Wilderness park master plan

Dear Editor:
This year, the city of Claremont has
embarked on a study to develop a mas-
ter-plan that will guide the management
of the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park.
Over the past months during public
meetings on the master plan, several
voices from the city council, the Techni-
cal Advisory Committee and neighbors
have repeatedly claimed that the purpose
of the park is preservation.
While actively supporting preserva-
tion, we, the members of the board of
Claremont Wildlands Conservancy, re-
spectfully disagree that this is the sole
purpose of the park. By doing some
homework, we have verified that the of-
ficial purpose is to combine preservation
with recreation. As we work together to
develop the master plan, it is critically
important to start with historically accu-
rate facts and to make sure that all stake-
holders are aware of these facts.
Understanding the historical intent for
the use of our hillsides is the starting
point, so we would like to call your at-
tention to the following sources:
The city ordinance of 1981 that de-
termined the hillsides land-use policy;
The city ordinance of 1996 that es-
tablished the initial Claremont Hills
Wilderness Park of 1125 acres, which
were transferred to the city from Pomona
College;
Articles of Incorporation of the
Claremont Hills Conservation Corpora-
tion, 1996. (The corporation was formed
to oversee the citys management of the
park and assure its future as open space.)
The current Claremont General
Plan.
All of these documents explicitly as-
sert that the purpose of the Claremont
Hills Wilderness Park is to blend low-in-
tensity recreational use (traditionally de-
fined as hiking, mountain biking,
horseback riding, picnicking and run-
ning) with preservation of open space
and natural habitat, free from develop-
ment.
We believe that establishing the best
balance through an open, informed and
fair-minded process with an eye to the
long-term future is the purpose of the
master plan.
At our website, www.claremontwild
lands.org, you will find a more detailed
version of this letter with excerpts from
the documents that support our con-
tention. You will also find ways to par-
ticipate in the master-planning process
that will help assure a successful and
well-balanced final plan.
Lissa Petersen
President, Claremont
Wildlands Conservancy
Make a friendly Foothill
[Editors note: The following letter was
addressed to Chris Veirs, senior planner,
with a copy forwarded to the COURIER
for publication. A sketch was included
with the letter, which is not reprinted
here. KD]
Dear Editor:
We own a house near the intersection
of Foothill and Mills and, like numerous
other residents, students and business
folks, we often have to cross Foothill on
foot to get to the Colleges, the Village,
etc. As you know, this is a busy intersec-
tion with lots of traffic. The auto traffic
goes way too fast here, and there is al-
most no regard for pedestrians and bikes
(all who drive are guilty). Bikes are con-
stantly driving down the middle of Mills
and confusing everything. We have three
kids aged 3, 8 and 17, so we are always
worried, particularly crossing Foothill at
the Mills intersection on the east side
from north to south.
I would like to see a master plan im-
plemented that gives pedestrians and
bikes a clear right of way. Id love to see
traffic diverted around the intersection
completely, which some would say is a
difficult thing at such a busy intersection.
I think it is possible.
Isuggest constructing a tunnel to con-
vey auto traffic under the current Foothill
and Mills intersection.Id like to see the
existing elevation used as a crossing ac-
cessible to bikes and pedestrians only.
The signal at Foothill and Mills would
come out, and new ones would be re-
configured, so that cars could still access
both thoroughfares from all directions.
The dentists office and hair salon
would be accessed through the Foothill
frontage (along the north), and Harvey
Mudds entrance (currently at the light
on the south) would have to be diverted
to the east.These access points are al-
ready there, they just need traffic signals.
Easy, right?!
Also, the tunnel would probably re-
quire the entrance to Morelia from Mills
to be closed to traffic, and business and
residential traffic from Cuernevaca,
Guadalajara and Morelia to exit via the
Foothill frontage road to the east.
The attached very rough sketch shows
the tunnel plan for the Foothill and Mills
intersection. Please consider this as part
of the Foothill Master Plan. I have faith
in the city of Claremont to fix this horri-
ble and outdated intersection. Feet on
Foothill: the Foothill and Mills Tunnel
Solution (Yes, you have my permission
to use this slogan)will be an innovative
design, will elevate home values and will
provide a jewel in the Foothill Master
Plan that could be a crowning legacy for
this planning department. Lets make it
happen, and lets make it beautiful.
Also, please keep in mind that Millard
Sheets designed the apartment complex,
his adjacent art studio (now a doctors
office) and the Guadalajara and Cuer-
navaca neighborhoods, which likely
makes them all eligible as a district for
the California Register of Historical Re-
sources, the National Register of Historic
Places and, as such, significant resources
under CEQA.
David Brunzell
Claremont
Campaign finance limits
Dear Editor:
The much-anticipated US Supreme
Court decision in the pivotal campaign
finance case, McCutcheon v. FEC, was
issued earlier this month, and once again
the court ruled on the side of big money
in knocking down aggregate campaign
contribution limits.
The case challenged the limits on the
total contributions from an individual
donor to candidates and political com-
mittees that were designed to prevent
corruption and the appearance of cor-
ruption.
The importance of this decision can-
not be overstated. While McCutcheon
dealt with a technical and arcane matter
of campaign finance law, in the end it is
all about more money and more influ-
ence.
As a result of this decision, another
loophole in campaign finance laws has
opened allowing political parties and
PACs to become huge funnels for cor-
rupting elected officials across the coun-
try.
The court has used the McCutcheon
decision to continue dismantling the wall
of protection against big money domi-
nance in our political systemcase by
case, brick by brick.
As in previous decisions by the
Roberts Court, Chief Justice ignores the
corruption he is turning loose in Amer-
icas election system.
Simply put: The McCutcheon deci-
sion means more power for big money
and more corruption for the rest of us.
Now more than ever, we need to fight to
make every vote count and give every el-
igible voter free and fair access to the
polls. In the end, the only reliable re-
sponse to a flood of money in our elec-
tions is a flood of voters at the polls.
Ellen Taylor
VP for Advocacy
LWV of the Claremont Area
Claremont COURIER/Friday, May 16, 2014 7
READERS COMMENTS
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READERS COMMENTS
Agendas for city meetings are avail-
able at www.ci.claremont.ca.us
GOVERNING
OURSELVES
Monday, May 19
Wilderness Master Plan TAC
Hughes Center, 6 to 9 p.m.
Tuesday, May 20
Planning Commission
Council Chamber, 7 p.m.
Youth Sports Committee
Hughes Center, 7 p.m.
ADVENTURES
I N HAI KU
June Blooms
Her lavender shawl
Senora Jacaranda
Spreads across the lawn
Karen Hanna-Towne
Haiku submissions should reflect upon life
or events in Claremont. Please email entries
to editor@claremont-courier.com.