Casa de Salsa

Dear Editor:

I was saddened to hear of Casa de Salsa’s closing. Through this restaurant, the Flores family has generously contributed to an impressive amount of local groups and causes for many, many years.

Knowing that they contributed in spite of financial issues that caused the ultimate closing of this wonderful establishment makes those donations even more precious to our community.

If the Flores family is able to open a new restaurant as the article suggested, I hope our community shows them the same generous spirit they have bestowed upon our schools, community foundations and sports leagues. Consistent patronage at their new eatery would be a fine way for us to show our thanks to a family who opened its heart and pocketbook to our lucky town.

Marcie Gardner

Claremont

Largest Canadian oil-sands leaseholder

Dear Editor:

Hayden Lening (“The party of no,” COURIER, November 21) wrote that the Keystone XL pipeline issue is not about conflicting interests of “environmentalists and big oil,” but about Warren Buffett’s “majority interest in the railroad that currently ships oil from Canada/Alaska to the US.” If he is right that Mr. Buffett’s “profit interests” would suffer a loss if the pipeline were to be built, it is fair to ask who stands to profit the most from the Keystone XL pipeline.

According to the Washington Post (Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin, March 20, and Steven Mufson, April 7), Koch industries have either the largest or third largest leases in the Canadian oil-sands region. No more need be said!

David J. Lull

Claremont

A misquote

Dear Editor:

In her fine article about the talk given at Temple Beth Israel on November 21 by Ambassador Edward Marks, the reporter noted that he “cited John F. Kennedy’s famous quote, ‘There is nothing to fear but fear itself.’” Present at the talk, I am quite sure that Ambassador Marks contributed the quote, correctly, to Winston Churchill, who included the statement in a speech during WWII, long before JFK became president of the United States.

 Don Fisher

Claremont

CPUC is coming to town

Dear Editor:

Acquiring the Claremont water system is going to take some time, and until then we are subject to Golden State Water charges. The have submitted a rate case to the California Public Utilities commission asking for rate increases and a new tiered rate structure for the next three-year cycle. We have a chance to tell the CPUC what we think of this on Monday, December 8 at Taylor Hall. There will be two meetings; the first at 1 p.m. and another at 6 p.m.

Passing Measure W sent a strong message to all concerned that we want out from under Golden State. The more people who come to this meeting and voice their unhappiness with GSW and the CPUC, the clearer the message will be during any court proceedings that we believe public ownership is in our best interest.

Susan Schenk

Claremont

Ferguson in Claremont

Dear Editor:

Sadly, the Ferguson, Missouri events have reached even into Claremont.

Let’s note for the record that the so-called Ferguson grand jury was not some remote, unaccountable parliament such as was oppressing the American colonists during the 1760s and 1770s. The grand jury (now dissolved) consisted of St. Louis area residents, friends and neighbors, chosen to perform an important civic duty.

After reviewing much evidence and interviewing 60 some witnesses, those jurors—fellow citizens of the local community—based their decision not to charge Officer Wilson upon a number of determinations, among them: Michael Brown stole merchandise from a local convenience store, he resisted a police officer’s attempt to question him about the theft, he fought with the officer for control of the officer’s handgun and, finally, he was beginning a charge to ram the officer.

Ironically, the protesters’ chant of “hands up, don’t shoot” is exactly what Mr. Brown should have done when the officer tried to question him.

Unfortunately, he did not.

All of this gives me pause to wonder if these protesters realize what they are protesting for, or against.

I wonder, do they teach their own children to steal from convenience stores, then fight with police officers for their weapons, and then aggressively charge the officer? If they don’t have children of their own, is that what their own parents taught them to do? If they don’t yet have children, is that what they intend to teach their own children when they do have them? I wonder.

If we don’t have a rule of law, and if we don’t expect every member of society to obey it, then what do we have? I submit, we then have anarchy and mob rule. Truly a scary, dangerous place to sink to—dangerous for everyone.

Douglas Lyon

Claremont

Oppose water rate increases

Dear Editor:

On Monday, December 8 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Taylor Hall, a representative from the California Public Utilities Commission will hold a public hearing regarding Golden State Water’s proposed rate increases for 2016-2018.

Please join with your fellow Claremonters one more time to make our voices heard about this proposal. Several years ago, more than 700 of us rallied for a meeting with the CPUC with an outcry that helped propel us to the recent successful bond measure in support of Claremont taking back control of our water.

A good turnout on Monday will help to keep up the pressure and give support to the city’s position as we move forward in this complicated and important process.

Ethel Rogers

Claremont

Sore losers

Dear Editor:

So now some members of the lame duck Democratic minority are joining the Ferguson demonstrators/looters in pulling the race card. Three separate agencies investigate this shooting and clear Officer Wilson. Mr. Wilson voluntarily resigns from the department, but that is not enough. 

When will Obama get these people jobs so they have less time on their hands to protest? Isn’t that what he has promised over and over again? The answer to that is never.

The regressives would have to create those jobs in the private sector and that is something they seem incapable of doing. The illegals that he wants to give amnesty to have taken most of those jobs, and he and his minions/controllers enjoy this smoke and mirrors way of avoiding the real problems that this country faces.

Hayden Lening

Claremont

With gratitude

Dear Editor

The Friends of the Claremont Library wish to thank all in our community who  helped us support our library this important Centennial year. 

We began in January with the dedication of the children’s wing after the renovation sponsored by the Friends, the city, the county and Gloria Molina. We helped finance all the changes through memberships, donations and the bookstore, which is supported by the community through book donations, the volunteers who process the books and the buyers.

Our uppermost goal is to get books in the hands of children. To that end, we donate books to school libraries, individual teachers, Claremont High School and to the CLASP program. We also sponsor the Children’s Book Festival each year. In March, we gave three books of their choice to nearly 200 children.

We thank Claremont Heritage, which helped us create a history of our library that joined the county library system in 1914—with surprises along the way. And we thank the City Fourth of July Parade committee for naming the Friends as the Honored Group and allowing us to ride the trolley in the parade.

We also thank the On the Same Page committee for a very successful Fahrenheit 451 season. And thanks to Wallace  Cleaves, David Allen and Rob Latham who shared their expertise. Those of you who still have your “F51” signs on your lawn, it’s time to take them down. 

Thanks to our active Friends board, our volunteers and the wonderful staff at the library who help us every day.  And thanks to the COURIER for your assistance.

We encourage your continued support:  Visit the Antiquarian Fine Books Sale on Saturday, December 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the library meeting room. To preview, check out the display case in the library foyer.

Lanore Pearlman, President

Friends of the Claremont Library