Goings On in Claremont

COUNCIL MARKET DAY

It being the first Sunday of the month, you can find our city council working their booth at the Claremont Farmers Market between 8am and 1pm. The councilmembers will be there in one hour shifts. The appearance schedule isn't listed, so if you want see a specific councilmember, you'll just have to take your chances on the timing.

Claremont Farmers & Artisans Market
Downtown Claremont, 8am to 1pm.
2nd St. between Indian Hill Blvd. and Yale Ave.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG DISCOUNT AVAILABLE

The City's website has an announcement about an upcoming city program through the National League of Cities that allows Claremont residents to get free discount cards for prescription drugs. The website says you can save an average of 20% off the retail price of "commonly prescribed drugs." This is the information the city posted:

City to Provide Residents with Easy-to-Use Program for Prescription Drug Purchases

The City of Claremont will soon introduce a program that will offer its residents with a new tool that can provide some relief from the high cost of prescription drugs. The City is making free prescription drug discount cards available to Claremont residents through a program sponsored by the National League of Cities (NLC). The discount cards offer an average savings of 20 percent off the retail price of commonly prescribed drugs.

Available in mid-March, the discount cards may be used by all residents of Claremont and has no restrictions based on the resident's age, income level, or existing health coverage. The NLC card can be used when purchasing prescription drugs at approximately four pharmacies around the city, as well as at more than 59,000 participating retail pharmacies across the country.

The NLC and City of Claremont are able to make these money-saving cards available to Claremont residents at no cost to the individual. A future announcement will provide information on how and when residents may obtain the cards.

PLANNING YOUR NEXT MOVE

The city is also offering a two-part series of programs for people who are nearing retirement. On 7pm on Thursday, March 5th, author Judith Viorst will speak at the Laemmle Claremont 5 Theatre. There will also be a book signing by Viorst at the Claremont Forum in the Packing House.

On Saturday, March 7th, from 8am to noon at the Alexander Hughes Community Center, the City will offer a workshop on getting the most out of your retirement through volunteering, good health, post-retirement jobs, and planning your financial future. The Hughes Center is located at 1700 Danbury Rd.

Tickets for the Viorst event are $15, and tickets for the Saturday event are $10. The city offers a package deal for $20. Call (909) 399-5488 for more information.

Here are the details from Claremont City Manager Jeff Parker's weekly report for February 27th:

Celebrate the Next Chapter of Your Life: Retirement Opportunities

The Claremont Senior Program and the Committee on Aging are delighted to announce a program to celebrate what’s ahead for those approaching their retirement years (or those who have already retired). Celebrate the Next Chapter of Your Life: Retirement Opportunities will consist of two events sure to help you maximize your quality of life in retirement. The series will kick off on Thursday, March 5 at the Laemmle Claremont 5 with a presentation by award-winning author and journalist, Judith Viorst. Ms. Viorst is the author of eight collections of poems for adults and five non-fiction books including Necessary Losses that was on the New York Times bestseller list for almost two years.

She is also the author of Suddenly Sixty and Other Shocks of Later Life and I’m Too Young To Be Seventy and Other Delusions. Viorst will present at 7 p.m., followed by an author reception and book signing at the Claremont Forum. On the following Saturday, March 7, the series concludes at the Hughes Community Center, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon with workshops focused on getting the most out of your retirement through: volunteering, creative expression, wellness, post-retirement employment, and financial planning.

Tickets for the Thursday, March 5 event are $15 and $10 for Saturday, March 7. Presale tickets for both events combined are just $20. For more information, please contact the Joslyn Center at (909) 399-5488.

INDEPENDENCE DAY COMMITTEE SEEKS MEMBERS

The City is also gearing up for its 61st Annual 4th of July Celebration. Claremont seeks members for the 2009 Independence Day Committee. Interested parties can contact Margot Suarez at (909) 399-5496.

You can also read more information on this City press release.

Candidate Forum Ratings

We received an email report on Monday night's League of Women Voters candidate forum from one of our field correspondents. The writer thought all the candidates were quality people and rated their performances. The correspondent also had some thoughts on the composition of the audience:

DATE: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 10:39 AM
SUBJECT: Hughes Center - Candidate Forum
FROM: Claremont Buzz

I attended the candidate forum at the Alexander Hughes Center last night and was happy to see many Claremont residents. With no favorite candidate(s), I was there with an open mind to see what they Corey [Calaycay], Bridget [Healy] and Larry [Schroeder] had to say. I was impressed by all of them, and feel we are lucky to have quality people running for the open seats. I felt that Corey came out on top, with Larry 2nd and Bridget 3rd. Nothing really was brought up about So. California Water and their need to continue to pursue hefty increases to the PUC [Public Utilities Commission].

I was also struck by the age of the attendees. Kudos to our senior residents for taking the time and making the effort to get out and hear – they were well represented. Looking around I was wondering if ID’s were checked at the door, since no one under 60 seemed to be in the room (other than the candidates). Seriously, I saw one college aged attendee, a couple of people in their 50’s and an overwhelming majority being in their 70’s and 80’s. Aren’t there Claremont residents that are still working that might be interested in who’s leading the city at this critical economic time?

A Concerned Claremont Citizen

We weren't there, but we imagine the scene was probably pretty much like many a past candidate forum from years gone by, except that the crowd is a little grayer, a little less perambulatory than it was the last time around in 2005.

Claremont is a graying population, after all, as our comments regarding The Claremont View a couple months ago suggested. As new people move in, they don't necessarily participate in the local politics as much as the people they replace. That is one unintended consequence of the Claremont 400's insularity. It tends to drive away people not invested in supporting the in-group. If the last U. S. presidential election taught us anything, it's the value of the politics of addition, something sorely lacking among the clique running our City Hall.

For the same reason, the League of Women Voters itself is a graying group. Their lack of real outreach is hurting them, and it also moves them farther and farther out-of-touch from the younger community at large, the community not represented (or at least underrepresented) by the Ellen Taylors, Helaine Goldwaters, Sharon Hightowers, Judy Wrights, and Barbara Musselmans of the town.

We'd like to see a younger demographic get involved in the issues our community faces, especially since they and their progeny will be paying for a lot of it, but most of our 20-, 30-, and 40-somethings have got things like starting careers to think or raising families to think about. They enjoy the good things in town, like the restaurants and shops, the college-town atmosphere, or the tree-lined streets; and they don't see the bad until they bump up against it when the City wants a freeway offramp dumping traffic onto their street or shoves an accident magnet of a roundabout into their favorite downtown intersection.

Also, there just may not be that many of them in the first place. But, perhaps the drop in housing prices will bring some affordability back to the local real estate market and encourage more young families to move into our town. Revitalization spurred by recession: just another unintended consequence, we suppose. This must be the so-called "creative destruction" we've heard about.

Senior Excursions

The city website had an announcement for some fun-sounding upcoming excursions for seniors:

Senior News
2008-2009 Senior Excursions Scheduled Announced

The City of Claremont Senior Citizens Program is excited to announce the new lineup of trips and tours for September 2008 all the way through December of 2009. These monthly trips focus on providing the older-adult community with a low cost means to discover the best of Southern California through it's cultural activities, captivating art, and rich history. These trips are a great way to meet new people or just enjoy the company of friends through thrilling adventures. Adults ages 50 and over are welcome to register at Joslyn Center located at 660 N. Mountain Ave. Pre-registration is highly encouraged as most trips sell out well in advance.

Upcoming Senior Excursions:

· Catalina Island - Thursday, August 21
· Temecula Winery Tours - Thursday, September 25.
· Haunted City Tour of San Diego - Thursday, October 16

For more information on any of these trips or to obtain the newest trip brochure, please contact (909) 399-5488.

* Download Excursions Brochure 08-09

There's plenty of other things listed in the brochure, including an October 15th trip to the Getty Museum from 9am to 5pm for $10. Don't know if this includes the Bernini exhibition that just opened, but we hear that's quite a show. The exhibition, called "Bernini and the Birth of Portrait Sculpture," opened August 5th to rave reviews and runs through October 26th.

_______________________

Hey, speaking of senior activities, the Claremont Courier had a letter last Wednesday signed by Janis Weinberger, Muriel Farritor and Kay Moore. The letter urged the city to not go through with switching the city's senior programs from the Joslyn Senior Center in Larkin Park to the Hughes Community Center:

Imagine the shock to learn last week that the daily luncheon program and many of the senior activities are probably being moved. Workmen were removing the sign, Joslyn Senior Center, from the roof while members of the Committee on Aging were holding their monthly meeting nearby—some learning about the move for the first time. Many had sold the bricks to build the patio floor, many names were inscribed on the bricks.

Were the seniors consulted about this move? Is it a done deal? Will the new location be near the center of Claremont or affordable housing, banks post office, shopping, bus routes, churches or schools? Most public services are currently located near the center of the city and errands can be combined in a single trip. Will the city hall services, museums, art galleries, the library, financial resources and other businesses by nearby?

The city responded to the letter with an informational notice on its website:

Joslyn Center/Hughes Community Center Changeover

The Human Services Department is currently studying the feasibility of relocating the City's senior programs to the Alexander Hughes Community Center and moving recreation programs to the Joslyn Senior Center.

The core of this study is to determine whether this relocation will better accommodate the City's growing senior population and meet the need for expanded senior services, while still serving the recreational needs of youth and families.

The facility change over concept is still in the conceptual stage. There will be a full community process beginning this fall to review the potential benefits and issues associated with the relocation proposal. Information on the community input process will be posted on the City's website as it becomes available. Click below to view the fact sheet for the facility changeover.

* View Fact Sheet (Adobe Acrobat, 21KB)