Tonight's city council meeting

The city council will discuss plans by the city to expand the parking lot for the Claremont Wilderness Park. The city secured a $150,000 grant from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District for the expansion project.

The expansion could include the installation of parking meters. According to a city staff report, there are over 310,000 park visitors each year. About 75 percent of park users are not residents of Claremont.

Also at the meeting, the council will consider amending the city's municipal code on city parks. Apparently, the police department does not have the authority to enforce park closure hours and residents in parks after hours can simply refuse to comply with police. The code amendment will change that. The council will also be asked to approved an amendment to allow dogs on leashes at Padua Park's walking trails.

The meeting takes place in the city council chambers on Tuesday night beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Sam Pedroza is Claremont's new mayor

Claremont has a new Mayor.

Sam Pedroza was selected to head the city council over the next year at last night's council meeting. After serving 4 years on the council, Pedroza was next in line to take over the leadership position.

"I'm very much looking forward to working together because that's the only way we're going to make things happen," Pedroza said of the new council.

Outgoing mayor Linda Elderkin gave a teary farewell speech before stepping off the dias for the final time.

"I have come to understand through wonderful experience what is meant by the often used phrase: 'It has been an honor and a privilege'," she said.

New city council members Opanyi Nasiali and Joe Lyons were also sworn into office last night. The new-look council will get down to business next Tuesday, beginning with a closed session discussion on salary negotiations with the city's labor unions.

The council will also discuss a contract on the Claremont Safe Routes to School program and hear a report card and background report on Claremont Sustainability.

Unwelcome lawn signs

Complaints about lawn signs are a long tradition in Claremont during election season. Either they go missing from people's yards or are placed on public property illegally. In the last couple of days, we're hearing complaints from residents about candidate's lawn signs popping up in their front yards without their permission.

Gwen Brown, who lives on Scripps Drive, came home yesterday to find lawn signs from city council candidates Sam Pedroza and Robin Haulman in her front yard. They've since been taken down and put in the garage.

"I would appreciate if I was asked first before a political sign went up on my property," Ms. Brown said. "I really take offense to a controlling political party trying to push an opinion on me."

In another neighborhood in north Claremont, the same 2 candidate's signs appeared in another resident's lawn.

"I do not know anything about Robin Haulman, never met nor do I know her," said the resident, who asked not to be named. "Sam I am aware is on the city council now but I was surprised that someone had the hutzpa to plant their signs in my yard without asking permission. I have nothing personally against either one but thought it was rather rude."

Pedroza responded that he always asks before putting up a lawn sign or provides them to people who specifically ask him for one. He doesn't know who may have put up the signs without the residents' permission.

Haulman added that she has a release form for residents to sign stating they want a lawn sign and agree to take one.

"No one should be indiscriminately putting up signs without getting their express permission beforehand," Haulman said.

Pedroza noted that lawn sign shenanigans are a constant problem in Claremont elections and wished the problems could be avoided.

"If I didn't have to do signs, I wouldn't," Pedroza said. "They're more trouble than they're worth."

More pull papers for city council election

Potential candidate for the March city council election have a week to file their paperwork. So far, a total of 11 residents have pulled papers from the city clerk's office. The filing deadline is next Wednesday, December 15. Here's the latest list, courtesy of City Clerk Lynne Fryman.

Joseph Armendarez
Parker Emerson
Robin Haulman
Rex Jaime
Michael Keenan
Ed Leavell
Douglas Lyon
Joseph Lyons
Opanyi Nasiali
Sam Pedroza
Jay Pocock

City Council election update

The March city council election is beginning to take shape. A total of 8 potential candidates have thus far pulled papers for the upcoming city council election. The candidates will be vying for 3 open seats on the council. And the race is wide open. Mayor Linda Elderkin will not run for a second term. Councilmember Peter Yao has resigned from the council due to his selection to the Citizens Redistricting Commission. Mayor Pro Tem Sam Pedroza will be the sole incumbent in the race. Here's a list of those who've pulled papers from the city clerk. The filing deadline is Wednesday, December 15.

Joseph Armendarez
Robin Haulman
Rex Jamie
Michael Keenan
Ed Leavell
Joseph Lyons
Opanyi Nasiali
Sam Pedroza

Smoking ban extended

Smoking is now banned in the Village West public plaza, at the Claremont Depot and on the small 2nd floor balcony in the parking structure on First Street. The city council voted 3 to 2 in favor of the ban at last night's council meeting.

Smoking is still permitted in the walkways going into the Village West public plaza, the adjacent sidewalks and patio areas of restaurants like Casa Moreno and The Back Abbey that are in the plaza.

Smoking is already not permitted in city parks, the Claremont Wilderness Park, on Thompson Creek trail and near the entrances of government buildings.

No smoking signs will be posted in the areas announcing the new regulation. Smokers caught breaking the law are subject to fines.

Yao will serve at his final council meeting tonight

After 8 years of service to the city, Councilmember Peter Yao will sit at the council dias for the final time at tonight's meeting. Yao will resign from his position at the end of the month after being selected to serve on the Citizens Redistricting Commission of California.

The council will need to decide how to move forward for the next 2 months with only 4 council members. They can appoint someone to serve in the position until the March 8 council election or choose to leave the seat vacant.

The council will also consider amending an ordinance that bans smoking in city parks to include public plazas. If approved, smoking of tobacco products will be prohibited in the Village West public courtyard outside of the Laemmle Theater.

The meeting beings at 6:30 p.m. in the city council chamber.

Public input stifled at city council meeting

Residents often take advantage of the opportunity to make comments to elected officials at public meetings like city council and school board meetings. But at Tuesday night's city council meeting, Councilmember Larry Schroeder didn't seem to like the comments of one resident.

Michael Keenan spent his 4 minutes of public comment talking about Measure CL. Keenan does not support the school bond and shared his views with the council. But halfway through his comments, Schroeder cut him off, arguing that Measure CL is not within the city council's jurisdiction.

You can watch the action unfold at this link. Click on the October 26 video and skip ahead to about the 15 minute mark.

People have addressed the city council on all sorts of topics, from state laws on medical marijuana to human rights violations in China and the cooking shows at the Claremont library. Technically speaking, much of what people bring up during public comment is not directly under the council's purview. Schroeder never objected before.

Maybe he didn't like the particular speaker's opinions about Measure CL. Maybe he didn't like the speaker. Regardless, the city council has historically given speakers free rein during public comment to talk about whatever they want. And kudos to Mayor Linda Elderkin for standing up for that right. In the future, I hope the council continues to give speakers their 4 minutes without being rudely interrupted.

Claremont's sanitation plans

There was a lot of trash talking at last night's city council meeting. The first announcement was a deal made during closed session between the city and its sanitation employees. In exchange for some concessions from the employees on CalPERS benefits, the city agreed to put its sanitation cost/benefit analysis on hold for at least 5 years.

City Manager Jeff Parker then announced plans for a new 20-year contract between Claremont and San Bernardino County for trash disposal. The agreement includes even lower tipping fees than the city's current rate with an Orange County landfill. With the 20-year agreement, the city is off the hook from joining the costly Waste-By-Rail program through Los Angeles County, which would have led to skyrocketing sanitation bills for Claremont residents.

The city also came up with a 10-year agreement with Recycled Waste Products in Pomona to haul the city's green waste. All the agreements above have yet to be officially approved by the council and will appear on an upcoming city council agenda.

Still there was excitement about the announcements from both council members and those attending the meeting.

"Not only is this making the program more efficient but its also very proactive and kudos to [the city manager] for making that happen," Mayor Pro Tem Sam Pedroza said. "A 20-year contract is unheard of and that's a fantastic piece of news."

City Council meets tonight

The City Council will meet tonight for the second time this month. The agenda looks lighter than the previous council meeting, which ran well after midnight.

Among tonight's agenda items is a request for the council to approve the final parcel map to divide 11.45 acres of Bernard Field Station land into 4 distinct parcels.

The 11.45 acres is owned by Harvey Mudd College and is located north of the Foothill Boulevard frontage road between College and Dartmouth avenues.

The purpose of the subdivision, according to the city staff report, is so that Harvey Mudd can sell half the land to Claremont Graduate University. "Neither academic institution has any developments plans at this time," the report reads.

Still, future development on these properties seems likely. As part of the approval, the city is asking for an agreement requiring a future developer to construct improvements such as street lighting, sidewalk, curb and gutter and undergrounding of utilities.

Also, the subdivider has been required to reserve a 10-foot private easement across the frontage of the parcel map, along both College Avenue and the Foothill Boulevard frontage road. That would allow for space to build a shared bike/pedestrian path and additional street lighting when the properties are developed.

The council will also conduct a 2-year review of their ordinance restricting salons and day spas in the Village and consider changes to funding for the city's Community Based Organization and Homeless Program.

Claremont salaries compared to Bell

The story of the summer has been the outrageous salaries being pulled in by city staff and council members in the city of Bell near downtown Los Angeles.

Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo was earning nearly $800,000 per year, their police chief Randy Adams earned $457,000 a year and Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia was earning $376,288 annually. All resigned after their salaries were exposed by the Los Angeles Times.

In addition, 4 out of 5 Bell city council members were raking in about $100,000 per year.

In reaction, Claremont City Manager Jeff Parker added an item on his most recent weekly report about salaries for top city staff and council members in Claremont. Here's what he wrote:

As the media reports on the City of Bell's salaries for council and administrative staff, residents across the country are discussing the compensation of their own City officials. In accordance with the City of Claremont's open communication philosophy, the City of Claremont makes this information readily available to the public.

Each member of the City Council receives $400 per month compensation and an additional $30 per Redevelopment Agency meeting. The City Council does not receive retirement benefits and during the 2010-12 budget process, medical benefits were eliminated from council's budget. City commissioners are appointed by the City Council and receive no compensation.

As detailed in the budget, the City Manager's annual salary is $211,000 and the Assistant City Manager's annual salary is $165,000. The Police Chief's annual salary is $174,000. These salaries are based on surveys of comparable cities with similar services and populations to Claremont's 37,000 residents. Cities surveyed include Upland, Brea, La Verne, Glendora, Arcadia, Azusa, Covina, Rialto, Montclair, Monrovia, and Chino.

A complete list of salary ranges for each City position is available upon request through the City Clerk's office. For additional information, please call the City Manager's Office at 909-399-5441.

City Council meeting tonight

In its last meeting before the summer break, the city council will have a lot to discuss. The open session meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the city council chamber.

The council will consider a proposal by a private operator, Children's Source, LLC, to run the city's preschool and Tiny Tots programs. With the recent budget cuts, funding was no longer available for the city to subsidize the programs. The lease agreement would allow the operator to use the city's facilities over the next 5 years.

The owner of boutique gift shop Three French Hens is interested in taking over the vacant retail space in the Village West parking structure. Owned by the city, the retail space was recently vacated by Bedol What's Next and is available for lease. The council will be asked to approve the terms of the lease agreement.

Two Packing House businesses have applied for funding from the city for business improvements. The city has a CDBG job creation grant to attract new businesses and support business expansion in the city that create new jobs in town.

The Hip Kitty Jazz & Fondue Lounge wants to expand into the former art gallery space located in the Packing House. The Packing House Wine Merchant also wants to expand into the former Claremont Forum bookstore space. Both are requesting $50,000 from the city as the projects would create 2 full time equivalent jobs for the businesses.

The council will also consider relaxing the city's code on business signage to allow businesses more freedom to advertise and promote themselves. If approved, the amended ordinance would:

-Allow businesses to have freestanding identification signs in addition to building-mounted signs.
-Permit multi-tenant center signs if included as part of a center sign program.
-Establish that the city will adopt a multi-tenant center sign enhancement program to promote more effective identification of tenants.
-Allow center identification signs that have only the name of the center in addition to the multi-tenant signs.
-Remove distance requirement for freestanding freeway-oriented signs and permit the identification of more than 3 tenants on freestanding freeway-oriented signs.

City staff gets creative in looking at budget deficit

As the July deadline approaches, the city council will take another look at the city's 2-year budget and consider ways to shore up the remaining budget deficit.

At the previous budget meeting in March, the council agreed to eliminate about 20 staff positions. They also pushed the discussion on the remaining $235,000 deficit for 2010-11 and $750,000 deficit in 2011-12 to tomorrow's meeting.

According to a staff report, some of the cuts being recommended are ones directly impacting city council members. The council is being asked to limit their yearly travel budget to $6000 per council member, leading to about $30,000 in savings.

Staff is also recommending the elimination of medical allowances for city council members beginning in 2011-12. Right now, only Peter Yao accepts medical coverage through his position on the council so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to the proposed cut. If approved, the benefits elimination will save the city $21,936.

The rest of the savings being proposed are not so clear.

A big chunk of the savings, about $286,000, comes from "anticipated benefit reductions" from city staff. However, since contract negotiations with staff union are still ongoing, there is no guarantee that these reductions will get approved by the unions.

Another $252,798 in savings comes from "shift of salaries from GF to RDA." This means a handful of employees will get their salary checks from the city's Redevelopment Agency rather than the General Fund. While this frees up money in the General Fund, there is no actual saving to the city in the grand scheme of things.

Other savings come from "revenue adjustments" and "overhead cost refinements" where staff anticipates greater revenue and reduced costs not previously accounted for. Those savings amount to about $351,000 over the next 2 years.

The council will meet Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the city council chamber. The COURIER will have a report on the meeting in our Wednesday paper.

4th of July winners

At last night's city council meeting, the Independence Day Committee announced this year's Grand Marshall, Honored Citizen, Honored Group and the 4th of July theme.

Here are the winners:

Grand Marshall - Paul & Kay Held
Honored Citizen - Rita Wodinsky
Honored Group - the Claremont After School Program (CLASP)
Theme - Star Spangled Claremont
(The theme was chosen among 95 entries from Claremont Kindergarten through 6th grade students. The idea came from Elizabeth Boyett of Western Christian School, who will take part in the parade.)

Congratulations to this year's winners!

Smoking ban rejected

"I choose free will." - Mayor Pro Tem Sam Pedroza, quoting a song from Rush.

The proposed outdoor ban on smoking in Claremont was not passed on Tuesday night. The city council voted 4 to 1 against the prohibition measure, citing potential negative impacts on businesses and a lack of evidence that second-hand smoke in outdoor settings is any sort of health risk.

Nearly 20 speakers addresses the council on the issue during the meeting, most of whom were opposed to the ban. One speaker, Ed Tessier, mocked the idea, saying the council should next ban strong smelling perfumes, the Metrolink because it causes pollution and crying babies.

Only Councilmember Larry Schroeder supported the proposal, saying that "the public good often trumps the personal choice."

Both Councilmember Peter Yao and Mayor Pro Tem Sam Pedroza questioned why the item was even on the council's agenda. Back in 2008, the council already discussed banning smoking in the public plaza and decided against it at that time.

They criticized the Community Services Commission for wasting the time of an already understaffed city staff with an item that was clearly not a priority for the city council.

Is smoking in public a nuisance?

The city council will meet tonight to discuss an ordinance that would bar people from smoking in many public places around the city.

The proposed law should generate some controversy, raising questions about personal freedoms of smokers and the government's role in addressing public health concerns due to smoking. Others are asking what the law's affect can have on businesses in town.

Smokers certainly enjoy having their beverage of choice and a smoke while lounging on patios outside of Starbucks, Some Crust Bakery, the Press, the Hip Kitty, Coffee Bean, the Back Abbey, etc. Casablanca in the Packing House even rents out hookahs on their patio. The law would bar smoking in all these places, and some are worried it will push business out of town.

The proposed ordinance would also ban smoking at the Farmer's Market, in the Village West public plaza and at city functions with large gatherings. College students would be affected too, at their outdoor cafes and restaurant seating areas.

Here's the city staff report on the subject. On page 2, the report acknowledges the reality of the situation. Even if this law is passed, it will be just another leaf blower ordinance that is largely ineffective and rarely enforced.

Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the city council chambers at city hall.

City council to discuss property sales

The city council will meet tonight for its first of 2 April meetings. To begin the meeting, the council has a closed session hearing on negotiations with the city employee unions.

During the open session beginning at 6:30 p.m., the council will be asked to approved the sale of Redevelopment Agency-owned land at Base Line Road and Towne Avenue. The 2.66 acres of land was purchased back in 2005/06 to build an affordable housing project.

If the sale goes through, the agency will be losing money on the property to the tune of $210,000. It was purchased for $1.96 million and the proposed sale prices is $1.75 million.

The proposed buyer is City Ventures, a residential developer based in Los Angeles.

Another item on the agenda centers around the sale of land at the Bernard Field Station after an appeal was filed on the approval of parcel maps there.

On March 2, the Planning Commission approved the creation of 4 parcel maps on 11.45 acres of the property. Owner Harvey Mudd College plans to sell half of the property to Claremont Graduate University.

Michael Keenan filed the appeal on the premise that the zoning and land use designations are inconsistent and inappropriate.

Harvey Mudd has announced in the past their intention to build a parking lot on the property, however the staff report states that neither HMC or CGU "has any development plans at this time."

The meeting takes place at the city council chambers at city hall. Residents can also watch the meetings live here.

More staff layoffs being considered

The city council will meet tomorrow morning at a second budget workshop this month. With another major budget deficit on the horizon, the council will need to consider more deep cuts.

The city is preparing its 2011-12 budget and city officials estimate a $2.75 million budget shortfall over the next 2 years.

According to the staff report for tomorrow's meeting, about 20 staff jobs, both full and part time positions, could be eliminated. Among those recommended by the city manager are an economic development officer, city planners, a senior engineer, a community improvement officer, groundskeepers, tree trimmers and more.

According to the report, the cuts could save the city $1,083,727 in 2011 and $1,699,343 in 2012, leaving the city with a deficit of $750,299. Staff recommends dipping into the General Fund reserve to cover the remaining deficit.

You may remember that the city already cut about 15 percent of its workforce last year due to budget problems.

Tomorrow's meeting will take place at the city council chamber from 8 a.m. to noon. It is open to the public.

Appeal withdrawn, no 7-Eleven

Opponents of a 7-Eleven in Claremont will be happy to hear the convenience store has withdrawn their appeal of a negative Planning Commission decision. In other words, they're waving the white flag over their fight to open a store at Mills and Foothill.

The city council was scheduled to have a public hearing tonight at the council meeting and decide whether to overturn the Planning Commission decision. The item will not be discussed at tonight's meeting and the commission's original decision stands.

It would seem that the business applicant did not like its chances of getting 3 out of 5 votes at tonight's meeting. "They could tell which way the winds were blowing with the neighborhood and on the council," as one observer commented.

For now, neighborhood opponents of 7-Eleven can claim victory over the unwanted business. The Mills/Foothill building owner will have to go back to the drawing board and find a tenant willing to pay the high rent being demanded and, at the same time, be embraced by the neighbors.

But in this economy, it's certainly not easy to attract new businesses. The city might be stuck with an empty building at that corner for several more months.

I'd love to hear some viable suggestions for a successful business that area residents would regularly shop at in that building. Any thoughts?

7-Eleven opposition gets organized

I've seen some organized opposition during public comment at city meetings. Some people prepare speeches to exactly fit the 4-minute allotted time frame. Others have given slide shows to back up their arguments. But this one takes the cake!

It's a video posted on Youtube by David Sawhill, a resident who lives near the proposed 7-Eleven site. See below. Sawhill can't attend next Tuesday night's city council meeting due to an open house at Claremont High School where he works, so he's asked city staff to show the video during public comment in his absence.

In the video, Sawhill vividly describes the traffic hazards that neighbors believe will cause problems at the proposed business site and in his neighborhood. He's even come up with descriptive names for the hazards, like "the black hole," "blind man's curve" and "Can you see me now?"

The 7-Eleven opposition has also created a Facebook page, Say NO to Claremont 7-11, dedicated solely to stopping the business from opening at the location. So far, the page has attracted 37 fans.

The city council will hear the appeal on Tuesday, March 23. According to the appeal, which you can read in full here, the business applicant is willing to limit operating hours from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. and alcohol sales from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.