Opinion

The collapse of Claremont PD Dear Editor: As a career prosecutor with more than 30 years of experience working with Claremont PD and dozens of other police agencies, I am very concerned about the revelation at the January 30 special council meeting that Chief Shelly Vander Veen has not been able to identify a single […]

Have you enjoyed the dozens of aerial photos and videos the COURIER has published over the last few years? These images may be a thing of the past if the FAA is allowed to implement new drone remote ID laws. This may be good news for some people, but this plan will severely limit the […]

Lose your delusion Dear Editor: Members of our family and friends ride Metrolink daily and wait on a platform for the train, sometimes the weather conditions can be unkind to the unsheltered. Additionally, scores of Metro bus riders commute to and from the First Street bus stops. The bus stop on the north side of […]

by Jan Wheatrcroft The thought of traveling again brings back so many memories. Many were stimulated when I was going through a box of photographs both from my childhood and the life my children and I had on Samos Island in Greece.   I would love to return to Greece again as it holds so […]

by Peter Weinberger pweinberger@claremont-courier.com Last week the COURIER unveiled a long list of changes based on feedback from readers and advertisers. I talked about the local news changes occurring in small communities all around the US. It’s obvious that local news is on life support. My last column focused on our financial challenges by giving […]

Depot development Dear Editor: Matt Magilke criticizes the city’s release of funds to upgrade the Depot suggesting that it is a piece of governmental corruption. The criticism is not warranted. Proposition C, passed in 1990, provides jurisdictions within LA County to improve transportation facilities of all sorts. Claremont wrote a grant proposal in 2016 to […]

by Don Gould Whenever someone asks me whether it’s worth it to make a small extra effort to earn some additional money on their savings, I often apply what I call the “sidewalk” test. I ask, if that amount were sitting on the sidewalk right in front of you, would you bend over to pick […]

Look in the mirror, Joe Dear Editor: As members of the committee that led the opposition to Measure CR, we recognize that many residents of Claremont reasonably supported the proposed increase of our local sales tax to 10.5 percent. We also believe that vigorous debate is the hallmark of a healthy civic culture. We are disappointed […]

by Joe Lyons As we begin a new decade filled with many challenges on all fronts, particularly those created by our collective failure to approve Measure CR in November, I am compelled to speak out on the state and fate of our city. In doing so, I hope to put in stark relief the far […]

An important election year is ahead, join the League of Women Voters Women’s right to vote was achieved through a long and hard-fought struggle that is not yet over. This past election marks the 99th year since women in America voted in a federal election for the first time. One hundred years ago, on November […]

I recently attended a talk at Pitzer College by Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, and left thinking how his words apply not only to the trust and community that he has established with mostly former gang members, but also with the mission of the Claremont Homeless Advocacy Program (CHAP) and […]

by Mellissa Martinez   Despite being a bona fide Christmas curmudgeon, I recently headed out for a night of caroling. To be clear, my participation came with the promise of flowing spirits, saucy jokes and forgiveness for my off-pitch crooning. As it turns out, our boisterous group was no different from the carolers of old. […]

  Claremont civility Dear Editor: I thank the Claremont COURIER for an opportunity to contribute to a community dialogue for improving our city’s feeling of civility. There is no question that this nation, from coast to coast and states beyond, is less tolerant of our differences than what many of us grew up with. Beginning […]

Have you ever wondered what Claremont would be like if the COURIER didn’t exist? This isn’t going to happen on my watch, but local news companies are dying all over America, and community newspapers are taking the biggest hit. The Claremont COURIER is not immune to these issues, but we are ready to tackle these […]

by Chris Naticchia Now that the state has released its new housing unit allocations and assigned Claremont responsibility to zone for over 1,600 units—a quarter of them low- and very-low income—we’re likely to see increased attention from residents to housing affordability.  Clearly, affordable housing is a pressing, humanitarian issue: people who can’t afford housing often […]

There’s no denying Claremont is in a tug-of-war. Like most cities in California, we are growing and changing, and I get the sense we’re all struggling with it a little. So as we move full force into the holidays—a time of gratitude and celebration then, with the new year, renewal—I’ve found myself trying to make […]