PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
August 8, 2008
925.672.0500
Clayton grandma dives toward 70 She surprises family with a parachute jump to celebrate 70th b’day ANDRÉ GENSBURGER Clayton Pioneer
GREGG MANNING
MAYOR’S CORNER
Clayton resident Karen Hammon, who will turn 70 midSeptember, celebrated her birthday early by jumping from an aircraft along with seven other family members. It wasn’t a whim; just a grandmother spending some quality time with the family members she loves dearly. “Two and a half years ago, my grandson Rick Score suggested that he and I go skydiving,” Karen said. “I was kind of joking,” Rick said, “but she said she would.” Rick was about to leave for Argentina for a two-year, faithbased mission and Karen suggested that they wait until his return. “Then in 2006, she told me on the phone that when I came back, we’d go,” Rick said. “I wasn’t serious about her going; I was going to go, but my grandma … that was doubtful.”
Mayor considers reelection options In my last column, I talked about the upcoming election. I ended by saying I would have to weigh the pros and cons on whether to run again. There are a few issues facing the city and the City Council. The biggest issue is the annual money grab from the state and its impact on the city’s budget. There are potential issues under the surface and these may or may not be debated during the upcoming campaign for council. In the July 25 issue, I noted that one incumbent was not running so the November election would find a new citizen representative on the council. The question before me is: What I am going to do? I have thought about my decision for a long time. I have weighed the positives and negatives. Some days, I think it is natural for me to run again. On other days, I believe I have done enough. It seems to depend on my mood and whether things are favorable or unfavorable for the city. I have gotten a great deal of advice as to what I should do and all of the advice
Photo courtesy of Karen Hammon
AS KAREN HAMMON, 69, together with her tandem coach from the Lodi Parachute Center, falls to earth as part of an early 70th birthday celebration, she can cross one more item off of her “bucket list.”
ANDRÉ GENSBURGER Clayton Pioneer
California Senate Bill 1613, which took effect July 1, makes it illegal for drivers to talk on their cell phones. This doesn’t stop Clayton residents from trying to sneak past the diligent Clayton Police Department. “To date, we have issued 22 citations for VC23123(A), the vehicle code for that offense,” said Lynn Christ, Clayton police coordinator and keeper of department statistics. According to Chief Dan Lawrence, the base fine for the first offense is $20, with $50 for subsequent convictions. “According to the Uniform Bail
See Hands Free page 6
See Skydive, page 7
Downtown busy with summer activities TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
See Mayor page 10
Clayton residents learn about the ‘hands free’ law the hard way
LIVING THE GOOD LIFE Karen, a retiree from the city of Concord, having worked as an administrative secretary for
Downtown Clayton has been a busy place this summer with the Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, the Hot Summer Nights car show on Wednesday evenings, the Clayton Community Church’s free Friday Movie Nights and the Saturday evening concerts in The Grove. The Farmers Market had a huge turnout for the first two Saturdays, reports Genevieve Krause, Market Manager for the Pacific Coast Farmers Markets. A dip in attendance the third and fourth Saturdays was cause for some concern among the farmers, Krause said. But, it picked up after that and has been strong all through June and July. The Friday night movies have been regularly drawing 450 to 500 for the outdoor family movies, said event coordinator
Mike Fossan. The concerts have been wildly successful, drawing 1,5002,000 for the evening concerts in the downtown park. They may be too successful, says Anis Maamari, owner of La Veranda Restaurant. The concerts have had the unintended effect of draining away his Saturday night business. “They’re hurting us,” he said, sitting in a half-filled dining room that should be packed with a waiting list. “I never expected this. They asked me in the beginning what I thought and I said it was a great idea.” Ed Moresi, owner of Ed’s Mudville Grill and Moresi’s Chophouse, has also seen a drop-off in business on concert nights. “But the increased exposure from the hundreds of people coming into Clayton is a good thing,” he says.
See Downtown, page 20
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
THE SUMMER CONCERT series draws upwards of 1500 to the downtown park every Saturday evening. For more concert photos, see Around Town, page 2.
List of prospective candidates grows for Council race TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
There will be three City Council seats up for grabs this November in what promises to be a lively election. Land use in the Town Center and the state’s
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
intention to “borrow” from local governments to balance the budget are sure to be the two hot topics. Veteran Councilmen Bill Walcutt and Gregg Manning have both announced their intention to retire from office,
Community Calendar . . . . . . . . .18 Concert Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Deal With It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . .5 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
leaving Julie Pierce the only incumbent running. The seats held by Dave Shuey and Hank Stratford will not come up for reelection until 2010. In addition to Pierce, seven other Claytonians have signaled their intention to run. Howard
Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . .10 For the Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 From the Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Going Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Geller, Joe Medrano, Jim Diaz, Harun Simbirdi, Dan Richardson, Allen Lampo and Keith Haydon have all taken out nomination papers, but to date, only Jim Diaz has turned in a completed application. The deadline is August 13.
Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Watch the Pioneer for profiles of each candidate, beginning with the Sept. 12 issue. As the election draws closer, we will give all the candidates an opportunity to ask five questions of their opponents. Look for their answers in the Oct. 10 issue.
Tea for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Travel Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8