Readers comments: March 4, 2022

California Botanic Garden reopens
Dear editor:
This past [Saturday], California Botanic Garden again opened to the public. It’s been a long haul!
As a result of the most destructive wind event in a generation, the gardens were closed for 36 days while a massive cleanup effort was undertaken. Although some old friends are gone, new vistas have opened up.
I live just north of the botanic gardens on Radcliffe Drive. Looking over my back fence, I followed the clean-up process day-by-day as bulldozers and a massive drum chipper were brought in to deal with the incredible volume of tree stumps and debris. It took the crew at least a week of steady work to reduce the massive pile to a vast expanse of fragrant wood chips.
In those areas that were heavily shaded before the Santa Ana winds leveled the canopy, there is now plenty of sunshine. An awareness of the various microclimates within the gardens will guide the selection of replacement plantings. It’s already a little late this year to make new plantings – especially with the lack of rain—but starting this fall, restoration will begin in earnest.
Although several paths remain closed, most of the garden is open for visitors. Come and see the changes wrought by natural forces and reacquaint yourself with this changed landscape. The gardens are open Tuesday through Sunday and remain closed Mondays.
Mark Merritt
Claremont

A child of Claremont
Dear editor:
I admit to being dismayed at a number of the comments surrounding the new housing proposals and developments in Claremont. The classic concerns around parking, height, “architectural beauty,” etc. mask the fact that long term resistance to new development is sucking the life out of the town. I was raised here, went to Claremont’s public schools, and was an active member of the community all throughout my time here. Now, a few years out of college, I make more than double the median income of the state. Yet, I cannot afford a single property in Claremont on less than 60% of my income. I was raised here, but I fear I will not be able to afford to raise my family here. How many more children of Claremont need to leave Claremont behind before this town realizes that it’s not investing in its past, but mortgaging its future?
Clayton Becker
Los Angeles

Response to “A darker side of the Super Bowl” (COURIER, February 25)
Dear editor:
In a letter you published (February 25, 2022), Karen Torjesen reported that on the day of Super Bowl 56 armed swat teams descended on her Claremont street to seize merchandise suspected of trademark violations. Well, laws have to be enforced; that’s not the problem. But an officer told Torjesen that “the “Super Bowl committee and Nike had requested and paid for the raids.” If true, that’s a problem. Since when do private business enterprises hire Homeland Security to enforce federal laws? If laws are violated, police do not ask injured parties for money before enforcing them. Police are paid by taxpayers to enforce the laws free of user charges. Homeland Security should not be a rent-a-cop agency that businesses hire. Claremont police were present when the merchandise was seized but, thank goodness, not on a rental basis. When Torjesen asked for more information, the Claremont Police Department had none to impart. This is disturbing. Before I walk away from this incident, I would like authoritative assurance that Homeland Security does not enforce trademark laws for whoever offers them the highest pay. If this suspicion is not rebutted now, people will conclude that the suspicions are valid and the fix is in.
Ivan Light
Claremont