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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
October 20, 2006
925.672.0500
Editorial
Measure O is clear : it’s all about the park TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
This No vember, voters will decide the fate of the do wntown park – once and for all. The plans are appro ved and the $1.37 million needed to build it is in the bank. But, until there is a guaranteed source of funds for maintenance and operation, not a single clod of dirt will turn. In 2000, Clayton residents voted o verwhelmingly in fa vor of building the downtown park on the one-acre lot at Main Street and Marsh Creek R oad. However, in a classic case of “go figure,” they shot down the companion measure that would have provided the means to pay for the maintenance and operation. “Oh, yes, we w ant a park, ” they said. “No, we don’t want to pay for it.” Go figure. The v oters tur ned thumbs down ag ain last year when the park maintenance funding w as rolled into the more ambitious Measure M, which w ould ha ve renewed the Landscape Maintenance District, provided Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
A YES
VOTE ON
MEASURE O will turn this vacant lot downtown into a city park with a gazebo grandstand, playground and picnic areas.
See Measure O, page A8
City Council candidates address more Cla yton issues This November , four candidates will vie for tw o, four-year seats on the City Council: Jim Diaz, J oe Medrano, Da ve Shuey and Hank Stratford. In the Se pt. 22 issue , w e introduced these candidates and g ave each the opportunity to submit a brief biography. The Clayton Pioneer then ask ed each of the four candidates to submit five questions that they w ould like to ask their opponents. Diaz, Shuey and Stratford submitted questions . Medrano did not. We then compiled the questions , eliminating overlap. We ended up with eight questions that we believe address the issues facing our small town today and into the future. In the last issue , y ou r ead their answers to the first four questions . (See page A8 for a r eprint of these
What’s Inside SECTION A
Around Town . . . . . . . .A2, A4 Classified Ads and Director y of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A5 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A6 Mayor’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . .A7 Upcoming Events . . . . . . . .A7 Letters to the Editor . . . . . .A9 Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Your Health . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . .A11 School News . . . . . . . . . . . .A12 At the Movies . . . . . . . . . . .A13 Food for Thought . . . . . . .A14 Tea for You . . . . . . . . . . . . .A14 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . .A15
questions. Candidates answ ers to the first four questions are on our Website at www .claytonpioneer.com. On the left side of the screen, click on Clayton News and pdf pages. The answ ers start on page A1.) In this issue , the candidates will address the final four questions. 5 . What plans do y ou have to r einvigorate the downtown ar ea? W hat specific types of businesses do y ou think would succeed in the downtown area? Diaz: I suppor t pro viding tax incentives which foster new business dev elopment. Don’t make the mistak es of the past. Further, I w ould suppor t streamlining the appro val process for new businesses . I believe specialty stores , such as
JIM DIAZ
JOE MEDRANO
DAVE SHUEY
HANK STRATFORD
an antique shop , would be successful. Further, another restaurant would be a possibility. Medrano: We need to encourage business do wntown. We need to tur n our vacant lots
into buildings . The types of businesses that will succeed downtown are those that are well thought out, have a strong business plan, meet the needs of Clayton residents , have enough
start up capital and pro vide friendly, efficient and competent service. Shuey: My (and the Council’s) plans are already coming to fr uition. We spent
months finding the right dev eloper for what will no w be the Longs store that will be our downtown anc hor. We g ot top
Pumpkin Farm has everything for Halloween
SECTION B
Hiker’s Haven . . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 Holiday Gift Section (New) .B6 Dining Around . . . . . . . . . . .B8 Crossword Puzzle . . . . . . . . .B8 Pet Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B9 Community Calendar . . . . .B10 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . .B11 Church News . . . . . . . . . . .B11 Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B12
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
JENNA, AVA
AND
JULIA WILLIAMS are excited about all the things to do at the Pumpkin Farm.
It’s pumpkin pic kin’ time in Clayton and the Williams girls know exactly where to go to get into the Hallo ween spirit. The Clayton V alley Pumpkin F arm on Marsh Creek Road has thousands of pumpkins, all shapes and sizes , ready to tak e home and carve. As Hallo ween approac hes, mark your calendar for the popular Ghost W alk in do wntown Clayton led by our own historian Ric hard T aylor. The w alk starts at 8 p.m. Halloween night and Ric hard promises a few celebrity ghost visits along the way. Don’t forget to bring y our flashlight. For most of us, the best par t about Hallo ween is staying at home perc hed by the front door with a big bo wl of candy w aiting for the sw eet sounds of “Trick or Treat?”
See Candidates, page A8
Election Alert We have just been notified that some of the absentee ballots sent out to Clayton voters last week did not include the card for y ou to v ote on local Measure O, the downtown park measure. If your ballot en velope did not contain the Measure O card, please call the county elections office, Gwen F axon, 925646-4328, to obtain a new one.