Council votes to end riding club's lease; police armored vehicle moves ahead

The council met in closed session before the public meeting. The agenda listed four closed-session matters: a California State Auditor audit (A), real property negotiations over 360 North Arroyo Boulevard with the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center and the LA28 Olympic organizing committee's diving manager, over price and terms of payment (B), possible initiation of litigation (C), and significant exposure to potential litigation (D). The city attorney reported that items A and B were discussed and there was no reportable action. 00:01:07

• Closed session report; no action reported. Result: no action. Recused: Jason Lyon (Councilmember, District 7). 00:01:36

• A councilmember said they did not take part in closed-session item B because their law firm represents one of the parties, and recused from it 00:01:36

Routine items approved together in one vote: a Water & Power resource adequacy program, three police grants, two board and commission appointments, and receiving claims against the city. 00:13:33

• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) moved approval of the consent calendar, seconded by Gene Masuda (Councilmember, District 4). Result: passed. 00:13:33

First reading of an ordinance amending the city's water waste prohibitions and water supply shortage plans in Title 13, Chapter 13.10 of the Pasadena Municipal Code. These are the city's rules against wasting water and its plans for water shortages. There was no discussion and no public speakers. 00:14:26

• First reading of the ordinance amending Title 13, Chapter 13.10, introduced by Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2). Result: passed, unanimous. 00:15:09

An information-only report. The Pasadena Police Department plans to acquire a surplus military armored personnel carrier, a 2008 International MaxxPro of the MRAP type, at no purchase cost through the federal Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO, or 1033) program. State law AB 481 requires the department to report military equipment acquisitions. The chief estimated painting and radio installation at about $15,000 to $20,000, paid from existing fleet funds. Staff said the council did not have to act: unless the council directed otherwise, the department would go ahead with the acquisition. No motion was made, so the acquisition proceeds. 00:15:27

▶ Hear it If the council does nothing, does the armored vehicle deal go ahead? · 1:04

• No motion was made. Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) offered to second a motion if one was made, but none was, so under staff's explanation the acquisition proceeds without council action. Result: no action. 01:06:10

• City staff presented the department's plan to acquire an armored personnel carrier through the LESO surplus program 00:17:20
• City staff said the department had posted its notice of intent to acquire such a vehicle on its military equipment web page since May 2024 00:18:25
• City staff said the department learned on October 7, 2026 that a Northern California agency had the vehicle available, after the annual military equipment report was already done 00:19:27
• City staff said waiting for the police oversight commission's next meeting in December could delay the transfer and put the acquisition at risk 00:21:37
• City staff estimated upfitting at about $15,000 to $20,000 for paint and a police radio, with no new funding requested 00:22:41
• City staff said the department has one armored vehicle now and borrows from other agencies when it needs more, and cited upcoming major events including LA28 00:23:42
• City staff explained that the council is not required to act on the item but that staff is required to bring it forward 00:26:19
• A councilmember argued the vehicle is purely military and would damage the department's community reputation, noting the city already has a Bearcat 00:27:41
• A councilmember stated opposition to acquiring the vehicle even at no cost 00:28:41
• A councilmember asked about the $20,000 upfit cost despite the vehicle being described as no cost 00:29:02
• City staff said annual registration would also come from the existing budget, and that the vehicle would be stored out of sight, as the Bearcat is 00:29:26
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) shared concerns about the militarization of policing and asked what the 11 incidents involving a borrowed vehicle were 00:30:16
• City staff described uses such as multi-agency warrant service on armed suspects, evacuations and armed-robbery responses, and said the department is moving to a full-time SWAT team 00:31:14
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) said they were not persuaded the city can't keep borrowing a second vehicle when needed, and leaned toward opposing 00:33:02
• City staff warned that 2028 will bring three of the highest-security events within 360 days, and that federal help will focus on logistics rather than equipment 00:33:37
• A councilmember questioned the process, saying the item felt like a decision rather than information and could go to the Public Safety Committee 00:35:11
• City staff explained that the council could direct staff to abandon the acquisition or send it to committee, and that without action the department would proceed 00:35:58
• City staff said the police oversight commission has approved the department's policy covering armored vehicles 00:36:58
• A councilmember referred to a recent school shooting in Oregon and said such tools might be needed in situations like that 00:37:07
• City staff said buying a comparable vehicle would otherwise cost the general fund $250,000 to $350,000 00:39:06
• The mayor explained that Pasadena hosts a SEAR-1 event, the federal government's highest event-safety category, every year 00:40:54
• The mayor called the acquisition regrettable but necessary to protect officers, other first responders and the public 00:41:58
• The mayor said they could not recall any misuse of the Bearcat, which the department has had since 2011, and praised the department's conduct at recent demonstrations 00:42:50
• City staff said the goal is to show preparedness, not might, and that armored vehicles are kept hidden until needed 00:44:25
• A councilmember called the Bearcat's incident-free record the most compelling argument for the vehicle 00:47:43
• A councilmember said use at demonstrations causes them the most anxiety, and asked how the vehicle has been deployed at protests 00:47:43
• City staff said that at recent demonstrations, including No Kings, the armored vehicle was staged out of sight in an underground garage at the convention center 00:48:12
• A councilmember noted that the military equipment policy has been reviewed every year without becoming a point of contention 00:49:51
• The mayor said officers are asked to run toward danger and should be able to do so as safely as possible 01:02:00
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) expressed trust in the police department but worried about a slippery slope toward ever-bigger equipment 01:02:50
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) said a line should be drawn at some point and that reasonable people can disagree where 01:04:53
• A councilmember asked that the record show their opposition, while acknowledging it was an informational item 01:05:11

The council was asked to find the Brookside Park Stormwater Capture Project categorically exempt from CEQA (the state environmental review law) and to approve its design. The project would build an underground system beneath a Rose Bowl-area parking lot (Lot I) to capture and clean runoff from the Seco Street storm drain, which staff said carries untreated water from about 1,200 acres into the Arroyo Seco. Staff estimated about 86 acre-feet per year of groundwater recharge. Funding includes Measure W grants and long-term Caltrans money. Staff said construction is two to three years away, after the Olympics. 01:06:10

• Tyron Hampton (Councilmember, District 1) moved the staff recommendation (CEQA categorical exemption finding and approval of the project design), seconded by Gene Masuda (Councilmember, District 4). Result: passed. Recused: Justin Jones (Councilmember, District 3). 01:22:58

• A councilmember recused from the item out of caution because their employer is involved with stormwater capture projects 01:06:34
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) raised a letter-writer's concern that the plans don't match what the city's project website has shown 01:11:10
• City staff said the website shows the original feasibility concept of about 11 acre-feet, which was later reduced 01:12:18
• City staff explained that the design now filters much of the water and returns it to the Arroyo at the community's request, which allowed a smaller underground structure; the project is at 90% design 01:12:18
• City staff denied that the changes were a bait and switch 01:13:23
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) faulted staff for not responding to the Environmental Advisory Commission's detailed concerns 01:13:31
• City staff said the attachments were wrong and the commission's letter concerns the separate Arroyo Seco project 01:14:37
• City staff said construction is estimated at 18 months, phased at stakeholders' request to start in March or April 01:15:16
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) voiced skepticism about concrete-heavy engineering for limited gains 01:16:04
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) questioned using a categorical exemption for a project this large instead of a mitigated negative declaration 01:17:05
• City staff said nine trees would be removed and that they were evaluated under the city's tree ordinance and found not mature or scenic 01:17:13
• City staff said tonight's action is only CEQA approval and construction is two to three years away 01:18:25
• City staff said the approval is a milestone for the grant agency and that staff will return to the Municipal Services Committee 01:18:41
• City staff estimated about 86 acre-feet per year of groundwater recharge 01:19:13
• City staff described the above-ground features: constructed soil, permeable pavement and a nine-foot planter bed 01:19:13
• A councilmember asked what drainage structure exists under the parking lot now, saying the existing-facilities exemption was one they weren't entirely convinced by 01:20:03
• City staff said the existing Seco Street drain carries untreated runoff from about 1,200 acres into the Arroyo Seco 01:20:14
• A councilmember asked why construction would not start until 2029 when design is 90% complete 01:21:07
• City staff said construction was set for after the Olympics and that the Caltrans funding is long-term money 01:21:16
• A councilmember praised staff's community outreach as a model and moved approval of the staff recommendation 01:21:45

Rose Bowl Riders, an equestrian club that speakers said has operated for about 80 years, has been on a month-to-month lease at the city's Hahamongna Watershed Park since its tenth amendment expired. Either party can end that lease with 30 days' notice, without cause. The staff recommendation had three parts: a CEQA exemption finding; rescinding the September 21, 2026 termination notice in response to an apparent demand to cure or correct it; and authorizing the city manager to issue a new notice of at least 30 days, with a deadline to vacate by January 31, 2027. Staff cited little or no public benefit in 2025 and 2026 and missing insurance documents. Two earlier requests for proposals (RFPs) failed. Staff plans a new RFP for the site around February 1, 2027, and may bring in an interim operator for boarded horses. The stalls and other improvements belong to the tenant. 01:24:05

▶ Hear it How often did the city actually meet with the riding club? · 0:57

• Tyron Hampton (Councilmember, District 1) proposed a motion to issue a new RFP on February 1, open for 30 days and widely cast. Result: no action. Recused: Jason Lyon (Councilmember, District 7). 02:19:49
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) moved the staff recommendation: CEQA exemption finding, rescinding the September 21, 2026 termination notice, and authorizing a new notice of at least 30 days with a deadline to vacate by January 31, 2027. The second was not identified. Result: passed, 7-0. Recused: Jason Lyon (Councilmember, District 7). 02:31:23

• A councilmember recused because their firm represents one of the parties in unrelated matters 01:24:16
• City staff reviewed the history: the city bought the watershed park in 2005, and the lease has gone month-to-month after its amendments expired 01:24:53
• City staff said that in 2024 the city manager found insufficient public benefit, and that two RFP processes since then were unsuccessful 01:25:58
• City staff explained that the month-to-month lease requires only 30 days' notice to terminate, without cause 01:27:03
• City staff said they met with Rose Bowl Riders on site about four times over two years 01:55:11
• City staff said those meetings covered stable conditions, arena flooding and a tree that needed trimming, and that the issues were addressed 01:55:38
• City staff said they recused personally from the RFP process and left the evaluation to a staff committee 01:56:20
• City staff presented slides showing community benefit before 2024 and none in 2025 and 2026 01:59:20
• City staff said that because the required insurance wasn't in place, the city used another operator, Ride On, for summer camp lessons in 2025 and 2026 01:59:56
• A councilmember said the public's account and staff's account are far apart, and that the city did not communicate well 02:00:37
• City staff said staff is redrafting an RFP for equestrian use, drawing on the City of Los Angeles's process 02:02:33
• City staff said staff would seek an interim operator to care for boarded horses until a new operator is chosen 02:03:12
• City staff said an earlier lease amendment, made when Metropolitan Water owned the land, transferred the improvements to the tenant 02:03:45
• City staff said that if the tenant removes the railings, the city would rebuild about 25 stalls, and cited bids for the railing costs 02:04:21
• A councilmember proposed a motion to have a new RFP go out February 1, open for 30 days and drawn as widely as needed 02:05:47
• A councilmember criticized that the matter did not go through any of the city's committees or commissions, such as Parks and Recreation, or the Hahamongna advisory group 02:05:47
• A councilmember called four meetings in two years on matters not related to the use of the site unacceptable 02:06:50
• The mayor said the decision was not arbitrary and asked staff to walk through the public-benefit record 02:08:20
• City staff said that in 2022 the lease required lessons for five teens from the city's teen center, who received 68 free lessons 02:09:17
• City staff said 45 day-camp children got two lessons each in 2023 and 2024, fall and spring lessons were not provided, and 2025–26 lessons lapsed over sexual-abuse liability insurance 02:09:17
• City staff said the problem was not a lack of insurance but a failure to provide satisfactory proof and required endorsements, such as naming the city as an additional insured 02:10:29
• City staff said Myrtle Hill Farms, which gave the lessons, was also short on required insurance documentation 02:11:31
• The mayor pointed to the many insurance deficiencies on the slide as largely why the matter was before the council 02:14:13
• A councilmember learned that no claims were tendered to the city, though the city was exposed 02:15:08
• A councilmember criticized layering amendment on amendment, and asked staff whether the city's contracts administrator had been involved 02:15:08
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) said near-daily litigation threats limit what the council can say, and that the threats assume the club has a right to occupy the land 02:16:49
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) said the benefit people get from the site doesn't create a right to occupy public land indefinitely, and backed the staff recommendation 02:18:52
• A councilmember asked what amount of public benefit would be acceptable 02:19:59
• City staff said the city still paid $3,150 for lessons in 2023, and similar amounts in 2024 and to Ride On later 02:21:49
• City staff said the 45 children came from roughly 600 to 700 day-camp participants 02:22:38
• The mayor recalled the council choosing equestrian use over soccer fields at the site in the 2000s 02:24:35
• A councilmember objected that the motion did not set a date for the RFP 02:25:41
• City staff said staff would strive to release the RFP by February 1 if so directed 02:26:21
• City staff committed to issuing the RFP as close to or before February 1 as possible, and to telling the council if the date slips 02:27:34
• A councilmember raised concern about a gap with no operator after January 31, and noted that either party can end the lease on written notice 02:28:49
• City staff said staff could ask other users in the area to help with boarding and could seek an emergency operator 02:29:23
• A councilmember noted that the club's original agreement did not come from an RFP 02:29:54

• Non-agenda public comment (6 speakers, held to a minute and a half each, with full time offered at the end of the meeting): two thanked the council for its North Fair Oaks plan and Black Legacy District and asked the city to identify funding for public art and banners; one criticized city spending priorities and demanded the city stop running ads for Measure PFD; one said the city's 2025 power content label shows 51% fossil fuels against a 33% state average and asked for an explanation; one urged the council to cancel the Flock license-plate reader contract or pause it and collect data; one objected to the Guanajuato sister-city proposal being treated as a friendship relationship
• Consent calendar: a speaker called for items 1 and 2 did not appear
• Armored vehicle (item 10): five speakers. Two opposed: one called it a vehicle designed for war that would erode community trust, and the other said the city was skipping the AB 481 process and that they would file a complaint with the state attorney general. Three supported it, among them a police officers' association board member, citing officer safety and cost savings. The clerk reported six letters opposed
• Brookside stormwater project (item 7): two speakers. One cited a 1921 newspaper account that the site was filled with rubbish and questioned whether a categorical exemption fits; one supported the project as cleaning runoff and adding habitat. The clerk reported four letters opposed or asking for an initial study and one in support
• Rose Bowl Riders (item 8): 17 speaker cards, about 16 speakers, nearly all urging the city to keep or re-negotiate the lease; one, an equestrian adviser, mainly raised questions about which commission was responsible for the decision and about the advisers' experience. Many were children and teen riders and their parents describing confidence, community and therapy at the barn; club officers and members alleged a lack of transparency, a canceled RFP with no explanation, and questioned the CEQA exemption; speakers mentioned lessons for youth from Hillsides and Five Acres. The clerk reported four letters supporting the staff recommendation or other equine operators, four opposed, and 13 letters from one individual seeking documentation and legal justification for the termination

• Rose Bowl Riders must vacate the Hahamongna site by January 31, 2027 under the new termination notice
• Staff committed to issuing a new RFP for the equestrian site as close to or before February 1, 2027 as possible, and to telling the council if the date slips
• Staff will look for an interim or emergency operator, and ask nearby users to help, so boarded horses are cared for after January 31
• Tyron Hampton (Councilmember, District 1) asked staff to share the bids behind the railing and stall replacement estimates
• Steve Madison (Councilmember, District 6) asked staff to report whether the city's contracts administrator has reviewed this lease
• The armored personnel carrier will be included in future annual AB 481 military equipment reports
• Brookside stormwater staff will return to the Municipal Services Committee; construction is expected in about 2029, after the Olympics
• Staff said they will return to the council separately on the Arroyo Seco stormwater project
• Upcoming meetings per agenda: closed-session-only council meeting October 26; Finance Committee and City Council October 27; special joint meeting with the county supervisor November 9 at 3:30 p.m.; the November 3 council meeting is to be cancelled

Not an agenda item. After a resident raised Pasadena Water and Power's 2025 power content label, which reports the mix of sources behind the city's electricity, the chair invited the utility's general manager to respond. He discussed the city's carbon-free-by-2030 policy and why the gas-fired Glenarm plant ran more in 2025. 00:04:32

• City staff said the city's policy is to be carbon free by 2030 and that the utility is on track 00:04:45
• City staff said a memo on the power content label would be posted on the city's website the next day and sent out through the city manager's newsletter 00:04:45
• City staff explained that the 2025 report reflects heavier use of the local plant because Edison pulled its line during the fire, cutting incoming power for months 00:04:45
• City staff said running the Glenarm plant kept the community from experiencing outages 00:05:49

An information item, with no staff recommendation, from the Department of Transportation and the Police Department on traffic safety in Pasadena. It covered collision data, completed and planned safety projects, and police education and enforcement. The update follows the city's adoption of the Safe System approach and the Focused Local Roadway Safety Action Plan, which the City Council approved in October 2025 along with a goal of zero roadway fatalities by 2035 (agenda). The plan designated safety corridors where state law (AB 43, per the agenda) lets the city lower speed limits by an extra 5 mph. Per the agenda, Pasadena had 4 traffic fatalities from January through June 2026, 3 in all of 2025 and 9 in 2021. The Police Traffic Section is budgeted for 1 lieutenant, 1 sergeant, 1 corporal and 9 motor officers, with two vacancies and one retirement pending (agenda). Traffic Section citations year-to-date through August 2026 totaled 4,132, and all citations 5,563 (agenda). The committee took no action. 00:06:05

• City staff said the update was brought at the committee's request and is presented to the Transportation Advisory Commission at least once a year 00:06:15
• City staff reported California is projected to have 828 pedestrian deaths in 2025, describing it as about a 20% drop from 2024 (agenda says 22.4%, from 1,067) 00:07:44
• City staff reported 336 injury and fatal collisions in Pasadena in the first six months of 2026, after collisions rose from the COVID period through 2024 00:08:46
• City staff said only about 7% of collisions involve pedestrians, but pedestrians account for half of the city's traffic deaths over the last ten years 00:09:52
• City staff reported four traffic deaths in the first half of 2026: two pedestrians and two vehicle occupants 00:11:59
• City staff said the safety corridors are 13% of city streets but carry 80% of collisions 00:13:03
• City staff said staff are surveying the safety corridors to lower their speed limits by another 5 mph and hope to bring that to the City Council in late winter or early spring 00:13:03
• City staff said staff are tracking automated speed-enforcement pilots in other cities, naming Los Angeles, Glendale, possibly Long Beach, Oakland and San Francisco 00:14:03
• City staff listed completed projects, including Allen Avenue pedestrian improvements and a beacon at Locust, speed tables on Mountain, speed humps on East Paloma, the Pasadena Avenue/State Street median, and Orange Grove/Lincoln centerline hardening installed about six weeks earlier 00:16:08
• City staff said staff are working with Public Works to put flashing-beacon crosswalks at Green/Chester and Green/Michigan out to bid for construction 00:16:08
• City staff said pedestrian hybrid beacons at Lincoln/Toolen and Lake/Elizabeth are in design with Public Works 00:17:08
• City staff said the Traffic Section is allotted nine motor officers but has run with seven for several years; it is now at eight, and will drop back to seven when an officer retires December 2 00:19:31
• City staff described a new 30/60/90-day directed-enforcement operation that targeted problem locations chosen from collision history, officer observations and community complaints, saying it began in June (the agenda says it began in July) 00:21:41
• City staff reported that officers wrote 105 citations at Allen and Orange Grove in July, and the location had no collisions that month 00:22:43
• City staff gave results for other targeted locations, such as 102 citations and two non-injury collisions on Glenarm between Arroyo Parkway and El Molino 00:23:47
• City staff said Traffic Section citations rose from 422 in June to 655 in July once directed enforcement began, and were 566 in August 00:24:47
• City staff said the department ran over 70 state traffic safety grant programs last grant year (the agenda lists 70 for the 2025–26 grant year), including 24 DUI saturations and 8 DUI checkpoints, and about four fewer this year 00:26:53
• A councilmember asked whether directed enforcement keeps deterring drivers months after officers leave, and asked for that data 00:27:56
• City staff said that a return visit to Washington the week before produced 14 citations in an hour, nearly all for speeding, and that the program is being changed to redeploy officers when data shows a problem 00:29:22
• A councilmember said he understood the state courts keep about 93% of moving-violation fines, cautioned the figure may be wrong, and noted enforcement is not a revenue source 00:30:38
• City staff said he does not believe the department gets any money from citations 00:31:34
• A councilmember asked staff for a later answer on what share of moving-violation fines the city recaptures 00:31:58
• A councilmember asked what tools besides officers the council could support to deter speeding 00:45:53
• City staff compared staffing: Glendale has 20 motor officers plus traffic cars, while Pasadena has 10 including supervision; he named speed and red-light cameras as the only other tools he knew of 00:47:10
• A councilmember concluded the city needs to grow its traffic division 00:48:05
• City staff said police and transportation staff meet at least monthly to share hotspot information, giving the example of a tree branch blocking a stop sign that was trimmed after repeated collisions 00:49:24
• City staff said school-zone speed limits can go down to 20 and sometimes 15 mph, while other residential streets stay at 25, and that staff are focusing on the safety corridors first 00:51:14
• A councilmember asked that school-zone limits be cut to 15 mph as a future action item 00:52:14
• City staff said the city's past red-light camera program reduced collisions but became too costly as violations fell, and that bringing it back would need a comprehensive study 00:55:01
• A councilmember said he would be willing to pay the cost of red-light cameras to save lives 00:56:16
• City staff said staff could compare a red-light camera program against other unfunded safety projects and report to the committee and the City Council 00:56:54
• A councilmember asked what the council could do to help get Pasadena into the state speed-camera pilot 00:57:30
• City staff said the city has been pressing the state and is on the list of interested agencies, and staff are reviewing San Francisco's recent effectiveness report 00:58:00
• A councilmember called the 35 mph speed limit around the Rose Bowl too fast 00:58:43
• City staff said the Rose Bowl roads are classified as collectors rather than local streets, and staff will run engineering surveys to see whether the posted speed can be lowered 00:58:59
• City staff noted the City Council approved a Rose Bowl access study two weeks earlier to improve pedestrian and bicyclist access 01:01:01
• A councilmember suggested speed feedback signs that show a happy face to drivers at the speed limit, like ones he saw in Iceland 01:01:39
• A councilmember praised the visible shift in enforcement and urged that the Traffic Section's vacancies be filled and other resources moved into it 01:02:44
• A councilmember noted that mobility safety is one of the council's five priorities 01:03:46
• A councilmember said Districts 7 and 3 are nearly all hotspots and that nine of thirty-one pedestrian deaths and serious injuries shown were in his district 01:04:47
• A councilmember asked why most planned future projects are outside collision hotspots 01:04:47
• City staff said most of the planned projects, including four greenways, are funded by Measure R and meant to be multimodal as well as safety improvements 01:06:02
• City staff said every intersection in the urban core already has a signal, so the focus there is on reducing crash severity, including through enforcement 01:07:04
• City staff said a traffic signal at Cordova and Oak Knoll, where a fatality occurred, is funded, and a funding agreement should come to the council within the next few months 01:08:43
• City staff said staff added extra all-red signal time at El Molino and California to cut collisions caused by red-light running 01:09:49
• A councilmember said California, Del Mar and Cordova invite speeding because they are wide and open 01:10:40
• A councilmember said feedback signs only slow drivers briefly and asked for more demonstration projects, including some already discussed for Oak Knoll 01:11:43
• A councilmember said Pasadena has had more traffic deaths than homicides in every recent year except possibly 2023 01:13:00
• A councilmember said the capital program has $160 million in street improvements with no general fund money, relying on shrinking state and federal grants 01:16:03
• A councilmember argued that zero deaths requires public will: residents must face the trade-offs, and the city must fund officers and projects 01:19:27
• A councilmember said transportation dominates his monthly community coffees, so he had to put a time limit on it 01:19:45
• A councilmember praised the community outreach for the Mountain Street traffic plan and said resident response to the speed tables has been very positive 01:20:22
• City staff said that in 2012–2013 the traffic unit had two sergeants and 15 officers 01:21:57
• A councilmember said he would support studying red-light cameras and adding traffic officers, and raised speeding on Los Robles, Marengo and Lincoln 01:22:40
• City staff said the northernmost part of Marengo was reclassified as a local street, which allowed lower limits and speed cushions that have worked 01:24:57
• City staff said staff are tracking speeds at three and six months after speed tables go in, to judge whether they work on busier streets 01:26:04
• City staff explained that school zones follow the State Board of Education's school directory and state guidance, typically extending 500 feet from the property 01:28:34
• A councilmember asked staff to consider how to slow traffic near two schools on Fair Oaks and Orange Grove if they cannot be made school zones 01:29:40
• City staff said staff mostly need council support for hard conversations with residents, citing Orange Grove, where strong opposition arose during outreach and the council directed staff to move the project out of the capital program 01:31:15
• A councilmember said the council needs political courage to stay in community dialogue past the initial anger 01:33:54
• City staff said the police chief supports filling the vacancies but no trained motor officers are available; patrol officers are being trained, and the next motor school is not until March 01:35:05
• City staff said recruiting for the demanding motor-officer job is the main obstacle 01:35:44
• A councilmember said outreach on the active transportation plan needs real resources to go beyond checking boxes 01:36:19

An information item from Pasadena Water and Power on getting equipment for the electric system. Per the staff memo, supply has improved since the 2023–2024 shortages but remains uneven. Lead times are still long for large power transformers (80–260+ weeks), transmission and substation breakers (75–250+ weeks), reclosers (60–70 weeks) and 35 kV cable accessories (40–54 weeks). An industry analysis by Wood Mackenzie cited in the memo estimates that tariffs could raise costs for certain transmission and distribution equipment by up to about 12% and for substations by about 8%; the memo calls these industry scenarios, not PWP projections. The memo reports no direct fiscal impact but says delays and tariffs could affect project schedules and costs. PWP's responses include rolling forecasts, early ordering, strategic inventory, and requiring documentation before accepting tariff-related price increases. The memo says the assessment will be refreshed at least twice a year. The committee took no action. 01:40:50

• City staff said tariffs and current federal policies are starting to affect the utility, but supplies remain adequate 01:41:00
• City staff said staff consulted two main distribution suppliers and the switchgear supplier, plus an industry tariff analysis, rather than relying on one supplier 01:42:04
• City staff said PWP approves a tariff-related price increase only after a supplier shows government or customs documentation that the tariff was actually paid 01:43:11
• City staff cautioned that the roughly 12% and 8% tariff figures are industry estimates, not forecasts of PWP's own costs 01:44:19
• City staff said the switchgear supplier is quoting about 60 to 70 weeks for reclosers, and large transformers and breakers take years 01:45:23
• City staff said construction schedules now have to be planned together with equipment procurement 01:45:23
• City staff said PWP keeps an 18-to-24-month rolling forecast for major distribution materials 01:46:32
• City staff said staff are working with Purchasing and the City Attorney's office on how future contracts should handle tariff adjustments 01:47:33
• A councilmember noted that large power transformers and substation breakers can take about five years, and asked whether that could hold up occupancy of new buildings 01:48:24
• City staff offered to report the exact warehouse inventory at the next meeting, and said some large planned developments are unlikely to pull permits because of interest rates 01:49:39
• A councilmember said he would rather the city hold extra transformers than delay affordable housing or other key development 01:50:43
• City staff acknowledged a past project was delayed by transformer supply, said the problem was resolved, and said PWP does not expect it to recur 01:52:01
• City staff said all materials, including copper cable, are procured for one major project that is likely ahead of schedule, while the Goodrich project awaits an agreement with Edison and is at least five years from construction 01:52:59
• A councilmember asked what the impact on ratepayers could be 01:54:12
• City staff said there is no impact on ratepayers now because the costs are covered by existing rates; the bigger future rate concern is the cost of buying energy 01:54:21
• City staff said the power transformer ordered for the Fair Oaks Substation upgrade is expected in late 2028 or early 2029, already built into the schedule, and that stock is enough to serve commercial and residential projects 01:55:43

• Two speakers commented at the start of the meeting on matters not on the agenda. One pointed to Pasadena Water and Power's newly released 2025 power content label. She asked that the quarterly progress report on the city's power plan include a year-end projection of the label through 2030, and that the utility say how much natural gas power comes from Intermountain, Magnolia and Glenarm.
• The second, who said she spoke at the request of the group Pasadena 100, spoke about the toll of climate disasters such as the Eaton fire. She said fossil fuel companies should share the costs of climate disasters and praised Resolution 9977.
• Six speakers (four in person, two remote) commented on the traffic safety update, and the clerk reported two written letters. All urged the city to do more on traffic safety.
• Two speakers asked for quick fixes at Cordova and Oak Knoll, where a Caltech researcher was killed about a year earlier. One asked whether the Transportation Department could get more discretionary money for low-cost, high-need projects instead of relying on competitive grants.
• Other themes: pedestrians are about 7% of collisions but half of deaths, and 2026's four deaths already exceed 2025's total; a request to speed up the Lincoln/Toolen beacon; support for more speed humps and lower speed limits, including near the Rose Bowl; flashing-beacon crosswalks that drivers ignore; and a call to ban right turns on red.
• One remote speaker urged lobbying to amend AB 645 to add Pasadena to the speed-camera pilot, supported red-light cameras, and asked why zero deaths must wait until 2035. Another said street design drives speeding, and urged design changes.

• Transportation staff hope to bring lower speed limits for the safety corridors (an extra 5 mph reduction) to the City Council in late winter or early spring.
• A funding agreement for the new traffic signal at Cordova and Oak Knoll is expected at the City Council within the next few months.
• Transportation staff said they will compare a red-light camera program with other safety projects and report to the committee and the City Council.
• A councilmember asked staff for a later answer on what share of moving-violation fines the city recaptures.
• A councilmember asked that cutting school-zone speed limits to 15 mph be taken up as a future action item, and asked for a deeper committee discussion of safety around the Rose Bowl; staff will run engineering speed surveys there.
• A councilmember asked staff to consider ways to slow traffic near schools on Fair Oaks and Orange Grove that may not qualify as school zones.
• Staff said they would look into speed feedback signs that show a happy face.
• One motor officer retires December 2; the department aims to fill two vacancies in its February rotation, and the next motor school is in March.
• The police department plans a Citizen Motor Academy at the Rose Bowl in December 2026 (agenda); the lieutenant said December 5, with some uncertainty.
• PWP's general manager offered to report the exact warehouse inventory of transformers at the next meeting.
• PWP will refresh its supply-chain assessment at least twice a year (agenda memo).
• PWP's general manager said a memo on the power content label would be posted on the city website the day after the meeting and shared through the city manager's newsletter.