The Claremont City Council met Tuesday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. to hear public comments relating to wild coyote issues, vote on the establishment of a local rental registry and an anti-harassment ordinance.

While not on the agenda, the bulk of the public comment was made regarding residents’ concerns about an increase in coyote activity. Before public comment was opened, the Inland Valley Humane Society assured residents that they were “totally aware” of the issue, and provided a phone number for residents to call.

Residents commented in length on the issue, noting how they don’t walk their dogs anymore after stalking from coyotes. “Hazing [the coyotes] just doesn’t work anymore,” one resident said, with others telling stories of coyotes jumping six feet over fences. Another resident played a recording of their dog being attacked over the microphone, bringing one audience member to tears.

One resident pointed out that coyotes have “animal instincts” and asked, “What changed in the last year to year and a half that is causing them to become so much braver? What are they scared of?” Seemingly to indicate that attention also needed to be given to the rights of the coyotes.

This prompted a resident who already spoke to approach the podium, but was told by Mayor Corey Calaycay that she “wasn’t allowed to speak twice”, as community members are only allowed one general public comment. She however continued to speak, which led to Mayor Calaycay to call for a recess. As the council walked away, the resident said, “we have bigger issues here in town.”
The resident, as well as others, were then ushered outside while the room settled down. The resident was allowed back in after a few minutes.

Moving into the official proceedings for the rental registry and anti-harassment ordinance, the disruption set a tone of light audience chatter and audible reactions.
The city council voted 3-2 to reject calls for the establishment of a rental registry, a topic that has been discussed for the past two and a half years. Vice Mayor Jennifer Stark and Councilmember Jed Leaon, voted in favor of the proposal.

While the initial information for the city’s rental registry — a registry that tracks landlord, tenant, and property information such as rent prices, unit type, and occupancy status to provide governments with up to date and accurate information on the state of rental properties — was initially put forward at the February 11 meeting, updates and revisions were presented on May 22.