by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

On November 13, Claremont City Council and Claremont Unified School District’s Board of Education got together to discuss ongoing collaborative opportunities and various program updates. It was the first such joint meeting of the two bodies since September 2019.

The council and board heard updates on CUSD’s student and family resource center at Oakmont Elementary, and from the city’s emergency preparedness ad hoc committee and youth and special needs and inclusionary programs.

Emergency preparedness

Deputy City Manager Katie Wand delivered an update on recent work by the city’s 15-member emergency preparedness ad hoc committee. The committee was tasked with reviewing the city’s local hazard mitigation plan, a safety document approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency every five years, and with developing Claremont’s emergency operations plan, a new document to outline how the city plans and prepares for emergencies.

“Although many agencies have their own [emergency operations plan], including CUSD, the committee highlighted the importance of working together with partner agencies to prepare for and respond to emergencies,” Wand said.

The committee has heard emergency response presentations from local utility companies, city staff, the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Public Works, and transportation organizations such as the California Department of Transportation, Metrolink and Foothill Transit.

(L-R) Claremont City Council member Sal Medina, Vice Mayor Jennifer Stark, CUSD Board member Cheryl Fiello, Mayor Corey Calaycay, City Manager Adam Pirrie, CUSD Board President Kathryn Dunn, CUSD Board member Kathy Archer, CUSD Superintendent Jim Elsasser, CUSD Board Vice President Richard O’Neill, Council member Jed Leano, CUSD Board Clerk Alex McDonald, and Council member Ed Reece at the November 13 special joint meeting. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

City staff is scheduled to present the emergency operations plan to the City Council in January.

Claremont’s local hazard mitigation plan expires in 2027. Opportunities for community engagement will take place as city staff develops its update.

The ad hoc committee was comprised of Vice Mayor Jennifer Stark, chair; Council member Ed Reece, vice chair; CUSD Assistant Superintendent, Student Resources Kevin Ward; planning commissioner Jason Wong; architectural and preservation commissioner John Neiuber; community and human services commissioner Deborah Scott Toux; traffic and transportation commissioner Richard Weiner; police commissioner Tim Dunfee; Reco Sanders of The Webb Schools; retired senior volunteer program member Bob Kern; Larry Grable of Service Center for Independent Life; Leif Cameron of Pilgrim Place; and citizen representatives Richard Rivera and Rober Grimes. Mike Hallinan of The Claremont Colleges Services was a member through July.

Student and family resource center

Beyond a projected opening month of January 2026, not much new information regarding CUSD’s upcoming family resource center at Oakmont Elementary School was presented by Senior Liaison for Family and Youth Services Rosa Leong.

The district announced its intention in June to use a nearly $30,000 from a Tri-City Mental Health Services’ Student Services Act sub-grant to turn Oakmont’s former art room into a resource center for CUSD students and families. Leong, who will oversee the facility when it opens, said services will include workshops, access to referrals, a food pantry, a washer and dryer, and a therapeutic garden. Work is underway, led by CUSD’s facilities, maintenance, and operations team.

Youth, special needs programs

Much of city staff’s presentation was a refresher of opportunities for young people, ranging from afterschool programs at TRACKS and Youth Activity Center to summer courses at Camp Claremont.

Staff also discussed ongoing collaborations between the city and CUSD, highlighting programming and facility updates for the city’s and district’s special needs community. This follows the 2023 creation of Claremont’s special needs and inclusionary program. Staff also encouraged students to get involved in local politics by signing on to the city’s teen committee.

Agendas for the meeting are viewable at claremontca.gov and cusd-claremont.community.highbond.com.