Wilderness park master planDear Editor:

This year, the city of Claremont hasembarked on a study to develop a mas-ter-plan that will guide the managementof the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park.

Over the past months during publicmeetings on the master plan, severalvoices from the city council, the Techni-cal Advisory Committee and neighborshave repeatedly claimed that the purposeof the park is preservation.

While actively supporting preserva-tion, we, the members of the board ofClaremont Wildlands Conservancy, re-spectfully disagree that this is the solepurpose of the park. By doing somehomework, we have verified that the of-ficial purpose is to combine preservationwith recreation. As we work together todevelop the master plan, it is criticallyimportant to start with historically accu-rate facts and to make sure that all stake-holders are aware of these facts.

Understanding the historical intent forthe use of our hillsides is the startingpoint, 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 HillsWilderness Park of 1125 acres, whichwere transferred to the city from PomonaCollege;

• Articles of Incorporation of theClaremont Hills Conservation Corpora-tion, 1996. (The corporation was formedto oversee the city’s management of thepark and assure its future as open space.)

• The current Claremont GeneralPlan.  

All of these documents explicitly as-sert that the purpose of the ClaremontHills 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 spaceand natural habitat, free from develop-ment. 

We believe that establishing the bestbalance through an open, informed andfair-minded process with an eye to thelong-term future is the purpose of themaster plan.

At our website, www.claremontwildlands.org, you will find a more detailedversion of this letter with excerpts fromthe documents that support our con-tention. You will also find ways to par-ticipate in the master-planning processthat will help assure a successful andwell-balanced final plan.

Lissa PetersenPresident, Claremont

Wildlands Conservancy

Make a friendly Foothill[Editor’s note: The following letter wasaddressed to Chris Veirs, senior planner,with a copy forwarded to the COURIERfor publication. A sketch was includedwith the letter, which is not reprintedhere. —KD]Dear Editor:

We own a house near the intersectionof Foothill and Mills and, like numerousother residents, students and businessfolks, we often have to cross Foothill onfoot to get to the Colleges, the Village,

etc. As you know, this is a busy intersec-tion with lots of traffic. The auto trafficgoes 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 Millsand confusing everything. We have threekids aged 3, 8 and 17, so we are alwaysworried, particularly crossing Foothill atthe Mills intersection on the east sidefrom north to south. 

I would like to see a master plan im-plemented that gives pedestrians andbikes a clear right of way. I’d love to seetraffic diverted around the intersectioncompletely, which some would say is adifficult thing at such a busy intersection.I think it is possible.

I suggest constructing a tunnel to con-vey auto traffic under the current Foothilland Mills intersection. I’d like to see theexisting elevation used as a crossing ac-cessible to bikes and pedestrians only.The signal at Foothill and Mills wouldcome out, and new ones would be re-configured, so that cars could still accessboth thoroughfares from all directions.

The dentist’s office and hair salonwould be accessed through the Foothillfrontage (along the north), and HarveyMudd’s entrance (currently at the lighton the south) would have to be divertedto 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 Millsto be closed to traffic, and business andresidential traffic from Cuernevaca,Guadalajara and Morelia to exit via theFoothill frontage road to the east.  

The attached very rough sketch showsthe tunnel plan for the Foothill and Millsintersection. Please consider this as partof the Foothill Master Plan. I have faithin the city of Claremont to fix this horri-ble and outdated intersection. Feet onFoothill: the Foothill and Mills TunnelSolution (Yes, you have my permissionto use this slogan) will be an innovativedesign, will elevate home values and willprovide a jewel in the Foothill MasterPlan that could be a crowning legacy forthis planning department. Let’s make ithappen, and let’s make it beautiful. 

Also, please keep in mind that MillardSheets designed the apartment complex,his adjacent art studio (now a doctor’soffice) and the Guadalajara and Cuer-navaca neighborhoods, which likelymakes them all eligible as a district forthe California Register of Historical Re-sources, the National Register of HistoricPlaces and, as such, significant resourcesunder CEQA. 

David BrunzellClaremont

Campaign finance limitsDear Editor:

The much-anticipated US SupremeCourt decision in the pivotal campaignfinance case, McCutcheon v. FEC, wasissued earlier this month, and once againthe court ruled on the side of big moneyin knocking down aggregate campaigncontribution limits.

The case challenged the limits on thetotal contributions from an individualdonor to candidates and political com-mittees that were designed to preventcorruption and the appearance of cor-ruption.

The importance of this decision can-not be overstated. While McCutcheondealt with a technical and arcane matterof campaign finance law, in the end it isall about more money and more influ-ence.

As a result of this decision, anotherloophole in campaign finance laws hasopened allowing political parties andPACs to become huge funnels for cor-rupting elected officials across the coun-try.

The court has used the McCutcheondecision to continue dismantling the wallof protection against big money domi-nance in our political system—case bycase, brick by brick.

As in previous decisions by theRoberts Court, Chief Justice ignores thecorruption he is turning loose in Amer-ica’s election system.

Simply put: The McCutcheon deci-sion means more power for big moneyand more corruption for the rest of us.Now more than ever, we need to fight tomake every vote count and give every el-igible voter free and fair access to thepolls. 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 TaylorVP for Advocacy

LWV of the Claremont Area

Claremont COURIER/Friday, May 16, 2014 7

READERS’ COMMENTSSend readers’ comments via email to edi-

tor@claremont-courier.com or by mail orhand-delivery to 1420 N. Claremont Blvd.Ste. 205B, Claremont, CA 91711. The dead-line for submission is Tuesday at 5 p.m. Let-ters are the opinion of the writer, not areflection of the COURIER. We reserve theright to edit letters. Letters should not exceed250 words. We cannot guarantee publicationof every letter. Letters and viewpoints will bepublished at the discretion of the editor.

READERS’ COMMENTS

Agendas for city meetings are avail-able at www.ci.claremont.ca.us

GOVERNINGOURSELVES

Monday, May 19Wilderness Master Plan TAC Hughes Center, 6 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday, May 20Planning Commission Council Chamber, 7 p.m.

Youth Sports Committee Hughes Center, 7 p.m.

ADVENTURES IN HA IKU

June BloomsHer lavender shawlSenora JacarandaSpreads across the lawn—Karen Hanna-Towne

Haiku submissions should reflect upon lifeor events in Claremont. Please email entriesto editor@claremont-courier.com.