League of Women Voters candidates forum tonight

The last of the major candidate forums will take place tonight. Hosted by the League of Woman Voters, the event takes place in the Padua Room at the Hughes Center. The forum begins at 7 p.m. All 8 candidate for the city council election will attend and answer questions. The election takes place on Tuesday, March 8.

More on lawn signs

My lawn sign post from Wednesday drew some attention from readers. After talking with Sam Pedroza again the following day, it turns out volunteers with the Democratic Club of Claremont was putting up signs for Pedroza and Robin Haulman, both Democrats, in the yards of DCC members. But if members were not home when DCC volunteers showed up, the signs went up in their yards anyways.

Strangely enough, I got a voice message the morning after my post from Rudy Mann, who complained that someone put a lawn sign from candidate Opanyi Nasiali, a Republican, in his front yard. Mann is the husband of DCC president Zephyr Tate-Mann and an active volunteer in the club.

We've been playing phone since then, so I haven't had the chance to ask Mann if he was one of the volunteers putting up lawn signs in DCC member's yards without asking permission first. If so, it seems odd to me and a bit ironic that he's complaining about an unwanted lawn sign while his DCC was going around doing the same thing to its members.

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."

E-Waste event this Saturday

Get rid of your dead batteries, old paint and unwanted electronics safely. A free E-Waste event will be held this Saturday in Claremont.

Residents can dispose of household hazardous waste, including unused pharmaceuticals, antifreeze, car batteries, used motor oil, paint, pesticides, and universal waste, including household batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, and electronic waste (e-waste), such as TVs and monitors, computers, VCRs, stereos, and cell phones at the next free Countywide Household Hazardous Waste Roundup.

It will be held in Claremont at the Claremont Corporate Yard, 1616 Monte Vista Avenue, on Saturday, February 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 
3:00 p.m. Residents can bring up to 15 gallons or 125 pounds of household hazardous waste per vehicle to the Roundup.

In Claremont tonight

A couple of noteworthy events going on tonight in Claremont.

First is a scoping meeting for the Gold Line Extension through Claremont. Once completed, the Gold Line extension will run from Azusa to Montclair with stops in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair.

The meeting takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Oakmont Elementary School at 120 W. Green St. Attendees will learn more and provide input on the scope of the project and alternatives and issues to be studied in the EIS/EIR. A presentation and Q&A session will be followed by an open house with project staff.

Also Active Claremont will host a candidates forum for the 8 city council candidates. The event takes place at the Hughes center beginning at 7 p.m.

Chinese official in Claremont

left to right: Maria Klawe, President, Harvey Mudd College, David Oxtoby, President, Pomona College; Madam Wu; Sheldon Schuster, President, Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences; Deborah Freund, President, Claremont Graduate University; Robert Walton, CEO, CUC.

The Claremont Colleges got a visit yesterday from a high ranking Chinese official. Madam Qidi Wu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, was invited to Claremont to discuss topics of mutual interest. She met with Robert Walton, CEO of the Claremont University Consortium and several college presidents. Below are some further details about the visit, courtesy of CUC.

Madam Wu is a member of the National People’s Congress, a policy making body of high ranking officials in the PRC government. Madam Wu, former President of Tongji University, is presently a professor in the university Department of Electrical Engineering. Madam Wu has been a leader in shaping higher education in China, exploring the concepts of higher educational characteristics unique to China.

During her visit, Madam Wu and the presidents discussed topics of mutual interest, including the interest of the Chinese central government in the establishment of high quality US and other international institutions of higher education in China. Madam Wu explained that in China, a “research university” is considered higher quality than a “college” and a top rated college could be refused a presence in China. An outcome of her visit and study of US higher education is to better understanding US higher education and continue to guide educational policy in China. The concept of liberal arts is not well understood or valued in China where science and engineering continue to be emphasized. Madam Wu identified The Claremont Colleges as the level of quality of interest for further discussion of educational partnerships in China.

Madam Wu’s visit to Claremont was at the invitation of Robert Walton, CEO of CUC. A delegation of Claremont Colleges Presidents and senior leaders met with Madam Wu in 2008 during a tour of Chinese institutions of higher education. Most recently, Madam Wu hosted Mr. Walton and Mr. Yang during their September 2010 visit to China. The meeting concluded with an invitation to the Claremont Colleges presidents to visit Beijing and Shanghai to continue discussion of mutual interest.

Claremont Wilderness park temporarily closed

The Claremont Wilderness Park will be closed until further notice due to the recent storms. From the city website:

The recent storms caused some significant damage in the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park. The hazardous trail conditions left by the rains and wind have made it impassable for emergency equipment and made it unsafe for hikers and bikers. Due to these safety concerns, the Fire Department has recommended closing the park until trail clearance can be completed which may take several weeks. The Wilderness Park will remain closed until further notice.