New interim city manager and City Council ready to serve community
I want to publicly welcome Fran Robustelli to the city of Clayton as our interim city manager.
Fran has more than 25 years of experience in city management and has many fresh ideas for adding to our communication with you. If you would be interested in receiving updates from City Hall about official happenings in our town, please go to ci.clayton.ca.us/e-notifications and enter your email to be included in future e-mail notifications and newsletters.
While dealing with COVID-19, the City Council continues to meet via Zoom and serve our community. We frequently have a bigger audience on Zoom than we did in person. Maybe it’s easier when you can watch in your jammies?
In July, we unanimously adopted a resolution condemning racism. The resolution is posted on the city website at ci.city.clayton.ca.us. We also appointed a Public Safety Ad Hoc Committee, Tuija Catalano and CW Wolfe, to work with our Police Department and the community to address local concerns. These meetings are open to the public via Zoom webinars. Meeting information is posted on the city website. The recordings of all our meetings are available there, too.
Creating defensible space
It sure is hot out there. Please be safe and call to check on neighbors who might be vulnerable in the heat.
We are also in the height of fire season, so please make sure to safeguard your property against fire. For information on how to do that, visit the Contra Costa County Fire District website at cccfpd.org/safety-tips for information on creating a more defensible space around your home. The video even helps you choose plants that are less flammable.
We held a very informative meeting in Clayton last summer on emergency preparedness, and that video is also on our city website.
Keeping parks and trails clean and safe
As always, please be careful when you are out in our parks and on the trails. I have been receiving a lot of complaints about litter on the trails and in our parks. With our limited staff, we cannot dedicate a crew to litter cleanup on a constant basis. Please, be respectful of your neighbors and other visitors to these areas by using the trash and recycling cans. “Thank you!” to the many of you who carry a trash bag and collect debris along your walks – it helps, and is much appreciated. The restrooms in our parks will remain closed due to COVID-19, due to lack of ability to disinfect them frequently throughout every day.
Six candidates for City Council
We are entering a very busy, and different, kind of election season. Clayton has three council positions up for election, and six candidates have filed to run. They are, in alphabetical order, Tuija Catalano, Peter Cloven, Jim Diaz, Frank Gavidia, Glenn Miller and Letitia “Holly” Tillman.
After 33 years serving the city of Clayton, I have chosen not to run for reelection. I will remain as your mayor until the election is certified, sometime in December. I will stay active in community activities and associations. I’m not gone yet – we still have a lot to accomplish in 2020.
Julie Pierce is mayor of Clayton and chair of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority .She is a past president of the Association of Bay Area Governments and serves on the executive committee where she represents Contra Costa cities. Reach her at 925-673-7320 or Julie.p@ci.clayton.ca.us.