925.673.7324 or kimt@claytonca.gov. Stronger Together!

Clayton City Council - From the Desk of Kim Trupiano 2-18-25

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/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/DiabloGazette-FEB-25D.pdf. 

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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Addressing the Needs of the City

Mayor Trupiano

As we embark on a new year in the City of Clayton, one of my highest priorities was to ensure that our City Administrative Team has the support that they need to be successful now and in the future. Many residents may be surprised to know that our entire City staff is made up of just 26.6 employees, 13 of which are employees in the police department (11 sworn officers, two civilian). That leaves just 13.6 employees to manage the City’s other departments: HR, Finance, Maintenance and Community Development. We have often supplemented our staffing by the use of consulting firms, which has had a short-term benefit but is not the same as having consistent, yearround, full and part-time employees.

Back in July, our then Interim City Manager proposed a reorganization of the duties of the staff and the creation of new positions including a new Assistant City Manager/ Administrative Services Director, who would oversee HR and Finance, elevating the positions of City Clerk to include Assistant to the City Manager and promoting our Accounting Technician to full time Accountant. The Council approved those changes, including the outsourcing of our Community Development Services until we could determine exactly what the needs of the department and community would be. 

After an extensive review process by the Budget & Audit committee and a number of City Council meetings and discussions, the Council unanimously approved the following changes to the city’s staffing line up on January 21, 2025: 

• Fill the full-time Administrative Clerk and part-time/hourly Community Services Leader (formerly Facilities Attendant) positions, both of which are already budgeted in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 

• Reclassify the Community Development Director and Assistant Planner positions with a Senior Planner 

• Add a Management Analyst position to support the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Accountant and City Clerk as needed 

• Add a Community Development Technician to oversee complaintbased code enforcement issues, handle temporary use permits, special event permits, park and facility rental applications, and aid the Senior Planner. 

Filling these positions will provide our City leadership team with the support that they need to be successful and to provide our residents and community with the services that they require. For a complete outline of the positions, job descriptions and salary schedules, please visit www.claytonca.gov/fc/ agendas/council/2025/01212025. In addition, our staff has diligently worked on getting these positions posted and they can be found here: Job Opportunities | Sorted by Job Title ascending | Clayton, City of (CA) Careers.

Officers Save Life - I would also like to recognize the outstanding work done by Officer Wiggins and Sergeant Enea of our Clayton Police Department. On January 25, they responded to a distress call by the husband of a woman who was in her car and had stopped breathing and had no pulse. They administered CPR until Con Fire arrived who resumed CPR until they could get a pulse. Because of their quick response and efforts, this woman is alive today. The City honored them with a Certification of Appreciation, for exceptional bravery, quick thinking and unwavering dedication to duty, exhibiting the highest standards of public service resulting in the saving of a life.

Remember, We are Stronger Together. 

Please feel free to contact me at kimt@claytonca.gov or 925-673-7324. 

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