Readers’ comments: August 16, 2024

What’s up with that?
Dear editor:
Claremont High graduate Brittany Brown won the bronze medal in the 200 meters at the Olympic finals last week in Paris, and The Courier reports this on page 5! Really, page 5? Qu’est-ce qu’il y a avec ça?
Kathy Pezdek
Claremont

Protecting Claremont’s urban forest
Dear editor:
On August 9, the Courier published an article “City tree inventory growing following 2022 windstorm.” The city has made significant progress in updating Claremont’s tree inventory. Yet, Claremont can do more.
“As of April 2024, the urban forest consists of approximately 25,000 trees, with a total value of approximately $96 million,” the Courier reported. If we were to also consider the value of the private trees of residences, and on school campuses, and other private areas, this value is even greater.
On December 8, 2023 I wrote a Viewpoint article, “Why not plant oak trees to ease pollution?” On page 7 of the same issue, the Courier also published the recommendations from Katherine Friedman and others regarding “Group proposes improvements to the city’s tree policies.”
Why not have a database, such as OpenTreeMap, that graphically locates Claremont’s trees? Working with some volunteers, I put together a 2020 version of OpenTreeMap, but it has not been updated and supported by the city. Staff, our citizens, and consultants, can make better decisions about our urban forest.
Why not have an urban forester, as we have in the past, to manage the forest and improve these assets? We need someone with the proper qualifications and considerable experience for a better community.
Claremont’s urban forest includes public and private property. We should protect and enhance this heritage. We also need to deal with wildfires and address “red zones” in our community. We must enhance our air quality to protect our health and meet public health standards.
Let’s continue to make Claremont a special place in preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Mark von Wodtke
Claremont

Take the money, Corey
Dear editor:
When you read a 300% pay raise for our City Council [“Council approves pay increase, aligning with surrounding cities,” July 12] you are probably shocked. However, not when you consider the council members were only getting $400 a month and their raise went to $1,275 a month.
I’m reminded of Mark Twain when he said:
“Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.’”
I’ve seen Corey Calaycay at many city events, weekends and during evening hours, and he is the only council member who voted against the raise.
I applaud Corey for his dedication to the city, its citizens, his pronouncement of civic duty and concern for fiscal responsibility. I don’t begrudge the City Counsel getting a raise, the percentage is high and misleading in that the dollar amount is not excessive.
Take the money, Corey.
Lawrence Castorena
Claremont

Utilities profit while exacerbating climate change
Dear editor:
As the country and the rest of the world experience another year of scorching heat waves, private for-profit utility companies — who we rely upon for our basic necessities like heating, cooling and electricity — are keeping us reliant on climate wrecking fossil fuels while reporting record profits.
When they work well, utilities exist in the background of our lives, powering our homes, cooling us down when it’s hot, and giving us heat when it’s cold. But too often, they are sources of aggravation: The power goes off when it’s dangerously hot or cold out, our bills skyrocket, and these for-profit companies threaten to shut off services when we’re unable to pay.
We know that climate change raises those stakes even higher, and utility companies themselves play a massive role in exacerbating the climate crisis: 80% of electric utilities in the U.S. run on fossil fuels.
Shifting utilities to clean energy is integral to working toward a safer climate, but these private, for-profit companies would rather maintain the status quo and keep the public in the dark. Utility companies are charging us more while they get paid off by the fossil fuel industry to block the transition to renewable energy.
Utility companies have gotten away with profiting at the expense of people and our planet for too long. It’s time we hold them accountable and demand they stop using our money to burn our future while individuals and families struggle. We deserve an energy system that allows everyone to have access to clean and affordable energy.
Catherine Gould
Claremont

Groundwater flow is a possibly dangerous embarrassment
Dear editor:
The ground water flow originating at 639 N. Berkeley Ave. [“Golden State: Surface water from Claremont aquifer no cause for concern,” May 24] is a problem. Because it flows across the sidewalk on our driveway, I am aware of the safety hazards it causes.
Several people trying to cross have fallen because of the slippery growth under the water. The water has been flowing for several months and there are many types of flora growing underneath and along the edges. The city has power washed it several times to remove the growth, but it only takes two or three days for it to come back.
Children play in the water, and although I haven’t seen anyone hurt, they are hopping around on very slippery cement. Last night I watched seven different people balancing on the sandbags to try to cross without stepping in the slime.
It’s embarrassing to live in a city where neither the water company nor city government is willing to take responsibility for people’s safety.
Sara Simon
Claremont