PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
September 23, 2005
925.672.0500
Fallen firefighters honored on 9/11 GREGG MANNING
MAYOR’S CORNER Mayor urges YES vote on Landscape Measure M This November, Clayton voters will be asked to make a very important decision—to renew the Landscape Maintenance District. The renewal will be on the ballot as Measure M- as in Maintenance. The election process is well underway. Arguments for and against the Measure as well as rebuttals to those arguments have been written. The pro and con arguments will be contained in the voter packet you will receive in early October. It has been a long process to this point. For more than eighteen months a Blue Ribbon Landscape Maintenance Committee appointed by the City Council studied the issue. They studied the current maintenance procedures, looked into how the current funding was achieved and then developed standards. They then held a number of community outreach events with presentations to civic groups, surveys at the Fourth of July parade, Oktoberfest, the Art and Wine Festival and at the Clayton Cleans Up days. The citizen input they received was integrated into the standards and a final report was presented to the city council. After receiving the committee’s final report and holding a public hearing on the matter, the city council voted to put the renewal of the Landscape Maintenance District on the November ballot for a decision by you, the voters. This renewal appears on the ballot as Measure M. Having completed the mission, The Blue Ribbon Landscape Maintenance Committee disbanded. A group
See Mayor, page A6
What’s inside SECTION A Around Town . . . . . . . . . .A2 Just My Opinion . . . . . . . . .A4 Classifieds and Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . .A5 Upcoming Events . . . . . . .A7 School News . . . . . . . . . . . .A9 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . .A11 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . .A12 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . .A13 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . .A13 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . .A14 SECTION B Hiker’s Haven . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 Dining Around . . . . . . . . . .B4 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . . . .B5 Community Calendar . . . . .B6 Church News . . . . . . . . . . .B7 Pet Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B8 Old Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B9 Food For Thought . . . . . .B10
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
ABOVE: CAPT. DAVE GEORGE, CCC FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT, Station 11, explains the history of the tolling of the bell honoring a passing comrade. Left: Many visitors to Station 11 took time to stop and read the brief histories of the 343 firefighters that perished in the World Trade Center attacks four years ago. JILL BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
Four years have passed since the devastating terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and still they came. Last Sunday nearly 100 residents of Clayton and the surrounding area came to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Station 11 on Center Street in Clayton to pay their respects and remember the heroes of 911 who gave their life to save others. Some slowly walked through the sea of 343 American flags, each bearing a photograph of a firefighter killed in action and a brief biography. Others stood in silence taking in the somber memorial in front of the fire station, while a few residents
talked softly about why they came and where they were when the attacks took place. Darcie Lankford of Concord said she came to remember a friend from high school who became a firefighter and lost his life that day. Michelle Lang cried as she knelt down next to a flag and said, “it’s important that people don’t forget.” Clayton resident Petie Snow pointed out the rose plant that she donated to Station 11, explaining that it was a special hybrid to honor the firefighters and blooms a brilliant red. This year’s Master of Ceremonies was Channel Seven News Anchor and former Clayton
See 9/11, page A6
Big changes planned for CSUEB TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Dean of Concord campus wants to change the paradigm The Concord campus of the California State University, East Bay (formerly CSU Hayward) has some big changes in mindand not just in name only. Hidden behind the hills and up a long driveway from Ygnacio Valley Road, the campus has remained quite possibly one of the area’s best-kept secrets for years—a secret that is no longer safe. Plans are in the works that will soon significantly increase the campus’ influence in the community along with the size of its student body. Currently, the campus is
operated as a satellite of the CSU Hayward campus “mother ship.” The Concord campus has no resident faculty; the instructors are all dispatched from Hayward. The library contains reference material only. Students can order library books from Hayward and pick them up the next day. And state regulations restrict the branch campus class offerings to upper division and graduate level. Historically, the long term plan for a branch campus is to grow the student body to 3,000 or more, then, assuming a demonstrated continued demand for the programs, petition the state to become a separate campus. However, this vastly increases the cost of operation, says Peter Wilson, dean of the Concord campus. It is the old paradigm that Wilson proposes to change. If
he has his way, the Concord campus of CSUEB will soon mature into a true “co-located” campus, utilizing much of the infrastructure of the Hayward campus, but having its own resident faculty and four-year
degree programs. Wilson sees the student body expanding to 6,000 or more. Historically, enrollment on the Concord campus has
See CSUEB page A8
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
CSUEB Concord campus Dean Peter Wilson
Pioneer to host Measure M forum On November 8, Clayton voters will be asked to renew the city’s Landscape Maintenance District. In preparation for the election, the Clayton Pioneer will host two public forums on Measure M; the first on Monday October 24 and again on Thursday, October 27, both beginning at 7 p.m. in the Clayton Library Community Room. Members of the city council, the original Blue Ribbon Committee and the Measure M political action committee will be on hand to answer questions and address citizen concerns. The renewal is a crucial issue for Clayton residents. The current District, which is set to expire in 2007, does not provide adequate funding for even routine maintenance, says Dan Richardson who chaired the Blue Ribbon Committee. The proposed bill, Measure M, provides for the renewal of the District, funds for maintenance of a city park, general landscape maintenance and completion of $2.5 million in deferred maintenance and capital improvement projects. “But most importantly,” says Richardson, “Measure M sets up a Citizens Oversight Commission to monitor the landscape maintenance budget.”