CLAREMONT CITY COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
Tuesday, January 31, 2026 - 9:00 AM
Video Recording is Archived on the City Website
https://www.claremontca.gov/Government/City-Council/Watch-a-Meeting
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Stark called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
MOMENT OF SILENCE
ROLL CALL
PRESENT COUNCILMEMBER: CALAYCAY, LEANO, MEDINA, REECE,
STARK
ABSENT COUNCILMEMBER: NONE
ALSO PRESENT Adam Pirrie, City Manager; Jamie Earl, Assistant City Manager; Alisha Patterson, City Attorney; Mike Ciszek, Chief of Police; Jeremy Starkey, Director of Finance; Melissa Vollaro, Director of Recreation and Human Services; Jeremy Swan, Director of Community Services; Brad Johnson, Director of Community Development; Shelley Desautels, City Clerk; Jamie Costanza, Deputy City Clerk
PRIORITIES PLANNING WORKSHOP
City Council 2026-28 Priorities Planning Workshop
City Manager Pirrie provided an overview of the 2024-26 City Council Priorities.
Steve Mermell, Jacob Green & Associates, gave a PowerPoint presentation.
Mayor Stark invited public comment.
City Clerk Desautels announced 11 written public comments had been received.
Unidentified speaker spoke in support of pedestrian and bicycle safety infrastructure and asked that the intersection of Yale and Harrison be reviewed.
Anna Jacobson, Play Collective Board President, encouraged the City to prioritize and invest in spaces for the youth.
Thomas Brady, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to update the seasonal lighting restrictions of the sports fields in order to help manage the sports fields.
Billy encouraged the City Council to focus on updating the Claremont Guthrie skatepark.
City Council Minutes
January 31, 2026
Unidentified speaker asked the City Council to prioritize pedestrian safety and increase housing density.
Scott Smith, President of the Claremont Little League and Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize youth sports by addressing the infrastructure of existing sports fields.
Kelly Terrell, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize lighting at sports fields and update the seasonal lighting restrictions of the sports fields.
Tyler Terrell, Claremont resident, asked that additional lights be added to all the sports fields.
Katie Sheehan, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize road safety, affordable housing, and climate change.
Elena Facias asked that additional lights be added to all sports fields to promote safety and security during their use.
Katie Towell, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to focus on road and street safety, enhancement of parks and playgrounds, and maintenance and improvements to sports fields.
Andy Casias asked that additional lighting be added to the sports fields.
Nixon Terrell, on behalf of Michael O'Shea, asked the City Council to extend field lighting hours, encouraged the completion of Padua Park, and the lighting at Griffith Park.
Lydia Henry, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize pedestrian safety, curb cuts, increase the number of police detectives, climate change, and the City's urban forest.
Anna Sween, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to invest in lighting of its outdoor sports facilities.
Amanda Turick Belle and Ansel Belle, Claremont residents, asked the City Council to prioritize outside spaces for all youth and include a new pump track. Mr. Belle provided a design of a pump track for review.
Phillip and Cora Massey spoke about the importance of parks and sports and encouraged improved lighting at all sports fields.
Tim Hobbs asked the City Council to prioritize lighting of sports fields and invest in the youth.
Jose Ochoa, Claremont Tenants United, asked the City Council to prioritize rent stabilization.
Amy Metwinsky, Claremont resident, spoke about the community connection that occurs at sports fields and asked the City Council to invest in that community.
James, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to invest in its community through art and develop an art feasibility plan in order to create a City art corporation.
Lisa Schuster, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize affordable housing by enacting rent stabilization.
Tracy Schuster, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize rent stabilization.
City Council Minutes
January 31, 2026
Curtis Black, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize sustainability and livability by increase Claremont's walkability and bikeability.
Jacob Blanchard asked the City Council to address lighting at its sports facilities.
Eleanor Omani, Claremont resident, spoke about potential war and impacts to the economy. She asked the City Council to prioritize housing stability and homelessness through rent stabilization.
Dick Haskell, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize active transportation in a safe and effective manner.
Ross Pringle, Claremont Streets for People, asked the City Council to prioritize safer crosswalks as well as the re -design of streets to increase multi -modal safety.
Lydia Hernandez, Claremont Tenants United, asked the City Council to prioritize tenant protections to include rent stabilization and the creation of a housing authority.
Paul Steinberg, Claremont Streets for People, asked the City Council to prioritize active transportation and affordable housing with improved sidewalk safety.
Mike Brunasso, Claremont resident, suggested the City Council prioritize its review and maintenance of potholes as well as the intersection of Mountain and Foothill.
Unidentified speaker asked the City Council to prioritize a safe and sustainable community by addressing problematic street intersections.
Jennifer Jaffe, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize the urban forest and sustainability by reconvening its Environmental Quality Commission.
Darvin Gomez expressed concern regarding the current Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, and questioned why this is a priority now, and if changes are made could they apply retroactively to the City Ventures project near his residence.
Heather Gomez spoke about the need for success metrics of the adopted priorities and encouraged fair infrastructure and park improvements.
Alexander, Claremont resident, spoke in support of increased density and walkability and asked the intersection of Indian Hill and Bonita be reviewed in order to prioritize people over cars.
Unidentified speaker, Claremont resident, spoke in support of the improvements made on Indian Hill Boulevard between San Jose and American.
Jim Keith, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize the area of Indian Hill south of Foothill and update the City's entry signs located in the southern part of the City.
Kirk Swanner spoke in support of the implementation and prioritization of an active transportation plan.
Unidentified speaker, Claremont resident, asked the City Council to prioritize and improve the ability to access medical care.
There were no other requests to speak.
City Council Minutes
January 31, 2026
The City Council recessed at 11:16 AM.
The City Council reconvened at 11:22 AM.
The City Council asked that the following additions be made to the City Council priorities:
• Preserving Our Natural, Cultural and Historic Resources • Strengthen Long Term Fiscal and Organizational Resilience • Invest in the Maintenance and Enhancement of Our Infrastructure • Ensure the Safety of Our Community Through Community -Based Policing and Emergency Preparedness
• Increase Livability in Our Neighborhoods and Expand Opportunities for Our Businesses • Promote Community Engagement Through Transparency and Communication • Develop Anti -Racist, Anti -Discrimination Policies and Plan to Achieve Community and Organizational Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The City Council recessed at 11:37 AM.
The City Council reconvened at 12:20 PM.
The City Council discussed the following items and directed City staff to bring back the following items for City Council review in the future:
• Review the City's Temporary Housing Stabilization Relocation Program and stop accepting new applications.
• Review the City's current leaf blower ordinance including information on the number of gas leaf blower violations and as a result of that violation, the purchase of an electric leaf blower. • Review the City's inclusionary housing ordinance.
• Review the possibility of amending the Claremont Municipal Code to allow dogs in certain areas of specified parks.
• Maintain the City's current Community Improvement enforcement of the Claremont Municipal Code.
• Directed staff to place the Elected and Appointed Official's Handbook on the City Council and each Commission's agenda once a year to receive and file the report. • Consider the creation of an Environmental and Natural Resources Commission in place of the separate Committees such as Sustainability, Tree, and Parks Hillsides and Utilities.
The City Council directed City staff to incorporate the following into the City Council's goals and potential objectives, to be discussed and confirmed at a future City Council meeting:
• Lighting of sports fields
• Street maintenance, building maintenance, and pedestrian safety • Maintenance of Indian Hill Boulevard, south of Foothill • Maintenance and management of the City's Urban Forest • Public Safety
• Implementation of the Active Transportation Plan
• Feasibility study for a Police Department drone program • Special Police Department teams for the Village and the southern part of Claremont • Sworn FTE for the Police Department
• Sports field improvement plan, including the skate park and the possibility of a pump track • Program on how to address structures built without permits • Increase the City's reserve balance to 40%
City Council Minutes
January 31, 2026
• Parking management for the Village
• Possible sales tax measure
• Arbol Verde curb cuts
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Stark adjourned the special meeting of the Claremont City Council at 2:37 PM. The next regular meeting of the Claremont City Council will be held on February 10, 2026.
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