Self-Congratulations are in Order

Courier Place

It seems as if no matter how blue we are feeling, what with the City, State, and Country going to Hades in a handcar, the Claremont City Letter can always be counted on to lend a bit of upbeat cheer.

If you want to feel good about your City and yourself, nothing beats the City Letter.

Today's issue arrived in our mailbox and, well, it must be a slow news quarter because the whole front page is devoted to Construction On The Affordable Housing Project Set To Begin. That is exciting news.

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But even the fact that they are going to start is pretty mundane compared with the news that Jamboree Housing Corp., has named the project Courier Place--because it will occupy the site of the soon-to-be-former building that housed the Claremont Courier.

We had actually been pulling for Goldwater Gardens or--and we really like this one--The High Towers, after Helaine Goldwater or former planner Sharon Hightower who appointed themselves leaders of what we came to know fondly as "The Coalition" for affordable housing.

It's a matter of some regret that Parque Insider wasn't chosen. But we choose not to whine.

It's a nice touch to include a picture of the Courier building complete with plywood covering the formerly attractive casement windows. That's more or less the Claremont way: bulldoze it over and commemorate it with a sign.

Still, we can't help but think this is just a lagniappe to "buy off" the Courier. We remember when Martin Weinberger edited the paper from his cluttered desk in the southeast corner of the newsroom, he was pretty incensed at getting first a big rent increase when his former landlord died, and then getting thrown out when the new owners and City got involved. All of this while he was beginning to face serious health problems. Maybe this olive branch will buy some decent and even fawning coverage from the absentee publisher and managing editor.

We suggest you try to read the article in the image. Click to enlarge it. It's a pretty good example of city-speak at its finest, including "partner" as a verb, all the passive sentences your heart could desire, and a FOG Index that is more or less off the charts.

We think you'll feel better for it.