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Lawrence Mueller

Claremont City Council · District 4 · November 3, 2026

Lawrence Mueller

For Claremont City Council, District 4

I'm running without a dollar of outside money, earning your vote the old fashioned way, door to door, talking with voters in person. Fewer yard signs, more conversations. That sits right with me.

Lawrence Mueller, candidate for Claremont City Council District 4, standing in front of Claremont City Hall

What I'm hearing at the door

Real concerns from real residents in District 4. This list grows as I keep knocking. Here is what I have heard, and my honest take on what a council member can actually do about each one.

  • At the door

    Golden State Water bills keep climbing, and for a lot of households they have gotten too high.

    My take

    The council does not set these rates. The state does. But I will push Claremont to formally challenge the increases and push residents to attend the state hearings where the decisions actually get made.

  • At the door

    College Way and Garey above Foothill have stretches with no sidewalks, which makes walking there unsafe.

    My take

    This is something the council has control over. I will push to get these stretches of street added to the budget so that the city can put sidewalks in place.

  • At the door

    A private street on William Avenue, just before College Way, is in need of repaving and repair.

    My take

    Because it is private, the city cannot simply repave it. So I will dig into the real options with City Hall and involve the right people to figure out a solution.

  • At the door

    Residents near Smith Drive want street lights added along Smith Drive and Florac Avenue, which are dark and feel unsafe at night.

    My take

    This is another one the council can act on. I will push to get the lighting studied and added to the budget so the city can make these streets safe to walk after dark.

  • At the door

    A growing number of people are living homeless near the 210 freeway and College Way, and residents want to see the city do something about it.

    My take

    I do not have a firm take on this one yet, and I will not fake one. Homelessness is handled by the city, the county, and the state together, so I am looking into what has been tried and what the city can actually do before I commit to a position.

  • At the door

    Neighbors want Claremont to keep running its own trash service instead of handing it to an outside company like Athens, which serves nearby cities at higher rates.

    My take

    This one is squarely up to the council. Claremont still collects its own trash, and I want to keep it that way. Running it ourselves keeps rates and control here at home, and I will not vote to hand it to a pricier outside hauler without a very good reason.

  • At the door

    More than one resident has told me it takes too long to get building permits approved. One neighbor said a minor pool change, just moving the filter from one side to the other, took two months.

    My take

    This is squarely the city's job, and slow, unpredictable permitting costs residents time and money. I do not yet know the cause, whether it is staffing, an outdated process, or something else, so I will find the bottleneck before I promise a fix. Simple projects should get a fast, clear answer, and I will push for that.

  • At the door

    Neighbors want parking in the Village to stay free. One resident reminded me the city has tried to bring in paid parking before.

    My take

    They're right. The city has floated paid parking in the Village more than once, most recently around 2018 as a way to raise a few million dollars, and residents pushed it back each time. I'm with them. Free, easy parking is part of what keeps the Village alive for shoppers and small businesses, and I will vote to keep it free.

  • At the door

    Residents near Briarcroft and Sumner want a speed bump to slow cars down before they reach the neighborhood.

    My take

    This is a real safety issue on a residential street with kids and Sumner Elementary nearby. The city has a traffic-calming process for exactly this, usually a speed study first and then something like a speed hump if the street qualifies. I will push to get this spot studied and moving instead of stuck on a list.

More items will be added as I talk with more residents.

Priorities

Claremont is a quiet town, and I don't want to change that. I love our tree lined streets, the summer concerts, the roar of Claremont High you can hear blocks away during a game. These are the things that make this place feel like home. I want to protect our city's identity and make sure our tax dollars are spent wisely, which is why I'm dedicated to reading every item before I vote.

Priority 01

Cost of Living

The most common thing I hear at the door is people struggling to keep up with the cost of living in Claremont. It shows up differently for different folks. For renters, they ask for stronger rent stabilization, a modest local cap so rent cannot spike overnight. For seniors on a fixed income, I hear things like: "Trash went up, but I am retired, I make the same as I did last year." Moreover, we can't expect young families to lay down roots in a town they can hardly afford to live in. My thoughts on this are simple. We should not add to anyone's cost of living until every other option is on the table. Raising local taxes or city fees should be a last resort, after we have gone after grants and grown our business base to bring in revenue other ways.

Priority 02

Concerning the New Flock Contract

I believe in your right to privacy. Claremont has used license plate cameras for years, and in 2025 the city added six cameras from Flock Safety, a company with a troubled national record. The city says it does not share this data with federal agencies, shares only with California law enforcement, and deletes records after two years. While I trust our local police, I don't trust Flock. In late 2025, researchers found Flock cameras across the country streaming to the open internet with no password, and that is only one of several documented problems. I want the six cameras removed and the contract not renewed.

Priority 03

Growing Local Business

More local business is one of the best deals a city gets. Shops, restaurants, and a busy Village bring in sales tax and jobs that fund our services without raising taxes on residents. They keep our dollars here, and the right ones draw shoppers in from neighboring towns, bringing new money into Claremont. A council does not force businesses to come, it clears the path so they choose to. Claremont has already made real progress, like simplifying approvals for low-impact businesses in 2013. I want to build on that with small incentives for new businesses, like waived permit fees or a one time opening grant for businesses that sign a multi-year lease in an empty storefront, funded with outside grants if possible. To be clear, I would not want the big box stores Claremont has done a good job of keeping out. I want the local, walkable growth that fits Claremont.

Priority 04

Core City Values

Every candidate for town council will give you the same promises of investing in community, firefighters, police, infrastructure, parks, and the everyday upkeep that keeps a city running. These are the core services residents count on. I am no different. I believe that when budgets get tight, these are the last things that should be cut. I'll fund our core services first, before the extras, and read the budget closely, just like every other item brought my way.

No evidence needed, just my word

Who I am

I put myself through college delivering pizza in Claremont. I learned this city street by street, and earned my education doing it. I finished a degree in computer science and built a career writing software. (I even wrote this website!)

My day work is untangling complicated systems, solving problems under pressure, and reading the fine print most people never see.

City budgets, contracts, and staff reports need exactly that kind of attention. I am running to be the person on the council who does the reading and the research before I vote.

I am funding this campaign myself. No donors, no committee, no marketing team, no mailers. Just me, walking District 4, meeting voters in person. I believe that a representative should meet their constituents, and that the main purpose of the job is to vote with the voice of those you represent.