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July 24, 2009
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IT’S YOUR PAPER
Clayton makes Money Magazine top 100
Sandhu family continues to rise from the ashes with new deli JULIE PIERCE
TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
MAYOR’S CORNER Concerts, cafes and celebrations help Clayton thrive What a wonderful summer we’re having! The Fourth of July was one of the best ever – perfect weather, so many wonderful volunteers and our announcer, KGO Channel 7’s Dan Ashley, pitched in and made everything flow beautifully. I want to especially thank the clean-up crew, who had the town spotless and gleaming in record time. A huge thanks also goes to our July Fourth committee of Sandy Johnson, Laci Jackson and Laura Hoffmeister, who organized this year’s event. It’s that kind of community spirit that has earned Clayton a spot on the Money magazine Top 100 Places to Live in the U.S. for the second time in three years. Only three cities in California made the list, and Clayton is the only Northern California city. KTVU Channel 2 did a very nice feature on our hometown; you can find the video on the KTVU.com Web site by searching for Clayton. We hope to post the video on the city’s Web site, too. REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
On the regional transportation front, I’ve spent several
See Mayor, page 17
Andre Gensburger/Clayton Pioneer
A JUBILANT JOHNNY SANDHU GREETS CUSTOMERS in Johnny’s International Deli and Cafe. Despite a faltering economy, the family owned business has seen a steady flow of customers since opening its parkside eatery on July 4. ANDRÉ GENSBURGER Clayton Pioneer
Johnny and Amarinder Sandhu watched with joy as a large crowd filled their freshly opened International Deli and Café on July 4, marking what the duo hopes to be a strong presence in downtown Clayton. A devastating fire in January
2004 that gutted the upper rooms of the Village Market building left owner Sam Sandhu, Johnny’s father, in a protracted legal battle with Farmers Insurance that forced the Sandhu family to lose income and inventory. The insurance battle was a classic case of the small customer battling the large corpo-
rate giants. The Sandhus sued Farmers Insurance. “We had to make it work,” Johnny Sandhu said of the discussions with his father. “You’re fighting this lawsuit, and you see that you are running out of cash. This was our last stand against the insurance company.” Not willing to give up but considering selling the property
to fund the lawsuit, the family was encouraged when a decent settlement was finally made. “We took a loss,” Johnny said, but the thought of ongoing litigation for another few years was too much. “We were trying to get back. We took the loss and decided to rebuild.”
Clayton landed 87th on Money Magazine’s list of the 100 Best Places to Live in America and was the only Northern California city on the list. The only other California cities to make the cut were Rancho Santa Margarita and Walnut, both in Southern California. The Top 100 list ranks American cities with population between 8,500 and 50,000 on income, crime, education, housing, recreation weather and general quality of life. At $131,363, Clayton’s median family income scored high against the average of $97,441, but ranked much lower than average in job growth - 4.86 percent vs. 19.58. This was likely a factor in the town’s drop from 57th on the list in 2007 to 87th this year, surmised Mayor Julie Pierce. The national attention may help boost Clayton home sales, say local realtors, Kim Morucci and Pete Laurence. Both use the ranking in marketing to homebuyers outside the area. “It adds a lot of pizzaz to be on the Money Magazine list,” says Laurence. “It’s just one more great thing about our little ShangriLa.” See the complete list at www. money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009.
See Sandhu, page 3
Town Center gateway to be completed by end of August TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
The Cowell smokestack wasn’t the only local landmark to bite the dust in recent weeks. The monument sign marking the entrance to Clayton’s Town Center was reduced to rubble in a matter of minutes last week when bulldozers cleared the hillside to make way for a complete renovation of the city’s gateway. The stucco monument sign, which originally read “Oakhurst,” was placed on the hill by Presley Homes more than 20 years ago to help sell the country club properties. Presley later donated the sign to the city,
and the letters were changed to read “Clayton Town Center.” It was never intended to be a permanent fixture and has been crumbling for years. “The only thing holding the sign together was the stucco finish,” said City Engineer Rick Angrisani. A new stone monument sign that reads “Clayton” will be visible from both directions on Clayton Road. Retaining walls will create tiers on the hillside, and a walking trail extension runs between the hillside and Diamond Terrace. A new sign of similar design will also stand in the triangle at the Oak Street offramp. The project has been two
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
years in the planning and is a joint effort by the city of Clayton and the Clayton Business and Community Association. The hillside renovation will be completed in two phases with the signs, the retaining walls and the trail extension coming first. The total budget for the first phase is $155,000, with $89,000 coming from Redevelopment Agency funds earmarked for downtown revitalization. The remaining $66,000 is a donation from the CBCA. The signs and hardscape will be complete by the end of August, Angrisani said. Mike Dunn/Clayton Pioneer
See Gateway, page 3
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THE OLD TOWN CENTER MONUMENT SIGN was cleared away last week as work began on the city’s new gateway at Marsh Creek and Clayton Roads.
Directory of Advertisers . . . . . .5 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . . .12 Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . .20 For the Books . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
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