Pasadena City Council (Photo – Christophe LaBelle ⒸColoradoBlvd.net).
Pasadena Politics roundup for the week of Jan. 25-29, 2016.
By Christophe LaBelle
Minimum Wage Ordinance Moves Closer to Approval
(Photo – Christophe LaBelle ⒸColoradoBlvd.net).
The Economic Development and Technology Committee of the City Council unanimously approved a citywide minimum wage ordinance for Pasadena Wednesday evening, setting the stage for a hearing before the full body on Monday, February 1 (see agenda here). Public comment at the final committee hearing on the ordinance featured competing arguments and proposals from the business community—led by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and its CEO Paul Little—and Raise the Wage advocates—an alliance of organizations such as Pasadenans for a Livable Wage (PLW) and Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE). As part of the effort to have a $15 citywide minimum wage by 2020 in Pasadena, City Councilmember Victor Gordo—chair of the Economic Development and Technology Committee—underlined that the goal has been to “bring a recommendation to [the Pasadena City Council] that balances all those interests.” Despite some reservations about the particulars of the minimum wage ordinance, stakeholders and City Councilmembers alike appear ready to see hourly pay go up this summer to $10.50 for most employers.
Pasadena Residents Debate Police Oversight
Pasadena City Hall (Photo – Christophe LaBelle ⒸColoradoBlvd.net).
As part of an ongoing examination into making the Pasadena Police Department accountable to residents and their representatives, two meetings on potential methods of oversight were held for the benefit of the public. The City of Pasadena allocated funds for consultant analysis of different police oversight methods, and those independent experts were available to engage with the public and receive their input on which methods made the most sense for Pasadena.
Dale Gronemeier—a member of the stakeholder group Coalition for Increased Civilian Oversight of the Pasadena Police (CICOPP)—commented that they “had a productive discussion about CICOPP’s proposal for an Independent Police Auditor” after meeting with the two consultants—Kathryn Olson and Barbara Attard—on Wednesday in a separate three-hour meeting. Twenty representatives from CICOPP coalition organizations were in attendance. Further information on the week’s meetings can be found here.
Similar discussions of police accountability will continue next week at City Hall on February 2 at 6:30 PM, during a special meeting of the Public Safety City Council Committee. Councilmembers will receive public input on a body-worn camera policy for the Pasadena Police Department, as they review how to determine the best use of cameras due to come into patrols at the end of this year.
City Council Receives Advice on Choosing Next City Manager
(Photo – Christophe LaBelle ⒸColoradoBlvd.net).
The Pasadena City Council convened the evening Monday, January 25, and finished shortly before midnight. With the previous week’s meeting having been cancelled, the agenda featured a bevy of pithy issues. City Councilmembers listened to public comment on a variety of issues, from proposed developments to a pilot study of parklets along Colorado Boulevard to qualities to look for in Pasadena’s next city manager. The City Council also weighed city staff proposals to update the General and Specific Plans, which help determine the look and composition of Pasadena’s various neighborhoods and commercial corridors.
Review the council meeting’s activities here. Additionally, you can make your voice heard on what sort of person should succeed Michael Beck as City Manager at the following online survey.
Christophe LaBelle is a Pasadena native. After completing his B.A. in Political Science at UC Berkeley, he has returned to his hometown, immersing himself in the local political scene and covering the issues that matter to you.
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