by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

The Claremont City Council conducted its annual restructuring at its final meeting of the year on Tuesday, voting unanimously to name Corey Calaycay mayor and Jennifer Stark the newly named mayor pro tem/vice mayor for 2025.

Calaycay replaces Sal Medina and Stark will replace Calaycay.

Calaycay suggested Stark’s title be updated to mayor pro tem/vice mayor, and the council agreed, again voting unanimously.

Election results finalized

Claremont City Clerk Shelley Desautels declared the results of the November 5 general election final. She reported turnout in Districts 1 and 5 exceeded 75%. The final tally in District 1 was Calaycay 2,520 (59%), Rachel Forester 1,759 (41%). In District 5, Medina 2,225 (78%), Kingoro Onami 615 (22%). Calaycay and Medina were sworn in Tuesday.

(L-R) Outgoing Mayor Sal Medina is awarded a plaque by 2025 Mayor Corey Calaycay at Tuesday’s meeting. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

The last swearing in for both Council members took place in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was all online,” Calaycay said, “and so it’s a wonderful thing to see everyone’s faces here tonight, to be able to share this moment with the community, for Sal and me to have our friends and family and supporters here. And I’m very grateful for that.”

Calaycay was sworn in by former City Council member Sam Pedroza (2007-2018) and recited the entire oath of office from memory.

Medina thanked city staff, partners, and friends for helping during his first time as mayor, as well as his wife, EV.

“Thank you for all of your support, advice and understanding throughout the year,” Medina said to his wife. “You make me better every single day. This year has been a success not just because of my efforts, but because of yours as well. Thank you for being my partner in this wild journey.

“In closing, if I could now go back to speak to that 10-year-old immigrant kid that I mentioned in my incoming remarks last year, and ask him if any of this would someday be possible, the answer would be, por supuesto. Sí se puede,” which, roughly translated, means “of course. Yes you can” in English.

Medina said the council voted on 140 consent calendar items during his term, seven public hearing items, four ordinances, and addressed nine council items and 20 administrative items.

Calaycay gave Medina a plaque to commemorate his service.

Calaycay thanked his family, his election committee, voters, community members, and Forester and her supporters for challenging him.

“It may sound funny for me to say that, but the reality is there are purposes to elections,” Calaycay said. “People have a right to decide who they want representing them and without that, an election is meaningless.”

One of Calaycay’s goals for 2025 is to find a way to revive the Claremont Homeless Advocacy Program, or CHAP.

“I am hopeful that we can bring that program back,” he said. “I want to get with a lot of the folks who were the original founders of that to hear their thoughts on best practices, and then hopefully build on the people that are involved with that. And to me, that’s the type of an initiative that can help us coming out of this election to hopefully bring people together for a good cause, find common ground, and do something good for our community.”

Each of the five City Council members have now served as mayor: Medina in 2024, Stark in 2021, Reece in 2023, council member Jed Leano in 2022, and Calaycay in 2009-2010, 2015-2016, 2019 and now 2025.

The council’s next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 14, 2025.