Rewriting History

We suppose we are old-fashioned in thinking that City of Claremont news releases ought to be taken seriously. We have been impressed recently the the City news has been larded with spin, half-truths, and double-speak. Even the City Manager's Report, which used to circulate to the councilmembers and give them real information has degenerated into just another happy-face press release since it was made available to the community on the website.

A reader forwarded a note from a prominent Claremonter questioning the City's "Johnson's Pasture" press release of last Friday. The sugar-coated PR bureaucratese read:

...This project was only possible because of the devoted efforts of Claremont residents who approved Measure S and the hard work of the business community, community groups, and the Claremont Colleges. [emphasis added]

The problem is, the business community, if by "business community" you mean the Chamber of Commerce, did not support Measure S. Measure S, which provided the authority to issue the bonds that paid the bulk of the cost of Johnson's Pasture, won by a 71% to 29% majority. The Chamber Board did endorse the failed "Parks and Pasture" assessment district, which was rejected by property owners in July 2006 by a 56% to 44% margin.

So you have the Chamber Board endorsing a failed measure, and failing to endorse a successful measure with the overwhelming support of the voters in the community. That sounds like being out of touch to us.

(This is not to slight the many individual business owners who supported and voted for Measure S. We appreciate your commitment and contributions to our community. But take a look at your leadership and hold it accountable.)

All in all, we suppose it's just another day in the Wonderland of the Claremont 400, where words mean just what they choose them to mean, no more and no less.