IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
July 23, 2010
925.672.0500
Teens arrested for serial strong-arm robberies TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Three 16-year-olds, one from Clayton and two from Concord, were arrested last week for a string of strong-arm robberies in Clayton and will be charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of stolen goods. The three young
men, two African-Americans and one Caucasian, attend Clayton Valley High School. A fourth suspect is still under investigation. The spree began the afternoon of June 30, when two Concord teens, 14 and 15, were jumped from behind in the Clayton pedestrian tunnel. Both boys were roughed up and sus-
tained minor injuries. They were robbed of their iPods, cell phones and wallets. On July 9, two more boys were robbed at Main Streets and Marsh Creek Road near the Corral. The next day, another boy was robbed near the Easley trail. On July 13, while police were responding to the fourth robbery in the Oakhurst area,
two more youngsters were assaulted near the middle school. All seven victims were between the ages of 14 and 18. According to Chief Dan Lawrence, the suspects drove by the victims in a black Mustang in each case, apparently looking for an easy mark. They would stop, get out, pass by the victims, then turn and jump them from
behind, saying “Yo, gimme your s**t.” A break in the case came when police sent an email containing a description of the assailants and the Mustang to a few local parents. Word quickly spread through a large, informal email network. Within an hour, police received a reply with information that led them to the
first suspect, an Oakhurst resident. One of the young victims had memorized four digits of the Mustang’s license plate. A black Mustang with the matching four digits was parked at the suspect’s Oakhurst home. Inside the home was a backpack taken in
See Robberies, page 9
City moves forward with Oak Street project TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
HANK STRATFORD
MAYOR’S CORNER Doing the right thing a community effort I still remember one fall morning while in college. I was driving to class and noticed another college student on the sidewalk having trouble with her bicycle. My first thought was that I should stop and help her. Almost immediately, though, I started thinking of reasons why it was OK not to stop. These reasons included that I might be late to class, I didn’t know her so it might be awkward or I may not be able to fix the bike anyway. Of course, as this debate was going on in my head, I was driving farther and farther away – making it more likely that I would be late for class if I went back. To put the debate to rest, I came up with the convincing reason why it was OK not to stop and help. I reasoned that it was good for this young woman to have this experience – she could learn to fix her own bicycle and learn how to work through challenges. To ease my conscience, I told myself that by not helping her I was really helping her. This incident has stayed with me – not because I was proud of the way I justified not helping,
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
See Mayor, page 3
Viz/f/x , architects
PLANS FOR CREEKSIDE TERRACE, A COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL BUILDING on Oak Street, were completed by the city last month after the original developer defaulted in 2008. The building, originally called Rivulet, was designed by Clayton architect, Robert Staehle and includes 7,200 sq. ft. of retail space on the ground floor with seven residential units above.
Village Market owners pondering sale options JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
Clayton’s historic downtown has evolved over the years as the city, property owners, businesspeople and residents try to maintain a small town flavor while meeting the needs of contemporary life and commerce. No building is more representative of this evolution than the Village Market adjacent to The Grove park. For long-time residents, the “little store” or “the blue store” says small town. Since it reopened in January 2008 after being closed for four years following a fire, the shiny new building with an international deli in the rear has personified 21st century Clayton. Now, this city landmark sports white banners with large red, blue and yellow type on the
front and rear facades blaring “Business Available, For Lease/Sale.” The Sandhu family has owned the building and operated the business for nearly two decades, since they purchased it from Don and Carmen Williams, who still live in Clayton. Sam and Balwinder Sandhu began operating the market in 1991 and son Johnny was immediately made chief stock boy while attending Pine Hollow Middle School. TOO MANY LONG HOURS The signs intentionally are broad in the message since the Sandhus are willing to listen to offers for either the Village Market on Main Street or Johnny’s International Deli business on Center Street or a purchase of the property including the businesses.
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Community Calendar . . . . . . . .14
“We’d like to keep our ties to the community, so we’re not looking to sell everything,” Johnny Sandhu says.
“I’m working 12-14 hours a day between the market and
See Market, page 8
The west end of town moved a step closer to the fulfillment of a vision last month with the completion of plans for a commercial building with 7,200 sq. ft. of street level retail space and seven residential units upstairs. The project sits on three city-owned creekside lots across from Endeavor Hall. Originally dubbed Rivulet, it was started in 2008 by the Komgold Co., developers of the Flora Square building across the street. In 2009, the Rivulet project came to a halt when the developer failed to replenish the deposit account. The plans were nearly complete and the environmental studies were done, so the city stepped in to pick up the project
See Creekside page 4
Mayor wants to build character in area students JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
AFTER NEARLY 20 YEARS, Village Market owners Sam Sandhu (left) and son Johnny Sandhu are planning to sell one or both of the businesses housed in their Main Street building.
Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . .5 DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Pioneer Photo Album . . . . . . . .17 Readers' Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Senior Moments . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
When Mayor Hank Stratford convened a community group early this year to study implementing a character development program in local schools, he couldn’t have imagined that two separate incidents involving criminal activity by young men from the community would be making headlines just as they unveiled an outline of the proposal. “In light of recent incidents, the timing couldn’t be better to
See Character, page 6
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Staying Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Take a Hike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15