Readers’ comments: August 15, 2025

Bring back at-large council elections
Dear editor:
The August 8 Claremont Courier reported [“Harabedian meets with City Council”] that during a July 31 City Council meeting California Assemblymember John Harabedian stated, “Right now, I don’t think that you need, based on my work and my staff’s work and our conversations with legal counsel, under the current existing law there’s nothing against you guys going back to at-large elections.” Although state law required even small cities like Claremont to district, it now appears that we have the opportunity to correct this troubling situation and go back to at-large elections for City Council members. The City Council should take this opportunity to take action to bring our community together again, giving the citizens of Claremont a stronger voice as one entire community.
Districting Claremont split the Village area into two long districts which for the most part stretch from the foothills to the railroad tracks, despite the common interests and needs of the entire Village area. I live in one of these two districts on Indian Hill Boulevard. I don’t believe that the many residents who live on Indian Hill north of Foothill Boulevard in my district are fully mindful of such problems as speeding and traffic noise on Indian Hill south of Foothill. Just as those of us living in the southern end of the district may not be fully informed about issues such as housing development at the former La Puerta school site in the north end of the district.
In fact, overall, districting denies Claremont citizens the right to vote for all City Council seats.  Having at-large elections better ensures that future City Councils will focus on the needs of every citizen in the entire city.
Larry Schroeder
Claremont
Schroeder was a Claremont City Council member from 2009 to 2020.

A hopeful welcome for future Larkin Place residents
Dear editor:
As my partner and I walk along Harrison Street in the evening we note progress on Larkin Place, the three story building under construction at 731 Harrison. Some two years ago there was serious disagreement in the community regarding the building of this supportive housing. Some objected to the location, others the height, still others the fact that it would serve very low income individuals.
The other night as we strolled by there were lights on all three floors. Perhaps the electrical system was being tested. We saw the building come to life/light. “It’s really happening,” we thought.
Two nights later we attended an event in a local retirement community. It was meant to be and was a celebration of “piece work and peace work.”
One member of that community had a response to all of the controversy engendered by Larkin Place. She set out to piece together 33 beautifully hand crafted quilts for the 33 rooms that would soon enough be occupied. Each was unique. When asked what motivated her to undertake such an enormous task she replied simply, “I wanted to offer something to the new residents that would support them in feeling welcomed by the community.”
Lynne Juarez
Claremont

MAGA’s ‘liberal media’ fixation a ruse for total control
Dear editor:
In response to Mr. Weinberger’s column which asked the question “Does the public believe that public broadcasting leans left?”, I offer the following.
The MAGA crowd and Republicans in general have often and loudly stated that all sorts of institutions in our country lean left. They have made this claim about most television news stations, newspapers, radio stations, schools and universities, and government agencies. This belief is supported (of course) by every conservative and right-learning media outlet. It is so prevalent that most conservatives in our country take it as a truth, not to be questioned.
The fear of the conservatives is that the left wing is in complete control of the media and therefore has a huge influence on the population. Their solution is to silence these outlets. Trump and his administration have threatened to cancel the licenses of several television stations, pull funding from universities, fundamentally change how K-12 schools operate, and otherwise intimidate anyone or any business that dares to speak against them. Trump recently fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner because he didn’t like the jobs numbers. All of this is from the standard dictator playbook and was in Project 2025 (including the closing of CPB).
If the premise is correct — that the left controls the media and has an undue influence on our citizens — then why are the president, Senate, House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court conservative? They already have every piece of government, but it seems clear that they want nothing short of total control.
The truth is that most institutions are either not political or try to be “fair and balanced” (not Fox of course, which is a conservative propaganda machine). That doesn’t work for MAGA however, who want no opposing voice to be heard.
W. Stevenson
Claremont

Republicans: do you realize?
Dear editor:
When will the Republican Party and the American voters realize that Trump is destroying the country?
Opanyi Nasiali
Claremont

What else will Trump’s secret police get up to?
Dear editor:
Trump’s secret police force is here.
The “big ugly bill” included $150 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This will create a secret police force controlled by Stephen Miller and Trump like the Nazi Brownshirts. That amount is more than most countries’ military budget.
It includes $45 billion for new detention facilities — 13 times more than the current funding and five times the current budget for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The remaining money will go primarily to hiring more ICE agents (you know the SWAT equipment, mask wearing, anonymous force we see in the media). ICE will have more funding than the FBI, U.S. Marshals, DEA, ATF, and Bureau of Prisons combined.
This country does not and has never had an immigration issue that would justify this level of enforcement and funding. The claim that ICE is going to round up criminals and cartel members is a lie. ICE is detaining people that are here legally, including those that have received temporary protection status. They are also going after people that have overstayed their visa and the small number of people that crossed the border without registering (both are civil and not criminal violations).
To be clear, no one should be in this country without permission and the proper paperwork being in place. That, however, is a far cry from claiming that anyone here without permission is a criminal, cartel member, rapist, burglar, etc. It also ignores that many of the people being rounded up by Trump’s secret police are productive members of our communities that have lived here peacefully for years. Most have jobs, pay taxes (including Social Security, which they will never be able to collect).
Trump and Miller will have their secret, anonymous police force that are loyal to them. What else can they use them for?
Sydney Pollard
Claremont

Don’t settle for reality
Dear editor:
After I read in the “New York Times” that the president, claiming the recently released weak jobs numbers were “rigged,” had fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the angels of inspiration came calling. Why should I tolerate all the buzzkill negativity surrounding me when I don’t have to? (Thank you, Mr. President, for opening my eyes.)
Soon after, I went to Nordstrom to buy some clothes and the sales associate informed me I was selecting items that were not, well,  age appropriate, and he ushered me to the “mature men” section. Who needs that kind of downer? So I found a men’s boutique on Melrose where Tiffany, my sales advisor, said I looked just like a young George Clooney in the $1,200 outfit she put together for me. (I admit that when I looked at myself in the dressing room mirror, all I could see was Orson Welles in a caftan, but I trust Tiffany. She’s the professional. I’m not.) Then there’s my CPA. She hasn’t had any good news for me in 15 years, and at $450 an hour, why should I deal with that sad story? A friend in Hollywood suggested a guy who, though not a real accountant, had played one in a movie. “Give him a shot. He dabbles in taxes and bookkeeping between his film and TV gigs.” I hired him for $40 an hour and after he glanced at my paperwork he informed me that he believes I’m within $13,000 of being as rich as Bill Gates. Wow!
This journey has just started and I feel great.  Who says you have to put up with depressing facts. Simply find people who will tell you what you want to hear. That’s the solution. That’s what you do!
Don Linde
La Verne

Palestinians are reaping what they have sown
Dear editor:
Do I have sympathy for the Palestinian people? Yes. Do I believe they are the cause of the problem? Yes.
To my knowledge not one Palestinian notified the Israelis that Hamas was excavating mountains and mountains of dirt for tunnels; nor that they were pouring tons and tons of concrete to fortify those tunnels; nor that they were stringing miles and miles of lights and installing air ducts. All of this instead of building schools, hospitals, and libraires. Think of all the hundreds or thousands of people who knew what was going on and said nothing. Are they not complicit in this?
As a result of the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, we bombed the hell out of them. We killed hundreds of thousands of men, women and children, and destroyed two major cities. But by doing this, we saved the lives of our own servicemen and servicewomen.
As history has shown, if anyone is planning an attack on someone else, they better be prepared to face the consequences. You reap what you sow. War leads to nothing but death and destruction.
David Stedman
Claremont