City Council
The City of Claremont is a General Law City with a five-member City Council elected on a non-partisan basis to serve the community. Municipal Elections are conducted in November of even-numbered years and are consolidated with the County of Los Angeles. Terms are staggered, so that two seats are voted on during one election cycle and three seats during the next cycle. In February 2019, the City transitioned from at-large elections to a district-based election system. The by-district system divides the City into geographic areas. Voters will select a Council candidate from their district every four years.
To find your District, type your address into the following interactive map.
The Mayor and Vice Mayor are elected directly by the City Council from among its members. The Mayor is the presiding officer at council meetings, with the Vice Mayor in that role in the Mayor's absence. The Mayor and Vice Mayor have the same voting power as any other Councilmember.
Council Meeting Schedule
Second and fourth Tuesday of each month, 6:30 p.m.
Council Chamber, 225 W. Second Street
Meeting dates, times and locations are subject to change.
Please check the posted agenda or call the City Clerk for the most current information.
All meetings are open to the public, except special closed sessions that deal with personnel and some legal matters.
City Councilmembers
Mayor Corey Calaycay (District 1)
Corey Calaycay is serving his sixth term on the Claremont City Council (November 2024 - November 2028). He previously served three one-year terms as Mayor (December 2018 - December 2019, March 2015 - March 2016, and March 2009 - March 2010).
Corey was born in Chicago. Not long, thereafter, his family moved to Claremont where he has resided for the past fifty years. He is a parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church. He attended the United Church of Christ Pre-School, Foothill Country Day School, and Webb School of California. He went on to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, receiving a degree in Business Administration in 1992.
In 1990, he ran his first race for Claremont City Council at age nineteen. While he did not win, he garnered a strong 2,382 votes. He ran unsuccessfully again in 1992 and 1994 before finally receiving the nod of the voters in the election of March 2005. At his installation on March 16, 2005, Mayor Calaycay remarked that his 15-year journey to City Council brought new personal meaning for him to the old adage, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again."
Corey had been an active leader in the community in the years prior to his election. He served on the County of Los Angeles Local Suppression of Drug Abuse in Schools Advisory Committee and is Past-Chair of the City of Claremont Library Task Force, Past-President of the Friends of the Claremont Public Library, Past-Treasurer and Past-President of the Claremont Educational Foundation, and a founding member and Past-President of Active Claremont.
Corey has over ten years of experience working as a staff member for the California State Legislature and has had the opportunity to serve constituents in more than thirty communities in the region around Claremont, including parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange Counties.
Mayor Calaycay is Chairman of the County of Los Angeles Public Library Commission and Chairman of the Pomona Valley Transit Authority Board. He also serves on the Foothill Transit Governing & Executive Boards, San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District Board of Trustees, and Clean Power Alliance of Southern California Board of Directors.
Vice Mayor Jennifer Stark (District 3)
Jennifer Stark is serving her second term on the Claremont City Council (November 2022 - November 2026) following the 2018 mid-term elections in which she was the top vote-getter among three new councilmembers.
Jennifer's commitment to serving the community of Claremont is rooted in her appreciation for those who have served before her. Jennifer was born and raised in Claremont, and she and her husband David Berke have raised their three children here. A product of Claremont's public schools herself, Jennifer spent countless hours over several decades volunteering in them as a parent. In addition to her community service work, Jennifer teaches yoga at Pomona College. She is an alumna of Pitzer College.
Vice Mayor Stark has served as a Traffic and Transportation commissioner and as a member of the boards of Claremont Heritage and Friends of the Claremont Library. She volunteers for Sustainable Claremont as a Certified Tree Steward and is a proud member of the League of Women Voters, the Democratic Club of Claremont, Kiwanis Club, and the University Club. She is exceptionally honored to be a founder of Claremont Canopy, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help refugees thrive in their new communities.
Councilmember Jed Leano (District 4)
Jed Leano is serving his second term on the Claremont City Council (November 2022 - November 2026). In October 2019, he was named Democrat of the Year for the 41st Assembly District by the LA County Democratic Party.
Councilmember Leano serves as chair of the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust Board, Chair of Tri-City Mental Health Board, and Claremont's representative to the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGV COG) Homelessness Committee. He represents the SGV COG on the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Community Economic and Human Development Committee (CEHD), charged with the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) methodology, and represents SCAG on the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC), charged with overseeing programs to reduce motor vehicle air pollution. He serves as chair of the Claremont Lincoln University MPA program Advisory Council and the Vice Chair of the Filipino American Democratic Caucus of the CA Democratic Party.
Prior to his election to City Council, Councilmember Leano served as the Vice Chair of the Community and Human Services Commission and was the founding Chair of Housing Claremont. Since 2011, he has served as lead attorney for the quarterly immigration and naturalization clinic at the United Methodist Church. He was a founding board member and lead attorney of the Neighborhood Immigration Clinic in 2009, a state-wide pro-bono immigration law clinic, and served as Board Chair from 2012-2014. Prior to moving to Claremont, Jed resided in Pasadena, CA where he served as the 80th President of the Pasadena Jaycees and National Legal Counsel for the United States Jaycees.
Councilmember Leano works as an immigration attorney in private practice in Pasadena, CA. He was admitted to practice law by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 2006. He obtained his Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law in 2005 and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kentucky in 2001. He and his wife Liz have one son, Welles.
Councilmember Sal Medina (District 5)
Silviano "Sal" Medina is serving his second term on the Claremont City Council (November 2024 - November 2028). He served as Mayor in 2024. A naturalized citizen, Sal was born in Jalisco, Mexico and raised in Azusa, California. After transferring with an Associate's degree from Citrus College, Sal earned a Bachelor's in Political Science and Master's degrees in Education from the University of La Verne.
Post college, Councilmember Medina worked with Martin Gallegos in the 57th Assembly District. He was later called to educate and coach for 7 years at Monrovia High School. His next adventure was in wine and hospitality. Sal, along with his wife EV, have owned and operated Packing House Wines since 2007, a restaurant and wine shop in the Claremont Packing House. As a lifelong educator and learner, he continues to study wine and mentors his staff to grow and develop their wine knowledge, expanding their professional opportunities.
With great pride, Packing House Wines was named the Claremont Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year in 2007, and in 2014, was a finalist for the 41st Assembly District Business of the Year by Assemblyman Chris Holden's office. In 2017, Congresswoman Judy Chu presented Sal with a Congressional Recognition as the Business Person of the Year (East) for the 27th District. Most recently, Sal was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by Citrus College in 2019.
Councilmember Medina is deeply rooted in the community and involved in numerous organizations, serving as a Claremont Chamber of Commerce Board Member from 2010-2017 and Chairman from 2015-2016. Sal has been active with the University of La Verne Alumni Association, Assemblyman Chris Holden's Small Business Advisory Committee (SBA), and the California SBA Advisory Committee.
When he is not working or studying, Councilmember Medina and EV enjoy traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Councilmember Ed Reece (District 2)
Ed Reece is serving his second term on the Claremont City Council (November 2022 - November 2026). In his first term on the City Council, Mr. Reece has worked to raise Claremont's profile on a regional level in the areas of transportation and transit, public safety and community policing, and economic development.
Councilmember Reece is the owner of ISN Global Enterprises, an international technology firm that he founded out of his father's garage over 25 years ago. In recognition of his work with the business community, Mr. Reece was awarded the Claremont Chamber of Commerce's Claremont Business of the Year and Claremont Businessperson of the Year. The United States Congress, California State Legislature, and the County of Los Angeles have also recognized his business achievements.
Councilmember Reece began his involvement in civic affairs in the late 90's but more recently as a member of the City of Claremont's Police Commission and served as Commission's Chairperson. Experiencing firsthand the conditions of the police station and the need to mobilize the community he took on a significant leadership role as the Co-Chair of Partners for a Safe Claremont. As President of the Claremont Crime Prevention Coalition (CCPC), he facilitated connections between the business community and the Claremont Police Department through a series of crime prevention workshops.
Councilmember Reece has been a voice for expanding regional transit and transportation in Southern California and has been instrumental in advocating for the Gold Line Extension through Montclair. He serves as the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments Board representative on the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Board, and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) Governing Board. In May of 2021, the Governing Board of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments elected him as its 2nd Vice President of the Executive Board as he previously served as 3rd Vice President. He also serves as an alternate on the Foothill Transit Governing Board, the League of California Cities City Selection Committee, and the Pomona Valley Transit Authority.
Councilmember Reece is an active member of several community organizations and has provided leadership as a member of several executive boards including serving as President of CPHOA, Inc., and President of the Board of Trustees for the Inland Valley Repertory Theater (IVRT). As a cancer survivor and community advocate, Reece served on the Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society, California Division and was honored as the Official Community Starter for the Amgen Tour of California Stage 7 in 2011.