Readers’ comments: December 6, 2024

Kudos to lifesaving staff at PVHMC
Dear editor:
How many of you know about this amazing hidden treasure in our neighborhood? Unfortunately I got to discover how amazing it is this Thanksgiving when my 53-year-old son William drove down from San Francisco with his two sons for Thanksgiving, and ended up with a sudden aortic dissection, where a tear in the aorta diverts blood flow between the lining of the aorta.
Most don’t even make it to the emergency room. We had a series of miracles — the paramedics who got him to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, the ER doctor who diagnosed this rare condition, and then the entire heart/vascular team led by Dr. Christine Montesa, who immediately assembled them to do an 11-hour surgery throughout the night that saved his life.
PVHMC has the award-winning Stead Heart and Vascular Center, with all the associated specialists on staff ready for any emergency. So the biggest miracle was that William ended up there, the same hospital in which he was born!
I want to say thank you to the entire staff with more gratitude than can be expressed.
Myrna Elliott
Claremont

Get off the couch and into the Laemmle
Dear editor:
Laemmle Theaters President and CEO Greg Laemmle has a message for us: “Put up or shut up, Claremont!” [Going There, “Oh Laemmle, how can we love you right?” November 22] He’s right. Do we genuinely care about having a movie theater here?
Here are some suggestions:

1. Commit to seeing a movie once a week, or more!
2. Professors and teachers: offer extra credit for a film report.
3. Local businesses: offer a discount with ticket stub. Chamber of commerce, what can you do to support our only movie theater?
4. The Courier: You have a possibly game-changing role to play here. Before the pandemic, you regularly listed the movies coming to the Laemmle. Why wasn’t that brought back once people were going to the movies again? You could also feature them on your website with links to the trailers to build anticipation about what’s playing that week. Bring back the film review column.

The “What’s Happening Claremont?” calendar features events virtually and in surrounding cities, but nothing for the Laemmle. You could include on Mondays and Tuesdays the movies being shown as part of Laemmle’s Culture Vulture or Anniversary Classics series. Every Thursday is free popcorn day with purchase of a premiere card. Sometimes there are one-night-only movies that pop up. All of this could be in the calendar.
It’s more than just going to the movies; the Laemmle is a gem where you can see art in the lobby, be around beautiful plants and pottery, talk in person with people about movies, get to know the cool and friendly manager, Carlos. It’s a gathering place. We’ve already lost our record and video store. Let’s not lose the Laemmle, too.
Instead of lamenting the possible loss, let’s strategize. How can we all foster a moviegoing culture? Get off the couch and into the theater.
Gina Ortiz
Claremont

Betting against a Trump v.2 economy
Dear editor:
Doug Lyon (“Newsom’s ‘Trump proofing’ assailed,” November 22) has made a prediction that our economy will flourish under Trump’s presidency. That is too good an opportunity to pass up for those of us who believe the contrary, that Trump’s policies will crash or severely damage the economy.
I propose that Lyon join me in making a bet on the economic outcome. Though it is unclear whether Lyon believes an economic boom to be coming just to California or to the nation, I’ll contribute $100 to the local Pilgrim Place Resident Health Services Program if people generally — it is “generally”  because billionaires will be richer — are better off at the end of Trump’s term and because of Trump’s policies.
The bet will cost Lyon nothing because if I win I shall eat a famous Trump sandwich to celebrate the country’s improved economy. (A Trump sandwich is two slices of extremely white bread slathered with Russian dressing and filled with as much baloney as possible — with a tiny pickle on the side.) Perhaps a panel of economic experts from the Claremont Colleges can be assembled to judge the state of the economy and thus the winner of the bet.
Are you up to the challenge?
Merrill Ring
Claremont

Reader’s Trump v.2 forecasts scrutinized
Dear editor:
Douglas Lyon’s letter (“Newsom’s ‘Trump proofing’ assailed,” November 22) takes complex issues and misleadingly presents them with little regard for facts. MAGA supporters typically use slurs, rudeness and bully people that they disagree with.
Some points from Mr. Lyon’s include:

• “Building no new water storage capacity.” Wrong. Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration is capturing and conserving more water through the Water Resilience Portfolio, Water Supply Strategy and Water Plan.
• “Banning EV charging during peak hours” and “… 100% EV’s by 2035.” Wrong. People are asked to voluntarily minimize use during peak hours. MAGA hates anything that reduces climate change.
• “Signing a bill requiring refineries to stockpile gasoline, driving up prices …” Wrong. Creating a reserve provides for times of shortage. Supply and oil prices are controlled by OPEC, not California.
• “Fighting prop 36 …” It costs California citizens much more to incarcerate someone than treat them for their addiction. But helping someone is “weak” while locking them up is “strong,” according to MAGA.
• “Suing to prevent a tax limitation initiative …” If people don’t like a new tax there are mechanisms available to reverse.
• “Homeowner’s insurance skyrocketing …” MAGA complains about government interference, until they want interference. Do they want the government to control insurance pricing? How exactly is the governor of California supposed to prevent private insurance companies from increasing prices?
• Finally, re: some companies are moving to Texas: yawn. California has the fifth largest economy in the world. Enough said.

I love California. I worry what Trump and his policies will do to our state and country. Under Biden the stock market grew, employment, average worker pay, GDP are all up. Inflation is now under 3%. Tariffs, cronyism, mass deportation, tax cuts, and corruption will define the Trump administration. All this will have a negative impact, but for MAGA it will feed their hate and racism.
Pam Stevenson
Claremont