Mayor Gloria breaks ground on Olive Grove Park renovation in Claremont

Mayor Todd Gloria led a ceremonial groundbreaking at Olive Grove Park in Claremont, saying the city will improve walkways, curb ramps, restrooms, a parking lot and the basketball courts and add a new play area for children ages 2 to 12. "I'm San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, and I'm delighted to be here at the Olive Grove Park in Claremont," he said, repeating that the project is the park's largest investment in more than 26 years.

The mayor credited Councilmember Jennifer Campbell with prioritizing neighborhood infrastructure and said the city has completed or started 98 new park projects over the last four years, a 31% increase over the previous four-year period. "Parks are a key part of neighborhood infrastructure," Gloria said, framing park upgrades as essential to quality of life.

Nicole Crosby of the Claremont Town Council thanked the mayor and Councilmember Campbell and said the renovated park will serve children who come from nearby Lafayette Elementary. "Having a park next door to school, when school bell rings, kids come to the park and they're gonna be able to come to the park where everyone can play," Crosby said.

Andy Field, the city's parks and recreation director, noted the site's proximity to the elementary school and introduced his son, Derek, who described playing at Olive Grove Park as a child and said he is "really excited" about the renovation. Field said the project reflects the city's ongoing investment in neighborhood parks and public facilities.

The mayor used the ceremonial moment to thank city employees and community partners who helped deliver the project and urged continued work on infrastructure and housing priorities. The ceremony concluded with a short countdown and the ceremonial groundbreaking.

Next steps: the mayor and parks staff said construction would proceed under the city's usual procurement and project management processes; no formal vote or council action was recorded at the ceremony.