Just Wondering

UPDATE, 9:00 P.M. TUESDAY:
CLAREMONT CITY COUNCIL KILLS TROLLEY

On a 3-2 vote, the Claremont City Council selected option B (see scan of staff report below). While there is still a formal resolution to be voted on at the first meeting in May, the trolley will die--go belly up--become a former trolley--at the end of the fiscal year.

Mayor pro tem Elderkin and councilmember Pedroza were on the losing end of this vote. Councilmembers Yao and Schroeder were joined by tiebreaker Mayor Calaycay to end this chapter in Claremont's history.

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With the Claremont Village Trolley failing to meet any measure of success (see chart above that shows the trolley's meltdown in ridership is twice as steep as the decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, taking only 3 to 5 months to drop 40+% instead of 6 to 10 months), it's not too surprising that City staff is recommending its continuation. In staff's option A in tonight's council report on the trolley, staff attempts to justify continuing the trolley "to maintain the committee's goal of promoting economic development within the City."

What?

Is there the slightest shred of evidence that the trolley contributes a thing to the city's economic development? We don't find anything in the staff report that would make us think that.

Just wondering.

There has never been a more flagrant waste of money. Put it out of its misery.

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