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Tear gas ends Clayton protest JAY BEDECARRÉ The Pioneer
TAMARA STEINER
PUBLISHER
Digital and print, we keep on keepin’ on
After a two-month break from print during the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s good to be back. In a world where chaos, uncertainty and disconnect are the rules of the day the local paper has never been more important or played a bigger role in uniting communities. We need each other. We need information. We need to know what’s happening with our city councils, our doctors, our businesses, our schools. We need to ALL know, and we need to know it at the same time. You find that in your local paper— in The Pioneer. Although you haven’t seen us in print for two months, we have not been idle these weeks. Take a look at our amped up website. We learn fast. Sign up for email news alerts and “So This Happened” weekly review. We are posting current news, information and stories on our website and social media every day. We are also working hard for our advertisers who continue to look to us to write and design the ads that will reach their market. We’re good. They’re back. Buy their stuff. Advertising revenue is the gas in our engine. Along with our revved-up website, we are making some changes to our delivery schedule. Beginning with this issue, half of our Concord routes will receive the paper each month. This means, if you are in our Concord distribution area, your free Pioneer will come every other month. Check the rotation schedule on our website. To be sure you get every issue of The Pioneer, SUBSCRIBE. Or you can simply DONATE to help support local journalism. Do either on our website. Or, pick up a free copy at Concord City Hall or Harvest House on Monument Blvd. Check the website frequently as we will add more pick-up sites as businesses reopen. These two months have challenged us all. To our leaders, citizens and businesses, thank you for your spine and spirit. This is what it means to suit up and show up. And finally, a massive THANK YOU to the nimble Pioneer staff, especially Pete Cruz, our talented graphic designer and web manager who learned how to build an airplane while flying it. PioneerPublishers.com
Tamara Steiner/The Pioneer
A peaceful protest Tuesday ended moments after this photo was taken when Clayton Police used tear gas to disperse a remaining small group of protestors who refused to pay heed to the 6 o’clock curfew. There were no arrests or property damage reported after the crowd of primarily young people, many displaying handmade signs, left the area. Visit pioneerpublishers.com for additional photos and video.
Mayors face off in census challenge PAMELA MICHAEL Special to the Pioneer
In the tradition of epic rivalries like Sparta vs. Athens, L.A. vs. San Francisco or Cal vs. Stanford, Clayton Mayor Julie Pierce has thrown down the gauntlet to Piedmont Mayor Bob McBain. The challenge: Which city can deliver the highest response rate to the 2020 Census count. Currently, Piedmont ranks No. 1 in California with 84.7 percent of households responding, just less than its 2010 score of 85.8 percent. Clayton ranks No. 2, with 82.6 percent – already besting the 2010 response rate of 81.4 percent. “We’re determined to post the highest response rate in the state for the 2020 decennial,” says Pierce. “The stakes are very high for California this time around; we could lose a Congress person, in fact. It’s essential that everyone be counted. “Clayton residents have a proud history of civic engage-
Tamara Steiner/The Pioneer
Gray Cathrall/Piedmont Post
Clayton Mayor Julie Pierce has thrown down the gauntlet in a good natured challenge to Piedmont mayor Bob McBain. Pierce vows to pass the neighboring city in online census responses.
Protesters who marched about two miles from Concord to the edge of downtown Clayton Tuesday afternoon were dispersed by police with tear gas after they failed to leave when law enforcement informed the crowd they were in violation of Clayton’s 6 p.m. curfew. Anticipating the publicized local protest in the wake of the George Floyd murder last week by police in Minneapolis, Clayton Police initiated the 6 o’clock curfew on Tuesday. The majority of Contra Costa County is under an 8 p.m. – 5 a.m. curfew. The crowd, primarily coming from their peaceful protest at the intersection of Clayton Rd. and Ygnacio Valley Rd. in front of a Bank of America branch, got as far as the VFW Flagpole Memorial at Clayton Rd. and Oak St., a one-way street into the downtown for one block across from the Clayton Bocce Courts. A Clayton Police sergeant first began announcing that everyone had to leave the scene about 30 minutes before the curfew start. After multiple warnings to leave, it was 6:40 when police threw out colored smoke and then tear gas to disperse the remaining group of several dozen protesters. Between 4 and 5 p.m. crowds gathered on busy street corners in Concord and Clayton to peacefully demonstrate their concerns about deteriorating race relations and police violence in America. The crowd swelled to 300 in Concord and waved to passing motorists who honked in support as chants of “No justice, no peace,” “Black lives matter” and “No more killer cops” rang out. A much smaller group was in front of Clayton’s Grove park. During that time there were as many onlookers at local businesses as protesters. Concerned about the looting and vandalism that took place in nearby Walnut Creek and other Bay Area cities Sunday, most businesses in the small downtown of Clayton and the Clayton Valley area of Concord closed at 1 p.m. and had plywood boarding up their windows and doors.
ment and participation,” she adds. “We’re going to show Piedmont, and the rest of the state, just how engaged we are.” McBain met Pierce’s challenge in good humor. “This competition is a great way to engage our communities in an effort that’s important to
both our cities,” he told the Pioneer. “We need to reach out to all our residents to ensure that they have the chance to participate in the census.” “And if a little competition can step up the effort, then we will have some fun and support a very good goal.”
session to begin the special board meeting. The following day, Lawrence said in a prepared statement, “The MDUSD Board voted unanimously to invoke article 7.4 of the Superintendent’s contract and begin the process of his separation from the District. We did not make this decision lightly.” Martinez is due one-year’s salary of $277,000 under the terms of his contract. To dissect the reasons why a board that so enthusiastically hired Martinez last summer did a complete change of heart so quickly, you might need no more than listen to the May 28 special session that went on nearly six
a contract with MDUSD since hours, including 60 recorded County or State. Martinez inherited the 2019- June 30, 2018 (a span of over public statements. During the meeting, the 20 budget and a situation with board unanimously rejected the teachers who now have not had See MDUSD, page 10 tentative agreement that was reached with the teacher’s union last December following mediation, citing the draconian effects of the coronavirus pandemic has on the District budget. They also discussed three potential methods of reopening school in the fall following the sudden closure of all campuses March 13. The Contra Costa County Office of Education has put MDUSD on notice that they must balance their budget or face being taken over by the DR. ROBERT MARTINEZ
The two towns, 23 miles apart, have nearly identical population numbers and similar demographics. Coming in at No. 2, however, prompted Clayton’s mayor to issue the good-natured challenge to
See Census, page 10
MDUSD superintendent terminated suddenly JAY BEDECARRÉ The Pioneer
Last July the Mt. Diablo Unified School District board of education concluded a nationwide search for a superintendent by announcing the selection of Dr. Robert Martinez as “the ideal candidate for this important leadership role.” Just 10 months later that same board gave Martinez 30day’s notice last Thursday after their fifth closed door performance evaluation since April 20. Board President Brian Lawrence made a very brief announcement of the action following a two and one-hour closed Zoom
Postal Customer ECRWSS PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA 94517 PERMIT 190