TO: ADAM PIRRIE, CITY MANAGER
FROM: JAMIE EARL, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
DATE: SEPTEMBER 23, 2025
Reviewed by:
City Manager: AP
SUBJECT:
Title
RESOLUTION REAFFIRMING THE SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY OF CLAREMONT AND THE CITY OF GUANAJUATO, MEXICO (FUNDING SOURCE: GENERAL FUND)
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SUMMARY
On April 24, 1961, the City Council adopted a resolution selecting Guanajuato, Mexico as Claremont’s Sister City. The City Council established a program with the National Town Affiliation Program that created a citizen committee of nine directors to oversee the cultural exchange program and raise funds for activities.
For more than a decade, the Town Affiliation Association of Claremont coordinated cultural exchange programs with Guanajuato, Mexico as part of the “People to People” program of the American Municipal Association. The City ceased participating in the People to People program on November 14,1978 due to inactivity by the Town Affiliation Association.
Recently, there has been renewed interest in the community and by the Mayor of Guanajuato in reviving the Sister City relationship as a means of extending friendship and expanding cultural understanding among the cities. The City Council will consider the adoption of a resolution (Attachment A), reaffirming the selection of Guanajuato as Claremont’s Sister City.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the City Council adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA, REAFFIRMING THE SELECTION OF THE CITY OF GUANAJUATO, MEXICO AS CLAREMONT’S SISTER CITY.
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ALTERNATIVE TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the recommendation, there is the following alternative:
• Refer the matter back to staff for further information.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Adoption of this resolution will have no direct financial impact on the City. If events, delegation visits, or exchange programs are organized in the future that require funding, staff will bring funding proposals for City Council consideration.
The staff cost to prepare this report is estimated at $400 and is included in the operating budget of the Administrative Services Department. After the adoption of the resolution reaffirming the Sister City relationship, additional work to maintain and support the Sister City relationship with Guanajuato may require the allocation of additional staffing resources.
ANALYSIS
Background
In March 1960, the Claremont City Council voted, “in the interest of friendship and mutual understanding,” to establish a Sister City relationship with an international community. Between August 1960 and January 1961, a citizen committee conducted research and prepared recommendations for possible Sister Cities in both Guanajuato, Mexico, and Kumasi, Ghana. On April 24, 1961, the City Council adopted a resolution selecting Guanajuato, Mexico, as Claremont’s official Sister City (Attachment B).
To support the Sister City program, the City Council established the Town Affiliation Association of Claremont (Attachment C) to plan and fund cultural exchanges. For over a decade, the Association organized student exchanges, art exhibits, receptions, delegation tours, and other cultural activities. In the early years of the program, visiting delegates were hosted in the homes of local residents.
One of the first exchange opportunities took place in 1961, when Richard Martinez, a 21-year-old Arbol Verde resident and college student, received a scholarship to study art at the Universidad de Guanajuato during the summer session. His artwork was later displayed at a community benefit event in Claremont featuring music and performances by the Mexican Players. In 1963, a student from the Universidad de Guanajuato attended summer courses at the Claremont Colleges, beginning a student exchange program that continued for several years.
The Association also coordinated a letter-writing exchange between elementary school students in both cities, and Guanajuato hosted an art exhibit featuring student work from Claremont. As part of “Guanajuato Week,” held December 8-15, 1963, Claremont installed a stone and bronze plaque dedicating Guanajuato Drive in Claraboya. The dedication ceremony was postponed until November 22, 1964, due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Additional markers were installed in Claremont, including a bronze plaque of the Guanajuato seal at the local Savings and Loan. Griswold’s Hotel and Restaurant also honored the relationship by creating the “Guanajuato Courtyard,” which remains as part of the DoubleTree by Hilton courtyard, though without its original fountain.
Sister City programs continued into the 1970s but gradually declined. By 1978, Claremont’s participation in the program ended due to inactivity, which may have been influenced by changes in leadership within both the City of Guanajuato and the Town Affiliation Association.
Recent Developments
Since 1978, the City has not participated in any formal Sister City activities. However, interest in reestablishing the relationship has recently resurfaced among members of the community and Claremont Heritage. In April 2025, Guanajuato Mayor Samantha Smith extended an invitation to Mayor Corey Calaycay and Vice Mayor Jennifer Stark to renew the Sister City relationship (Attachment D). Guanajuato expressed interest in updating the agreement and exploring “new areas of collaboration that can mutually benefit us, both culturally and in areas of social, educational, economic, and environmental development.”
On September 25, 2025, Claremont Heritage and Nosotros will host the second annual Hispanic Heritage event at the Padua Hills Theatre. A delegation from Guanajuato has been invited to attend in recognition of the historic, and potentially renewed, Sister City partnership.
Next Steps
Should the City Council approve the resolution to renew the Sister City relationship with Guanajuato, staff will prepare a proclamation for signature by the mayors of both cities, formalizing the updated agreement and reaffirming the partnership.
RELATIONSHIP TO CITY PLANNING DOCUMENTS
Staff has evaluated the agenda item in relationship to the City’s strategic and visioning documents and finds that it applies to the following City Planning Documents: Council Priorities.
CEQA REVIEW
This item is not subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
The agenda and staff report for this item have been posted on the City website and distributed to interested parties. If you desire a copy, please contact the City Clerk’s Office.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Jamie Earl Bevin Handel
Assistant City Manager Public Information Officer
Attachments:
A - Resolution Reaffirming the Sister City Relationship
B - Resolution Recognizing Guanajuato as Claremont’s Sister City
C - Constitution of the Town Affiliation Association
D - Letter from Guanajuato Mayor Samantha Smith