PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
January 26, 2007
925.672.0500
One more try for Landscape District TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
City not getting rich from property taxes Statistics show that b y now, most of us ha ve brok en our New Y ear’s resolutions , and I am no exception. I just cannot seem to sta y away from Home De pot. I am, however, still loc king m y car and loc king the g arage door into the house. Now, let’s talk about our favorite subject – tax es. Last month, we all had the jo y of paying our proper ty tax es. As you wrote out that c heck to the County Tax Collector, you were probably sa ying to y ourself (among other things that I cannot print) that this is a lot of money going to the city. Well, it w ould be if it all went to city . However, more than 95 percent of it goes to the school district, the county and the state. Clayton only gets 4.29 percent of the proper ty tax es you pay. So, if your ann ual proper ty tax bill is $8,500, the city only receives $365 a year from you to provide city ser vices. Of course, this contributes to the total amount of property taxes collected for the entire city , which is about $1.5 million annually. Of our $3.7 million General Fund budget for 200607, property tax rev enue is about 40 percent of the total. The rest of the revenue comes from other tax es and fees , including sales tax. Our larg est budg et expense is for police services, about $1.7 million annually. As you can see, the amount of money the city receives from proper ty tax es is less than the cost to r un the
Landscape Maintenance: How much do we want?
Shrubs
Irrigation
Mowing
Trees
Weed Control
Trails
Open Space
The new standards. At $197 a year, it strikes a balance between the two.
tion and maintenance . That measure passed with a comfor table margin. The T rails and Landscape Committee (TLC), a citizen ’s oversight committee created b y the City Council after the failure of Measure M, went back to the drawing board early last year to draft a new set of standards and budget for another r un at the polls. At the J an. 16 council meeting, city manag er Gar y Napper presented the new measure . It provides for a standard of care that is less ambitious , therefore, less expensi ve than that proposed by Measure M. With an ann ual budg et of $850,000, the new district will be able to maintain the city’ s landscaping at an adequate level, run the fountain for holida ys and special events and begin to c hip away a t the desperately needed replacement of the city’s outdated irrigation system. The new district will ha ve a 10-year ter m, and the ann ual parcel tax of $196.77 will be tied to the Consumer Price Index with a 3 percent per year cap . Should the new measure fail at the polls in June, there will be no money to w ater and w eed and the city will ha ve no c hoice but to turn off the water and let it all die. A public hearing on the proposed new Landscape Maintenance District is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 20 in the Librar y Meeting Room. The proposal, the budg et and staff reports relating to the proposal are on the city’ s Website at www.ci.clayton.ca.us.
Pete Cruz/Clayton Pioneer
California trailblazer, George Cardinet, dead at 97 Cardinet had died during the night. Known as the “Father of the California T rail System, ” George Cardinet Jr ., founder Cardinet w as nationally kno wn of the Califor nia Horsemen ’s and honored for his w ork on Association and tireless cr usader behalf of the Califor nia Riding for the state’ s trail system, and Hiking T rail, the P acific reached the end of his trail in Crest Trail and the 900 mile San Mexico last week. Juan Bautista De Anza trail. Cardinet w as in Mexico City In 1976, Cardinet led a trail with long time friend and colride from Nog ales, Arizona, on league, Nancy DuP ont for the the Mexican border , to San wedding of DuPont’s daughter. On F riday mor ning, Jan. 19, Francisco to raise a wareness and DuPont called for Cardinet at his garner suppor t for the trail hotel for breakfast. When he which follo ws the route of the failed to answ er, she notified Spanish explorers who settled the Ba y Area. Congress estabhotel staff . When they entered lished the trail as a National the room, they found that TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
SECTION A
SECTION B
Flowers
The current level of care. At $127 a year, it’s not enough.
What’s Inside
Travel Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 Gray on Golf . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 Tea for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B4 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . . .B4 Paws and Claws . . . . . . . . . .B5 Church News . . . . . . . . . . . .B6 Community Calendar . . . . . .B7 Music Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . .B8 Tax Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B8 Crossword Puzzle . . . . . . . . .B9 Food for Thought . . . . . . .B10
Fertilizing
The level of care proposed by Measure M. At $365 a year, it was too expensive, said the voters.
See Mayor, page A7
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Letters to the Editor . . . . . .A4 Classified Ads . . . . . . . . . . . .A5 Directory of Advertisers . . .A5 CVHS Reporter . . . . . . . . . .A6 School News . . . . . . . . . . . . .A6 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A8 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A9 From the Chief . . . . . . . . . .A10 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 At the Movies . . . . . . . . . . .A11
failed to net ev en 50 percent of the votes — far shor t of the 67 percent needed to pass. Last No vember, the city spun the park off from landscaping in a se parate measure that created a Comm unity Facilities District funded b y a tiered parcel tax for park opera-
Source: City Maintenance Staff
MAYOR’S CORNER
Two years ago, the city made the first attempt to re place the expiring district. Measure M on the No vember 2005 ballot proposed an ann ual parcel tax of $365, of which $15 was to be for maintenance and operation of the do wntown park. Voters soundly rejected the measure . It
Levels of Care
BILL WALCUTT
Clayton residents will once again vote on whether or not to pay for the city’ s landscaping when a ballot proposal creating a new Landscape Maintenance District (LMD) with an ann ual
parcel tax of $196.77 goes to the voters in June. The current LMD, created in 1997, will sunset in June. Unless voters appro ve a new district, the city will ha ve no money to maintain the landscaping along the public roadw ays and medians or for trails and open space .
Photo courtesy of the Cardinet family
George Cardinet in the Sierras sometime between 1990 and 2000.
Historic Trail in 1990. Certainly one of California’s most famous equestrians , Cardinet’s life-long lo ve affair with horses began when he was a high school student w orking for a pac k outfit in the Stanislaus National Forest. Son of the founder of Cardinet Candy Company, maker of the famous Uno bar, Cardinet was bor n in San F rancisco in 1909. He w orked in the family business until he retired. The business was sold in 1978. In 1939, he bought a 600acre cattle ranch on Pine Hollow
See Cardinet, page A3
Clayton family takes over local bookstore JILL BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
Aiming to rescue the only bookstore in the Cla yton area, Joel and Christy Harris ha ve opened Cla yton Books in the Clayton Station next to Safew ay. Formerly Bonanza Books , the new store will g radually spor t a fresh look. The Har ris family , long-time Cla yton residents, plans to raise the bar on the new bookstore – making it an integ ral part of the comm unity. “We plan to make some g ood c hanges, not drastic ones,” says Joel. Clayton Books will continue to offer used and new books . However, the
inventory will feature new titles , more children’s classics, one of Joel’s specialties, and a collection of rare books not available elsewhere. Residents will ha ve an oppor tunity to meet the new owners on Feb. 10 and 11. The w eekend ev ent will include refreshments, specials and sale items. The Harrises are looking forward to hosting a series of special ev ents, including a g ala g rand opening in the spring and a Har ry P otter par ty introducing the soon-to-be-released “T he Deadly Hallows,” with movie props and memorabilia. In an effor t to become a g athering place for book lo vers of all ag es,
Clayton Books will have appearances by local authors. They will sign books, do a selection of readings and talk about their latest literary contributions. The Har rises also plan to host local book club meetings and coordinate their in ventory with required reading lists from area sc hools. “It will become a new level of bookstore,” says Joel. Given Joel’s background, it comes as no sur prise that he ste pped up to the plate to sa ve the local bookstore . Joel has been collecting books since he w as 10 and hosted the Cla yton Children ’s Book and Ar t Sho w at Mt. Diablo
See Bookstore, page A3
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
Joel and Christy Harris are the new owners of Clayton Books