Land and Water in Claremont [Updated]

Politics, at root, is about some pretty basic things.

Now the DB comes out with an editorial on the Claremont v. the PVPA. I don't think too much of the "spirit of the law" argument, but the op-ed makes sense when it says:

There's a lot of hostility in Claremont toward PVPA's potential land sale and the resultant project - in part because Claremonters found out about it only after it was discussed by the Pomona City Council. The best way to reduce suspicions about the project would be for PVPA to be open and transparent about what it's up to.

Here's the thing: Golden State Water supplies water to Claremont now, and they say that, if anything, the sale of the land will help reduce Claremont water bills as the land is not needed for water retention. If they are telling lies in order to make a buck, that just isn't smart business. Couldn't we get another water company? If they are telling the truth, I don't think it matters much because the odds of Claremont zoning the land so that anything could be built on it are slim to none.

If you are confused by all this, start with this cached article and look at my Claremont archive. See also Claremont's own description of the PVPA:

A private non-profit association established in 1909 by way of a mutual agreement between major water interests in the greater Pomona Valley. PVPA was formed to protect the rights of the water users in the Claremont, Pomona, Upland, and La Verne areas from outside interests developing and exporting local water from the area, to protect the rights of its stockholders, and to ensure an ongoing supply of water to the Pomona Valley. A nine-member Board of Directors, elected annually at the stockholder’s meeting, governs the Association. The City of Claremont is not a member of PVPA.

The PVPA and Vulcan Mining have been linked together by environmental conspiracy theorists in the past.