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Clayton City Council Member Julie Pierce: Who is She Really Representing?

Tail Wagging Dog - Julie Pierce

Clayton: are you interested in promoting a county and region wide approach to transportation planning, land use and growth management?? Do you want to forfeit your representation to those in larger cities or to larger counties?

 “Clayton is safe and therefore, their police department has bandwidth to absorb criminals in form of parolees; let’s place a make-shift prison in heart of Clayton.”  To transplant San Jose’s Offenders improves San Jose and is worse for the Town of Clayton.  In theory, it helps the region as a whole.  In reality, it deteriorates a region while San Jose shows no improvement and a small town becomes even worse (i.e. Antioch, Oakley).  Folks should not feel ashamed to defend safety for their children or for themselves.

An 81-unit building in the heart of our town, which at a minimum will include 7 low income households opens door to issues.   7 identified units allow for Bill Jordan and Associates to build 35% more units, but there is a possibility that non-owner occupied units could be leased to entities that support housing for homeless and even some parolees.  Strong correlation between welfare and crime.  The ability to purchase a home is correlated with good decisions that are not isolated within financial arena.   These include choices to avoid crime and heavy drug use.     The ability to rent at fair market value is also correlated with good decisions.    This massive project will stand tall on only a few acres that were purchased for price that represented local zoning at time of purchase.    If someone has an interest in county agenda or recognizes personal profit, then their concern for Clayton is secondary to their own self interests.   Difficult to find proponents of this project who are not in real estate industry or who own similar property and hope to mirror Jordan’s Land Grab & Go.

Currently, there are 4 Sides:

  1. The Majority, who recognize predation by a realtor, who was former business partner (realtors) of previous mayor, Howard Geller. Informed folks who understand how this monstrosity will immediately ruin Clayton and snowball into the next Antioch.
  2. The Uninformed, who are kept in the dark by our 2-faced city representation
  3. Predators with Financial Aspirations: Realtor and his associates care only about Money.  They have threatened the town with litigation and threatened town’s elected representation.  The connection between Clayton’s Politicians: Howard Geller, Robert Hoyer, and others should alarm everyone.  They stand up in Council Meetings and scold the community for rejecting project that they have vested interest in.  Their transparent agenda is clear for all to see.Then, you have their leaches and copycats.   This includes folks who earn a living from never ending, yet ever more massive development.  It includes others with land, who want to rezone/construct development that affords their own individual financial freedom while thousands of Clayton Citizens forfeit equity as a result of strained resources, poor schools, and stains found in cities that fall victim to predatory real estate projects.
  4. Predators with Career Aspirations: The worst of All. Although Bill Jordan and Friends lied about their intentions whether owner occupied, 55+, etc., their motivation is very clear.  They care about money and they don’t care about us.     On the other hand, we have local politicians who are 2-faced and think we don’t have the time or education to piece together their intentions.   Clayton has no larger problem than Julie Pierce.  A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes to Many.

Your interpretation that Contra Costa County and Sacramento rule our city meetings is not in your head.  If it feels that our council meetings are conducted in a hollow hallway where your interests are ignored, you are not wrong. 

Julie Pierce will state her truths to Clayton Residents with a straight face and then turn her back on them when it counts.  Maybe a new trick is needed, because it’s no longer 1987 and the information is readily available for all of us.

Julie Pierce supports everything that has led to forfeiture of your representation.  

  • The Path to Oversized Development is through Regional Control of Zoning.
  • Transportation Options Expedite Regional Control over Clayton’s Zoning.

 No coincidence that ABAG (Julie serves as President) and MTC (Julie is Representative ABAG) have merged into one power.    Our loss of control is no accident.  Julie Pierce is largely responsible and has worked on this for years.

 2014: Clayton Mayor Julie Pierce ready to take helm of ABAG

Source: http://pioneerpublishers.com/PPublishers/clayton-mayor-julie-pierce-ready-to-take-helm-of-abag/

Julie Pierce: “I’d like to see more partnerships with big corporations coming into schools and colleges and helping train this next generation of workers. If we do it on a regional level, we’ll have a lot more success.”

 “I cannot think of another candidate to be ABAG president who could exhibit as much leadership that Julie offers,” says former Clayton Mayor Bob Hoyer, who served with Pierce on the Clayton City Council.”

 Pierce joins friend and Orinda City Council member Amy Worth – who is president of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission – as another Contra Costa leader heading up a major regional body.”

 2016: ABAG Leaders Betray Local Cities

Source: https://48hills.org/2016/05/abag-leaders-betray-local-cities/

“Option 7 entails the Metropolitan Transportation Agency’s hostile takeover of the Association of Bay Area Governments: The land-use planning agency’s entire staff (presumably minus its executive director) would be folded into the transportation planning agency”

 [Hostile Takeover by Julie’s friends?  Sounds like a lot of what we hear in Council Meetings re: State Mandates.]

 “The matter was decided when Pierce answered her own question, decreeing that “the Executive Board gave the Administrative Committee authority to manage the contract.” 

[Sound Familiar Clayton??]

 “Indeed, Pierce’s claim appears to be just her latest pre-emptive strike against the prerogatives and integrity of her own organization. You’d think that the ABAG president would be reluctant to advance a scheme (Option 7) that will strip her agency of its staff and budget and put ABAG at the financial and administrative mercy of its arrogant and monied “partner,” MTC.”

 [Julie is no stranger to selling out her constituents and it all started in Clayton circa 1987]

 Julie Pierce is Vice Chair of Measure J Strategic Plan. 

This is her Baby.  She wants to increase sales tax by 5%; Currently, our Sales Tax is already 10%!!   She wants to increase to 10.5%.  This has compounding effect on everything you purchase that greatly exceeds .5% increase.

Measure J went into effect in April 1st, 2009 (April Fool’s Day) and ­­­will continue through March 31st, 2034.

Even Worse – The money goes towards efforts that don’t solve problems of Clayton Citizens.  Please Look at the funding for Clayton Roads:

Source: https://www.ccta.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-Measure-J-Strategic-Plan.pdf

  • Marsh Creek (J Project 240001), Measure J Contribution $24.
  • Old Marsh Creek (J Project 24029), Measure J Contribution $370
  • Project Clayton Major Streets Improvements, Measure J Contributions; Phase 1 and Phase 2, $849 and $429 respectively

“As described in the Measure J Expenditure Plan, the purpose of the Transportation for Livable Communities (CCTLC) program (Program 12) is to “support local efforts to achieve more compact, mixed use development and development that is pedestrial friendly or linked into the overall transit system

 [Politicians love to include words such as “Pedestrial.”  It reads well and that is all.  The real truth is that it creates MORE COMPACT MIXED USE DEVLOPMENT FOR BENEFIT OF FEW DEVELOPERS while increasing tax base to further support never ending development]

 Julie’s boiler plate counter will state that we all rely on projects across county, but this is not the entire picture.  A large percentage of funds are used to build public transit mazes that promote private enterprise mission.  Your taxes fund transportation that is the Key to bypassing Local Zoning Rules.

 SB 827: A guide to California’s transit, density, housing bill

Source: https://la.curbed.com/2018/4/10/17178288/california-senate-bill-827-transit-zoning-los-angeles

“In January, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced a sweeping bill….. Known as the Transit Zoning Bill, Senate Bill 827 would usurp certain local building restrictions for new construction near transit hubs, setting looser state standards instead. It would allow residential developers to skirt local rules on height, density, and parking—if their buildings are within a half-mile of a train or subway station.

Building dense housing around transit is one of the most pro-affordability and pro-sustainability things we can do,” Weiner says.”

 

The secret New York City junket

Source: https://48hills.org/category/news-politics/page/39/

“The files MTC sent me on January 10 included a table listing the names of 23 participants in the New York trip and sources of their funding that passed through MTC. MTC paid for the public officials.”

 11 of 23 Attendees:

David Chiu, State Assembly member (D, San Francisco) and Chair of Assembly’s Housing and Community Development Committee MTC
Jake Mackenzie, Rohnert Park City Councilmember and Chair, MTC MTC
Judson True, Chief of Staff, Assemblymember Daivd Chiu MTC
Julie Pierce, Clayton City Council MTC
Libby Schaaf, Mayor of Oakland, MTC MTC
Pradeep Gupta, South San Francisco City Council, ABAG Executive Board MTC
Rebecca Long, Government Relations Manager, MTC/ABAG MTC
Steve Heminger, Ex. Director MTC MTC
Vikrant Sood, Principal Planner and CASA Program Manager, MTC/ABAG MTC
Derecka Mehrens, Ex. Director, Working Partnership USA TSSF
Egon Terplan, SPUR Regional Planning Director TSSF

 

“What’s problematic about the New York trip isn’t just the secrecy about the expenditure of public funds; it’s also the secrecy about the point of the trip and its legislative and political consequences in California. The purpose of the three-day “Learning Session” was stated at the top of the agenda:

  • Explore applicability to the Bay Area with peers and build a shared understanding of roles, structure, and resources needs to sustain an effective regional housing funding and financing program
  • Jumpstart a discussion about a state and local strategy needed for bold structural regional change”

 Governor Signs Chiu Bill to Boost Affordable Housing Production

Source: https://a17.asmdc.org/press-releases/governor-signs-chiu-bill-boost-affordable-housing-production

Law will maximize affordable housing funding by allowing developments to be denser and taller”

As the sponsor of AB 1763, the California Housing Consortium worked closely with Assembly member Chiu”

using developers can get an increase in density, more units per acre beyond what local zoning rules allow, if they include a percentage of affordable units.”

“It will allow every single new affordable housing development in California to include 80% more units than it can todaywith options for even more density for housing within ½ mile of transit.

 RECAP:   Julie Pierce has a history of misrepresentation with her constituents.  She is fully aware that transportation will forfeit Clayton’s Control of Zoning.  She supports this and all those in favor of regional control (state control); in fact, she is responsible for much of this.   And during council meetings, she begrudgingly sits through hours of pleas from Clayton Citizens with her canned response that because of “regional/state rules,” her hands are tied.  She is the one with the rope!  Her disinterest in your pleas is an honest representation of how she views Clayton and your concerns.  She has bigger fish to fry as she hobnobs with developers and politicians.   Julie Pierce directly supports, participates, and leads efforts alongside Scott Wiener and David Chiu to enact legislature that allows for the state to mandate an 81-unit building in the heart of your community.

Her arrogance in thinking we will not put forth the effort to educate ourselves is our opportunity to end this 2-faced representation.  Folks, this is the head of the Monster that is destroying Clayton.  We deserve better!

Going Forward, Please read more on SB 50 and identify players involved.  Then, please discuss issues among our community.  If you’re a member of the garden club or museum or trail and parks, then please don’t confuse friendly words as a substitute for major misrepresentation.  Your loyalty is to your family, not to a politician who has betrayed each of us.   SAVE CLAYTON.

Comments (9)

Personally I think that people need to realize that paroles are already amount Clayton,, 20 percent for low income families doesn’t mean they are trash,, would it really be that much of an unconvincing to have a 81 Unit place that is mainly for 55 yrs and over?? I think that people need to broaden their horizons,, look what this project would give to people rather than the negative,,

Hi Geri – we already have a senior living facility in Concord. And the developer of the Olivia, Bill Jordan, has already said that he will be selling it to a company that will convert it from senior and low-income to regular rental units. So, please don’t be fooled by the claim that it is to help low income and senior folks. Even so, there are plenty of low income and senior housing units in nearby Concord. The developer, Bill Jordan, just wants to get his money out of the property sitting in Clayton. There is nothing altruistic about this project.

I agree Geri.

I’ve read some of what ABAG is about and have a question. Why do we as a small bedroom community have our people working this organization? Looks like a money grab to me.

Just my 2 cents. ?

Painful that there is a very extreme view of low income families being made here. That there is an absolute correlation between crime and welfare.

There are plenty of examples of crimes taking place in million dollar homes. Husband and I work two full time professional jobs. Though we are not on any public assistance, rent is entirely unaffordable for us in the town we grew up in. Neither of us are criminals, unless you consider the random parking ticket a felony.

Further, the correlation between DESERVING to live in a virtually crime-free town and making “good financial decisions”, frankly, is a horrible stance to take. You don’t know what people go through in their lives and it’s not up to anyone to decide what people “deserve”.

Please stop it Anon.
You fully understand that statistics illustrate this correlation. Google.com.

You are not represented by sample mentioned in post. But it is en vogue to place self-imposed victim card on one’s self. So you and your husband work and life is a challenge? Welcome to the Party! We all feel this and this is why we want to stop spiraling down to lowest common denominator where there is only Elite and Poverty, no more choice for rest of us. No more Clayton.

One is not guaranteed the right to grow up in Los Altos Hills and then return as an adult and move into $4mm Home. You must earn it or your family must have earned it. Otherwise, why not sleep in until 10am? I am not a criminal and I would love to live in Diablo, but I cannot afford it. I accept this and find balance between hours worked and where I can afford to live. Clayton is this balance where it is relatively affordable and still safe. The sacrifice is the long commute.

Is the contradiction lost on you?
– We don’t deserve to reside in a safe town but you are entitled to state we are undeserving of this?

Your concern is not always my concern. Of course, we all want to help fellow human beings. But this solution is not the answer; it solves nothing other than subsidizes development by way of community’s resources. You are free to fight for issues that are passionate to you. I will not ask that you donate to those passionate to me. I just ask that you don’t destroy equity in our homes or further tax us in order to fund your causes that pull money from where I would prefer to disburse it:

https://africanconservation.org/donate-now/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyN3ixJL85wIVlqDsCh0hiwz4EAAYAiAAEgJ8gvD_BwE

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3742/text

100% agree with you Just A Dad

I, too, 100% agree with Just A Dad.

This needs to be forwarded to as many Clayton residents as possible

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