January 2009 Archives

Yes, there is an agenda for Sunday's workshop from 8 a.m. to noon at the Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Road.

The only item I see is the fiscal year 2008-2010 budget report with a recommendation that the city council:

1). "approve the presented plan to balance the 2008-09 budget and appropriate the $1,011,000 in onetime unanticipated revenue"

2). "receive and file the city manager's draft 2009-10 budget plan, which includes operational reductions, benefit reductions, and organizational changes;"

3). "and direct the City Manager to bring back the final 2009-10 budget plan to the City Council on February 24, 2009."

takes place at noon Wednesday Feb. 4 at the Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Road.

Pomona College Sustainability Coordinator Bowen Patterson will detail how Pomona College is coordinating all new sustainability efforts on campus.

Lunch is available from 11:45 a.m. and the cost is $9 without reservations. 

I will let our cops reports handle this but here is the Claremont E-Watch report I just received from the Claremont Police Department via e-mail:

Possible Homicide

On Friday January 30, 2009 at about 11:15 a.m., officers responded to a residence in the 700 block W. Arrow Hwy. to check on the welfare of the resident after the resident's employer reported that he did not show up for work. Responding officers found inside the residence a deceased male adult, possibly the resident, who appears to be in his 50's or 60's; identification is pending. The cause of death is not yet determined, but does not appear to be natural, accidental, or self inflicted. Further details regarding the possible cause of death will remain undisclosed until further investigation can be conducted.

An informational booth with literature about living with various wildlife formers at the Farmers & Artisans Market will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

California Department of Fish and Game personnel will present the information with city council members.

Besides living with the wildlife, information will given about how to handle encounters with coyotes and bears and how to discourage the animals from going into neighborhoods.

The city of Claremont with the California Department of Fish and Game will sponsor the booth.

The farmer's market is located between Indian Hill Boulevard and Yale Avenue.

from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Granite Creek Community Church, 1580 N. Claremont Blvd.

The next meetings are on Feb. 13 and Feb. 27.

All mothers of newborns through preschool-age children are welcome and childcare
is provided for a small fee.

The group's purpose is to support each other and learn from other moms, which includes peers and those more experienced..

More experienced mothers lead topics of interest to younger moms.

Information: the_fortis@verizon.net

Information on MOPS can be found here: www.mops.org 

Claremont Graduate University announced a $15,000 grant from The National Center for Women & Information Technology on Monday. The start-up funds are to be used to implement and develop projects for recruiting and retaining women in information technology and computing.

Microsoft research provides funding for the NCWIT Seed Fund award.

"An Interdisciplinary Approach to Increase Interest in Information Technology Through an Environmental Project" is the CGU project's name which goes after a low enrollment rate of female high school students in Information Technology courses.

Students at El Roble Intermediate School will work alongside Claremont High School students and mentors from CGU's School of Information Systems and Technology to conduct an Urban Ecosystem Analysis (UEA) of their schools.

The Claremont Senior Computer Club, which has free membership, meets from 7:30 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday.

The Tuesday meeting will take place inside Joslyn Senior Center, 660 N Mountain Ave. Tom Deno will be session coordinator.

Members discuss computer tricks and tips.

Information: www.cscclub.org or (909) 399-5488

and everything must go.

The book sale is 50 to 75 percent off. Sales are cash only.

There are more than 10,000 second hand and antiquarian books of all genres and types.

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays at 128 Yale Ave. upstairs in the Claremont Village and above Aruffo's Italian Restaurant.

The final day for the bookstore, on the flier I have, is Feb. 28.

Information: 909-624-0757 

There will be an English Tea fundraising event for the Claremont Children's Fund Auxiliary at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Thursday Jan. 29 and at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday Jan. 31 at 1884 Live Oak Way in Upland.

There is a $25 donation suggested.

Information/reservations: (909) 920-9438 or visit www.childrensfundsbcounty

Syrian Ambassador to the United States Imad Moustapha, a frequent writer in both English and Arabic language press is a guest on television programs in the U.S. and Syria and even blogs at his site http://imad_moustapha.blogs.com/ but there is no comments section.

Moustapha's discussion will be about "Syria-USA Relations: A Thaw or a False Start?" and begin at 6:45 p.m. on a first-come basis. The talk is free.

He became ambassador to the U.S. in March 2004 and before that he was the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Damascus, and Secretary General of the Arab School on Science and Technology.

Moustapha is also co-founder of the Network of Syrian Scientists, Technologists and Innovators Abroad (NOSSTIA), and was an active consultant to several international and regional organizations on Science and Technology policies in the Middle East (UNDP, UNESCO, ESCWA, ALECSO).

He was also a member of the Syrian team responsible for drafting reform strategies for the ministries of Culture, Education, and Higher Education. Ambassador Moustapha holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Surrey, UK. His interests include globalization, cultural identities, social and economic impacts of the Internet, Syrian art and artists, and Western classical music, according to a CMC news release.

Ambassador Moustapha's visit to CMC is hosted by Professor Bassam Frangieh and the Athenaeum.

He speaks at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E. 8th St.

has sent out the only campaign literature I've seen (but I did see a newspaper ad for Corey Calacay).

I am working to get it scanned in but until I do it's glossy, has red, white and blue colors and features Schroeder's smiling face on one side and his family, or people posing as his family, on the other.

One of the lines he has on his "important areas" list is "Bring informed budget oversight to the City Council."

To me, and I could be off here, that phrase makes it sound like the current council is uninformed or just stupid.

The rest is pretty much the routine: "Revitalize Claremont's business areas, Institute appropriate initiatives to make our city environmentally-friendly, take more control over our water supply and costs, manage out traffic for safer and convenient commutes, make our police department more efficient by upgrading the current facilty."

If you have any thoughts, please share.

It was HOT on the floor and even in the balcony area where I had a press ticket. The balcony area was pretty empty.

There was a lot of people on the floor dancing inside Bridges Auditorium and outside of their seats during the actual concert but one person who sat in the back told me security made them sit in their seats and not stand up when Ludacris started.

Many people inside the venue did not know where the orchestra seats were located. I had to talk with four people before someone helped me out.

A LOT of people in the audience knew the lyrics to most of Ludacris' songs. In the balcony area, even the security guard was bobbing his head to the music and instrumentals.

The audience was racially mixed, younger and males and females seemed to be about equal. Many people cheered when Ludacris briefly talked brought up President Barack Obama being elected.

I was hoping he would talk about, discuss or rap the song that got him into trouble where he made disparaging comments about John McCain and Hillary Clinton because I've never heard the song.

I've read the lyrics but I'm not going to put a link to them because they're unprintable on this Web site.  

from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday Jan. 26 at the Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Road.

Candidates are Mayor Pro-Tem Corey Calaycay, former assistant city manager Bridget Healy and former Lakewood and Glendora finance director Larry Schroeder are scheduled to attend.

Claremont League of Women Voters president Barbara Musselman will moderate but the public can write questions down they want the candidates to answer, said the league's voter services vice president Angela Bekzadian-Avila in a news release. 

Once the questions are gathered, Musselman will "choose a range of questions to ask the candidates," officials wrote in the release.

Information: Angela Bekzadian-Avila at (909) 621-7809 or angelanb25@yahoo.com
 

will take place from 6:45 to 8 p.m. inside the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum at Claremont McKenna College. The event is free but seating is arranged on a first come basis.

The best description of everyone comes from CMC's Website:

"Adam Bradley, author, forthcoming Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip-Hop (2009); Jeff Chang, author, Total Chaos: Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop (2007) ; Ebony Utley, author, forthcoming The Gangsta's God: Deciphering the Divine's Role in Rap , Cheo Hodari Coker, author, Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G. (2004)" and Crooked I, a hip-hop artist from Long Beach known for his freestyles and formerly being signed to Death Row records.

resulted in filmmaker Stacy Elliott, project manager Jesse Emmert and former development officer Le A Jackman joining the board of directors, according to a Claremont Heritage news release.

Retiring President Judy Wright, historian for Claremont. was honored while John Neiuber was elected to replace Wright as president.

The meeting was held on Jan. 11.

was nominated for an Oscar for his film editing work on "Milk."

Graham, who attended area schools and his parents still live in Claremont, said he has lived off and on in Los Angeles for the last nine years because he travels a lot.

He also said he recently spent time living in London and Seattle.

Also he sent me this quote:

"I was working on it for about 10 months - making films is never easy, it's always a challenge, but working with the people I was working with made it a pleasure, despite the pressure."

wwill be at the Claremont Joslyn Senior Center, 660 N. Mountain Avenue.

The 30-ffoot blue van will be at the center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 3 but consultations are available by appointment only.

The van features LCD televisions for instructional videos, expanded demonstration areas for current low-vision devices and a wheelchair lift, according to a Braille institute.

Those qualified who visit the van can also sign up to receive talking books.

Information or appointments for a free low-vision consultation: (323) 663-1111, ext. 1242.

for the Three Valleys Muncipal Water District was held Wednesday at a board meeting.

Bob Kuhn was elected president, David De Jesus was elected vice president, Brian Bowcock was elected secretary and Joseph T. Ruzicka was elected treasurer.

Other appointments included:

De Jesus, Kuhn and Ruzicka being appointed to the water board's Finance/Personnel Committee and Bowcock, Horan and Ruzicka being apointed to the water board's Project/Planning/Development committee.

was sworn in for the Three Valleys Municipal Water District on Wednesday, according to a board of directors news release.

Mendoza will serve voters in North Pomona.

at the 90+ Birthday Party at the Alexander Hughes Community Center.

The party will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday Feb. 19.

The center is at 1700 Danbury Road.

Cake, hors d'oeuvres, entertainment and tributes will be featured, according to a Claremont's Senior Citizens Program release. The event is for Claremont residents age 90 and over and their guests.

The Blaisdell Boosters is hosting the event with Gentle Transitions and Visiting Angels sponsoring.

For those age 90 and over the event is free but others must pay $2. Reservations and prepayment is required.

Information (or to recommend someone be invited or RSVP): (909) 399-5488.

from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday Jan. 26 at the Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Road.

Candidates are Mayor Pro-Tem Corey Calaycay, former assistant city manager Bridget Healy and former Lakewood and Glendora finance director Larry Schroeder are scheduled to attend.

Claremont League of Women Voters president Barbara Musselman will moderate but the public can write questions down they want the candidates to answer, said the league's voter services vice president Angela Bekzadian-Avila in a news release. 

Once the questions are gathered, Musselman will "choose a range of questions to ask the candidates," officials wrote in the release.

Information: Angela Bekzadian-Avila at (909) 621-7809 or angelanb25@yahoo.com

Claremont Unfied School District board member Jeanne Hamilton, Vice President of Student Services at Citrus College in Glendora, said she will not seek another term on the board.

"Eight years are plenty," Hamilton said on Monday. "I guess I should make an announcement soon," she said.

The Pomona College Museum of Art is host to "suddenly: where we live now" that details the future life of cities from Saturday Jan. 24 through April 12.

Stephanie Snyder, exhibition curator, will lead a walkthrough with participating artists at 4 p.m. Saturday. An opening reception will then be held from 5 to 7 p.m.

Snyder is also the director of the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery at Reed College in Portland, Ore.

The exhibition, museum officials said in a release, takes its name from German urban planner Thomas Sieverts's observation that "the shaping of the landscape where we live can no longer be achieved by the traditional resources of town planning, urban design, and architecture. New ways must be explored, which are as yet unclear."

Projects such as video, painting and photography shape the exhibit as well as community based items like spontaneous public lectures and a poster initiative.

The museum is free and open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The Pomona College Museum of Art is located at 330 N. College Avenue.

Information: (909) 621-8283 or www.pomona.edu/museum or www.suddenly.org

Claremont is protesting Golden State Water's interim rate increase which requests a rate increase for 2009 of $4,481,200 or 4.47 percent in Claremont's service territory.

Golden State Water filed on July 1, 2008 a formal application for a rate increase filed with the Public Utilities Commission.

Claremont believes Golden State Water "has not provided a compelling reason why an interim rate relief is merited, and the City, as a substantial ratepayer, deserves the benefit of a full Commission process before any rate increases are imposed," according to a city news release.

Golden State water's increase also exceeds the Consumer Price Index and does not use current escalation rates and earlier decisions from the commissions will show the requested interim rate increases are unjustified and not fair, the city said.

Residents are encouraged to immediately e-mail or write to the Public Utilities Commission to protest Golden State Water's rate increase at water_division@cpuc.ca.gov or write to
Attn: Tariff Unit
Water Division, 3rd Floor
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102

Upland's Dr. Peter White will host a fundraiser from 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Alexander Hughes Community Center.

The fundraiser is called "Simple Act of Kidness" and it benefits the Providence Children's Home in Kenya.

GMR Catering & Events will provide gourmet appetizers while Gino L. Filippi will provide premium wines.

There will also be music, photography by Simon White from a visit to to the orphanage, a silent auction and artwork.

Money raised will help construct a medical clinic to serve a rural area of Matasia.

Tickets are $50 per person. Donations are also welcome.

The center is at 1700 Danbury Road.

Information: Dr. Peter White at (909) 981-6415 or email asimpleactofkindness@gmail.com

People interested in being appointed to the Claremont Hills Conservation Corporation need to file an application with the city clerk's office by Feb. 2.

The city council appoints the members from personal interviews and an application review.

To download an application, go to the city's Web site at http://www.ci.claremont.ca.us/

Information: (909) 399-5460.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. will discuss "Genetics, Genealogy, and African-American History" at 6:45 p.m. Thursday Jan. 22 inside the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum Claremont McKenna College.

The college is at 385 E. 8th St.

Gates's discussion will commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Gates is an Alphonse Fletcher University professor and director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

His latest book will be "In Search of Our Roots" and in 2007 he released "Finding Oprah's Roots: Finding Your Own."

There will be free seating on a first-come basis.

Information: http://www.cmc.edu/news/pressreleases/article.asp?article_id=1136

at various times through Monday Jan. 19 at Mudd Theatre at the Claremont School of Theology.

Tickets are $5 per individual film at the door.

The school of theology is at 1325 N. College Ave.

Here is the list of films and their descriptions taken from the Web site:

1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18
"Echoes of Home" - The Switzerland film is about how a young Swiss trio use yodeling to echo the sounds of the mountains which helps discover music in unexpected places.

4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18
"BenX" - The Belgium film is about the endless bullying of a teenage autistic boy in high school who uses computer games to escape and in the process befriends a girl online.

7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18 
"Arranged" - The U.S. film is about an orthodox Muslim woman and an orthodox Jewish woman who are involved in arranged marriages and hired to teach in a New York school system who connect and disprove stereotypes.

10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 19 
"The Band's Visit" - The Israel film is about an Egyptian band who mistakenly go to an isolated Israeli town instead of another location near the Egyptian/Israeli border.

2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19
"The Visitor" - The U.S. film is about a widowed Connecticut college professor who is depressed but forced into going to a New York conference and finds two young people in his apartment.

7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19
"Faro, Queen of the Waters" - The Mali film is about an illegitimate-born young man who returns to his village as a civil engineer after he was forced out in his teens.

The committee for Foothill Country Day School's Building a Bigger Nest Campaign raised one million dollars to fulfill a pledge.

Anonymous grandparents at the school in late 2007 pledged one million dollars for the first new building to go along with the school's planned growth, according to a Foothill Country news release.

The pledge came with a condition that Foothill had to match the gift in pledges and gifts by Dec. 31, 2008.

The committee was formed and worked through 2008 to meet the deadline in October and raised an additional $1,060,000 in pledges and gifts from alumni, parents, grandparents, staff and the Board of Trustees.

On Dec. 17, the anonymous grandparents delivered the one million dollar check to the school.

The school now has more than two million dollars in gifts and pledges toward the $3.5 million needed to build with a ground breaking scheduled for spring.

Claremont Unified School District Superintendent David Cash was selected with 11 other people to participate in the 2009 Broad Superintendents Academy.

The Broad Center runs a 10-month executive management training program to prepare leaders from government, education, military, nonprofit and business sectors to lead urban public school systems, a Broad Center news release said.

Besides Claremont Unified, Montgomery County Public Schools, Md. and the New York City Department of Education are among the class.

The academy, according to the release, has trained more working superintedents in large urban school districts than any other training program.

"These 12 leaders have deep  experience leading large, complex organizations and motivating employees to overcome tough challenges," said Eli Broad, founder of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, which funds The Broad Center.

The most important point is to raise student achievement, said Erica Lepping, a Broad Center spokeswoman.

Elementary School.

Every time the school is mentioned when an order is placed, Domino's will donate $3 per order.

The dates are from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays on Jan. 14 (today), Feb. 11, March 11, April 8, May 13 and June 13.

The Domino's Pizza is at 366 W. Foothill Blvd.

Information: (909) 398-0404

Jan. 15.

The candidates for the Claremont city council election on March 3 will be inside the Padua Room of the Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Rd.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness Family-to-Family Education Program is designed for families of people diagnosed with serious mental illness.

The free classes run for 12 weeks. Class will begin from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Monday Feb. 2 at San Ambrose Episcopal Church.

The church is at 830 W. Bonita Ave.

Information about mood disorders such as major depression and bipolar disorder; schizophrenia; obsessive compulsive disorder; panic disorder; problem-solving skills; basic information about medications; listening and communication techniques; recovery and rehabilitation; self-care; coping skills and more will be discussed.

Anyone who is a caregiver of someone with a severe and persistent mental illness is invited and includes older teen-age and adult sons and daughters, parents, spouses, siblings, partners and significant others.

The course is not appropriate for people who have a major mental illness, officials said. The NAMI Pomona Valley is sponsoring the classes.

"We hope families with relatives who have a serious mental illness will take advantage of this unique opportunity," spokeswoman Mary Bryan said in a news release. Linda Terrill will instruct the class.

Information/registration: Mary Bryan (909) 985-8346 or Linda Terrill (909) 624-9152

This is not the Intersections II sculpture but it is a Refugio manzanita at the garden. The manzanita is described as an "upright shrub with congested leaves and a profusion of white flowers" on the garden's Web site.

Anyway, the Intersections II sculpture is an abstract piece from Los Angeles born artist Bruce Beasley and is three dimensional. The piece has "an abstract bronze that reaches to the sky with winged planes ever-changing as surfaces capture and reflect light, and mood in the Garden setting," a garden news release said.

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of it.

The Chinese government commissioned Beasley to make a piece for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing China. Beasley's works are in permanent collections in the U.S., Asia and Europe.  

The artist has a liberal arts undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire and later studied in the art department at the University of California, Berkeley where he was "instrumental" in constructing the first metal-casting foundry on the UC campus, a garden news release said.

The Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except major holidays at 1500 North College Avenue.

This will not be a happy meeting. 

Not with the economy in such poor shape or the state's budget problems (after a Pooled Money Investment Board froze bond money on Dec. 19 there came the news of a $850,000 Rivers and Mountains Conservancy grant for the city's Padua Avenue Park being stopped). 

So a workshop will be held to discuss the city's budget issues from 8 a.m. to noon Jan. 31 inside the Padua Room at Alexander Hughes Community Center. The center is at 1700 Danbury Road.

The city, in a news release, said Claremont's 2009-2010 operating budget "will be impacted significantly."

Information: City Hall (909) 399-5460

Phil Settle will perform from 7 to 11 p.m. this Sunday Jan. 11 at Hip Kitty.

Settle's band is called Phil Settle & FRIENDS with ...

Andrew Ford - Bass (Crosby, Stills & Nash - Chaka Kahn)

Sergio Gonzales - Drums (Jennifer Lopez - Was Not Was)

Robin Swenson - Keyboards/Vocals (Frankie Vallie - Rita Coolidge)

and Settle - Guitar/Vocals

along with special guests

For information on the band go here or here.

Hip Kitty is at 502 W. First Street.

Information: (909) 477-6700 or go here.

Registration will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Claremont Unified School District Student Services office on these dates:

Condit Elementary School (Feb. 2 through Feb. 4)

Mountain View Elementary School/Sumner Elementary School (Feb. 10 through Feb. 12)

Oakmont Elementary School /Vista del Valle Elementary School (Feb. 17 through Feb. 19)

Sycamore Elementary School (Feb. 23 through Feb. 25)

Chaparral Elementary School (March 2 through March 4)

The office is at 170 W. San Jose Ave. 2nd floor, Suite 200.

Parents who want their children to transfer to a school outside of their assigned school should complete a registration packet at the student services office on the school's assigned dates, school officials said. The transfers will be granted on a space-available basis.   

Pre-registration is important to let the district have planning time to make sure an adequate number of teachers are at each school site, officials said.

Information: (909) 398-0609

This was just sent by my colleague Liset Marquez (and yes the event is in Ontario but water issues affect everyone) ...

Creating Certainty in an Uncertain World, Water Resources Issues in California will be the focus for the annual conference for The Association of Ground Water Agencies American Ground Water on February 9 at the Ontario Convention Center.

The conference will feature panel discussions with several local water agencies participating as the moderators. Below is some of the line up.

Mike Sovich, assistant general manager of Three Valleys Municipal Water District in Claremont will be the panel one speaker which will focus on "Where will the Water Come From?"

Ken Manning with the Chino Basin Watermaster in Rancho Cucamonga will the moderator for the discussion on "New Administration/New Direction:

Where does water policy fit in? This panel will outline all aspects of federal legislation to state water issues. It will also look at what to expect in the future from the administration in Washington D.C.

The keynote presenter will be the Lorri Gray, regional director, lower region of the Bureau of Reclamation US Dept of Interior.

Registration varies from $215 to $235. For more information contact (800) 423-7748.

A registration form is available online at www.agwt.org.

Another This photo is of Robert Dawidoff, courtesy of Claremont Graduate University spokesman Nick Johnson.

Johnson said Dawidoff became a colleague of Douglass' when he joined the Claremont Graduate School faculty in 1974. 

Douglass was a former Claremont mayor, founder of Claremont Graduate University's oral-history program and founder of Claremont Heritage.

She had a celebration of her life held Thursday afternoon at Balch Auditorium at Scripps College. 

Douglass died Oct. 17 from Alzheimer's disease complications at the age of 81. 

Enid Hart Douglass family member Morgan Yates speaks at the Enid Douglass Memorial on Thursday afternoon inside the Balch Auditorium of Scripps College. Thanks to Claremont Graduate University spokesman Nick Johnson for the photo.

Douglass was a former Claremont mayor and founder of Claremont Graduate University's oral-history program. She died Oct. 17 of Alzheimer's disease complications in Sunnyvale.

Here is a photo from today's Enid Hart Douglass celebration of life inside at Balch Auditorium at Scripps College, courtesy of Nick Johnson at Claremont Graduate University.

Douglass was a former Claremont mayor and founder of Claremont Graduate University's oral-history program, who died Oct. 17.

has been announced.

There will be an open house at each school site to give the parents of incoming kindergarten students information on the daily routine for classes, a school orientation and other information.

Here are the dates for the open house:

8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at Chaparral Elementary School, 451 Chaparral Dr.

8:30 a.m. Jan. 21 at Oakmont Elementary School, 120 W. Green St.

9 a.m. Jan. 23 at Sycamore Elementary School, 225 W. Eighth St.

1:15 p.m. Jan. 23 at Vista del Valle Elementary School, 550 Vista Dr.

8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Jan. 27 at Sumner Elementary School, 1770 Sumner Ave.

9 a.m. Jan. 29 at Condit Elementary School, 1750 N. Mountain Ave.

8:30 a.m. Jan. 30 at Mountain View Elementary School, 851 Santa Clara Ave.

Children born on or before Dec. 2, 2004 are eligible to attend kindergarten during the 2009/2010 school year, school officials said.

Parents who request a transfer to a school other than the assigned school need to complete a registration packet at the Student Services offie on the wanted school's assigned dates.

Transfers requested will be made on a space-available basis.

Officials said pre-registration for kindergarten is "very important because it allows the School District planning time to ensure an adequate number of teachers at each school site."

have been down since 7 a.m. Wednesday Jan. 7, said Linda Hunt, administrative assistant to school district superintendent David Cash.

While calls can be placed out, there is problems calling into the school district/individual schools when a voice mail (instead of a person) is activated.

Verizon, which maintains the phone system, has failed to get the system's problems fixed since then but everything is scheduled to be resolved after a hard drive part is flown and installed Friday Jan. 9, Hunt said.

at 11:30 a.m. in its Children's Department.

There will be songs, an art activity and stories, according to a Claremont Library news release.

The library is at 208 N. Harvard Ave. The event is free.

Information: (909) 621-4902 or www.colapublib.org

but you must be a member to vote.

The term is from April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2012.

There are three people who must be selected ... out of three people.

Here are the three (word for word from a University Club of Claremont ballot):

"Art Parker, 64, member since 2007, earned a B.A. from Clemson University and M.S. and Ph.D degrees from the University of Florida. He taught agri-business management at Cal Poly for 32 years. He serves on the University Club's Program Committee and Finance committee."

"Bob Smith, 78, member since 1997, earned a B.A. from Pomona College and an M.F.A. from Claremont Graduate School. He taught art and photography at Chaffey College for 40 years. He is chairman of the University Club's Music Committee and Program Committee and also serves on the AV Committee."

"Art Sutton, 75, member since 2004, earned a B.S. from the Rose Hulman Institute of Technology and an M.S. from the University of California at Irvine in electrical engineering. He is an engineering professor at Cal Poly Pomona, currently teaching a couple of quarters each year. He serves the University Club on the Program Committee and the Fellowship and Activities Committee."

For more information, contact the University Club of Claremont at P.O. Box 700, Claremont, CA 91711.  

at 3 p.m. inside Balch Auditorium on the Scripps College campus, per Nick Johnson, spokesman for Claremont Graduate University.

So hurry there if you are near the campus.

Scripps College is at 1030 Columbia Ave.

Below is the story I wrote about Douglass ...

will take place at the Claremont Library Meeting Room, 208 N. Harvard Ave., according to a Claremont Library news release.

Toby Solorzano, a UCLA Anderson School of Management graduate, will present The Job Search session from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday Jan. 22. Attendees will learn how to form a communications/marketing strategy and get their message out.

Solorzano will also present the Process of Interviewing from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday Jan. 29. Participants will detail how to prepare for an interview, questions typically used by an interviewer and questioning techniques along with mock interviews if there is time.

The sessions come on the heels of Solorzano's previous session called Preparing the Winning Resume.

Yes, these are free so check them out if you have the time.

Information: (909) 621-4902.

with the Inter Valley Health Plan sponsored 5 Wishes inside of Claremont Place, W. 120 San Jose Ave. Claremont.

The class will take seniors through the healthcare decision process ahead of time to prepare for their future.

A free legal document will also be provided.

Information: Marcie Lerner (909) 623-6333, Ext. 626 

you must RSVP by Monday Jan. 12.

The action fair, which will educate seniors about current scams, is free and takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Taylor Hall.

There will be a free continental breakfast, free lunch and raffle prizes.

Taylor Hall is at 1775 N. Indian Hill Blvd. Seniors will learn from experts about identity theft, home and auto repair rip-offs, credit card fraud, investment scams and more.

Exhibitors include the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Postal Inspectors, State Department of Insurance, Department of Corporations, California Department of Insurance, the Center for Health Care Rights and more.

Sponors include the city of Claremont, the County of Los Angeles Area Agency on Aging, Inter Valley Health Plan, city of Los Angeles Department of Aging, WISE & Health Aging and Community Senior Services.

Information and RSVP: Community Senior Services: (909) 621-9900.

Dave Billnitzer, speaker for the Claremont Library LA Opera series, will detail Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's operatic work "The Magic Flute."

The YouTube video is one of many versions of "The Magic Flute" online so feel free to explore.

Anyway, a free presentation about Mozart's work takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday Jan. 10 at the Claremont Public Library.

Billnitzer will "link readings from some of Mozart's quirkish letters during this period, and the emotional quality they reveal, with examples of this operatic score," according to a library news release.

The library is at 208 N. Harvard Ave.

Information: (909) 621-4902 or www.colapublib.org

among liberal arts colleges by Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine in its Feb. 2009 edition.

Claremont McKenna College was ranked 12th. Scripps College was ranked 35th.

Per a Pomona College news release, the finance magazine's rankings use "execeptional" education with "outstanding" ecomonic value. Average debt at graduation and the cost after need-based aid are also used.

Go here for more information: http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/privatecolleges/ataglance_lib_arts.html

at 4:30 p.m. Thursday Jan. 8 inside the College Room of the Alexander Hughes Community Center.  

The center is located at 1700 Danbury Road.  

Administrative items include an update on the pergola restoration project and agreement with Arteco Partners/Padua Hills Theatre LLC; appointment of one member to serve on the committee about the community uses of the theatre; a discussion about forming a Friends of the Padua Hills Theatre group and process for citizens to receive theatre project updates; and disbanding the committee.

The agenda can be viewed here.

at 7 p.m. Thursday Jan. 15 inside the board room of the Richard S. Kirkendall Education Center.

The center is at 170 W. San Jose Ave. 

An agenda has not been put up at the time of this post but keep checking.

Jan. 7 has been cancelled "for lack of agenda items."

The meeting was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the City Hall Conference Room, 207 Harvard Ave.

Information: (909) 399-5440.

focuses on kaleidoscopes and runs from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday Jan. 18.

The Claremont Museum of Art is at 536 W. First St.

Artist Mike Lardi will teach parents and children to make their own kaleidoscope. The event is open to the public and free.

This is the last family art day in relation to Multiverse, the current exhibition about the possibility of many universes using mixed media sculptures, photographic installations, video projects and more that runs through Feb. 1.

Information: (909) 621-3200 or http://claremontmuseum.org

Claremont is looking for nominees for its 28th annual City of Claremont Architectural Commission Excellence in Design Awards.

The awards program "recognizes recently completed building projects in Claremont that best exhibit the City's standards of design excellence," according to a release on the city's Web site.

The categories awards are presented in include landscaping, rehabilitation, new construction, adaptive reuse, sustainability and others.

All projects must be in Claremont and have been completed before Dec. 31, 2008 but projects completed in years before 2008 are eligible as well.

What won't be considered for an award is projects that just involve interior alterations.

You can go to the nomination form here or pick them up at City Hall, 207 Harvard Ave.

Nominations must be submitted by Jan. 30, 2009.

Questions: Planning Division at (909) 399-5470  

The Committee on Human Relations will sponsor two compassion plays that "focus on who 'belongs' in this country and who doesn't," according to the city's Web site.

The plays, titled wheels, take place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday Jan. 12 at the Youth Activity Center.

The center is at 1717 N. Indian Hill Blvd. next to Claremont High School.

Issues involving xenophobia, immigration and the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship through a young man's eyes will be explored.

The plays are 90 minutes long and will have more than 125 students participate with a discussion afterward.

Information: Youth Activity Center (909) 399-5360

The free Los Angeles Comic Con will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday Jan. 17 at the historic Packing House.

Southern California comic book and collectibles dealers are scheduled to bring vintage and new comic books, games, action figures, graphic novels and games, according to a comic con news release.

Free giveaways, professional fantasy and comic book artists, contests, private collectors selling their collections and comic book publishers are scheduled to happen also.

In December, there were more than 14 vendors with an approximate attendance of 400 to 500 people.

The comic con will be held every third Saturday of the month. Their Web site is www.losangelescomic-con.com

The Comic Con will be held every third Saturday of the month. To be on the e-mail list for the comic con, e-mail them at COMICBOOKIE@MSN.COM

The Claremont Packing House is located at 532 W. 1st Street.

Daily Bulletin humor columnist Diana Sholley, who sits to my left in the office here, used to cover Claremont from 1999 to 2004/2005.

Sholley, while no longer covering Claremont, has a book that can be purchased from people who live in Claremont (see, there is a Claremont angle here).

Long-time Bulletin readers have enjoyed her humor columns about her crazy Italian family for years. Myself, I've only been here since 2006 so I missed out on a lot but she's put out a book with her old columns.

The book is simply titled "That's Amore." She has book signings in Upland and Redlands but is interested in having one in Claremont.

The $15 book (or $12 book and $3 shipping and handling) can be purchased here:

http://dandiventures.books.officelive.com/orderform.aspx

Sholley's Web site can be viewed here: http://dandiventures.books.officelive.com/default.aspx

will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday Jan. 11 at Claremont Place, in an e-mail from Waznoo Media Partners' Chas Steward.

Claremont Place is at 120 W. San Jose Avenue.

Mayor Pro Tem Calaycay is running against former assistant city manager Bridget Healy and Larry Schroeder, who is on the Community Services Commission, in the March 3 general election.

Sunday Jan. 11 at a Meet the Candidate reception inside the historic Packing House at The Claremont Forum.

Healy, the former assistant city manager for Claremont, will be at the event from 3 to 5 p.m. and the party with refreshments provided is free. She will give brief comments and then "respond to questions from the audience," according to the news release.

The Claremont Forum is at 586 W. First Street. 

Mayor Ellen Taylor, who is not running for re-election because of health reasons, sent the news release from a yahoo e-mail account.

In the release Healy wrote "With 31 years in public service in three southern California cities, I understand how the vision of City Council members, as local policy makers, can shape a community. I understand how local government works."

Contact info is www.bridgetforcouncil.org

The Packing House will debut the Claremont Forum sponsored green market from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday Jan. 7.

Home-grown fruit, holistic medicine, edible gardens, herbs and more will be available.

The Packing House is at 532 West First Street.

Information: (909) 626-3066.