Drone training grant, child mental health funds, and a work/live rethink

A ceremonial item placed on the agenda at the request of Gene Masuda (Councilmember, District 4), congratulating American Legion Post 280 in East Pasadena on 100 years of advocating for veterans and their families, preserving the legacy of military service, and supporting youth and community programs. No vote was taken. 00:01:31

• The presiding officer read the recognition, crediting the post with a century of advocacy for veterans and their families and support for youth and community programs 00:01:31
• A guest presenter accepted the proclamation as post commander on behalf of the post's veterans, families, and volunteers 00:03:12
• A guest presenter invited the council and community to a three-day centennial celebration at the post on North Veneto Avenue 00:03:12
• A guest presenter described the schedule: presentations at noon on Saturday, November 21 followed by a pig roast lunch, a potluck on Sunday, November 22, and a cake cutting on Monday, November 23, the actual anniversary 00:04:13

Consent item 5 authorizes the City Manager to execute documents for an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and amends the Police Department's FY2027 operating budget to recognize and appropriate $39,196 (agenda) in the General Fund. Staff said the money would train more police drone (UAS) operators to support SWAT; the item drew questions because the council has a pending discussion about expanding police drone use to 'drone as first responder' (DFR). It passed as part of the consent calendar motion covering all items except item 3. The clerk reported two letters asking staff to clarify the purpose and use of the grant funds. 00:07:50

▶ Hear it If the council rejects first-responder drones, where does this money go? · 1:01

• A motion to approve all consent calendar items except item 3 was made and seconded. Result: passed. 00:12:24

• A councilmember said they had contacted the police chief beforehand because they shared public concerns about what the grant money would pay for 00:08:44
• A councilmember said they are comfortable with SWAT's use of drones but not interested in expanding to drones as first responder 00:08:44
• City staff said SWAT is currently the only unit in the department using tactical drones 00:09:47
• City staff said the roughly $39,000 award would train additional personnel to supplement the department's SWAT tactical response 00:09:47
• City staff noted that the certification is not limited to SWAT, so trained operators would be certified for either SWAT or first-responder drone use, though the training is currently for SWAT functions 00:09:47
• A councilmember asked whether the money could go to other officer training if the council decides not to pursue drones as first responder 00:10:48
• City staff said that even without first-responder drones, newly trained operators could take over drone operation from a SWAT officer, freeing that officer to deploy on the tactical scene 00:11:22
• City staff expressed hope that the council's discussion continues with openness to the benefits of an aerial response platform for real-time information 00:11:22
• A councilmember concluded that accepting the grant would not change the council's pending discussion on drones as first responder 00:12:03

A consent resolution updating the salary of two existing city job classifications represented by the LIUNA union. It was pulled from the consent motion so that the presiding officer could recuse, and was then approved separately without objection. 00:12:24

• A councilmember moved the staff recommendation on item 3; seconded. Result: passed. Recused: the presiding officer. 00:12:51

• The presiding officer asked to hold item 3 out of the consent motion because they intended to recuse, citing a work connection (the reason is garbled in the transcript) 00:07:50
• The presiding officer stepped out for the vote, saying they would not participate for the reasons stated; the clerk clarified this was a recusal 00:12:28

Second reading and adoption of an ordinance amending the water waste prohibitions and water supply shortage plans in Title 13, Chapter 13.10 of the Pasadena Municipal Code, introduced by Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2). These are the city's rules on wasting water and on its plans for water supply shortages. The clerk reported one letter asking for a landscape exemption district, similar to a historic district, to preserve existing landscaping at the city's primary entrance on Orange Grove Boulevard. 00:13:00

• Adopt the ordinance amending Title 13, Chapter 13.10 of the Municipal Code (introduced by Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2)), by roll call. Result: passed, 8-0. 00:13:46

• One resident spoke on matters not on the agenda. They objected to the 90-second speaking limit at the previous week's meeting and asked that two minutes be made the rule; criticized Victor Gordo (Mayor) for promoting the fire department on YouTube, alleging the firefighters' union gives campaign contributions to elected officials; complained about property taxes; and objected to council spending priorities, including keeping ICE out of Pasadena, lawsuits against the Trump administration, affordable housing, and road diets. They also said the council voted 7-1 to put Measure PFD on the ballot, with Tyron Hampton (Councilmember, District 1) the lone no vote because he wanted a 10-year sunset rather than 14 years. That vote was not part of this meeting and is the speaker's account.

• November 10, 2026, 6:00 p.m.: public hearing on the appeal of the Board of Zoning Appeals' approval of Single-Family Compatibility Permit No. 7337 (new 4,955-square-foot, two-story house at 3140 E. California Blvd.).
• The council's discussion of police drones as first responder (DFR) is still pending; no date was given. Staff said the grant funds have roughly two years to be spent.
• American Legion Post 280 centennial celebration at 179 North Veneto Avenue: presentations at noon and a pig roast at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 21; potluck on Sunday, November 22; cake cutting on Monday, November 23.
• Upcoming council dates on the agenda: closed-session-only meetings October 31, November 1, and November 2; November 3 meeting to be cancelled; special joint meeting with the county supervisor November 9 at 3:30 p.m.; regular meetings November 10, 17, and 24.

The committee was asked to let the City Manager accept a U.S. Department of Justice Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) of $39,196 and add it to the Police Department's fiscal year 2027 operating budget in the General Fund. Per the staff report, the money pays for training and certification of more unmanned aircraft system (drone) operators; right now the SWAT team is the only police unit approved to fly drones. No city matching funds are required, and the grant period runs October 1, 2024 to October 1, 2028 (agenda). 00:13:11

• A councilmember moved to approve the recommended actions: accept the JAG grant and amend the Police Department's FY 2027 operating budget by $39,196. The seconder isn't clear. Tyron Hampton (Councilmember, District 1) was absent. Result: passed, without objection. 00:17:28

• City staff presented the request to accept and appropriate the grant to train and certify unmanned aircraft system operators 00:13:57
• City staff explained that training more people means someone else can fly the drone for SWAT operations when a trained SWAT operator isn't available 00:16:08
• City staff said the grant covers training and certification and requires no matching funds 00:16:08

The committee was asked to let the City Manager accept a $265,000 L.A. Care Health Plan grant from its Wildfire Relief Fund and add it to the City Manager's Office FY 2027 budget. The money would add one full-time, limited-term Program Coordinator I position to run an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Program. Per the staff report, a consultant and trained interns would work with children up to age 5, their families, and their educators. The two-year grant (November 2026 to October 2028) is expected to serve up to 24 children and families affected by the Eaton Fire. The city would also contribute in-kind support: nearly $52,000 from the Public Health Department and nearly $61,000 from the City Manager's Office (agenda). 00:17:47

• A councilmember moved to accept the grant and approve the recommended actions. The seconder isn't clear. Result: passed, without objection. 00:48:25

• City staff said the grant would serve up to 24 children and families affected by the Eaton Fire and fund one full-time coordinator for the length of the grant 00:20:55
• City staff cited a figure of 36 percent, about 57,000 children in the Pasadena and Altadena area, who would be affected by federal health funding cuts under H.R. 1 00:19:49
• City staff said the city would contribute in-kind support of nearly $52,000 from Public Health and nearly $61,000 from the City Manager's Office, though the grant doesn't require it 00:21:57
• A councilmember questioned the 57,000 figure, noting that Pasadena and Altadena have about 175,000 residents combined 00:22:24
• City staff said the figure came from the office's data set and would need to be rechecked 00:22:56
• A councilmember added the grant and the city's in-kind amounts to about $378,000 for up to 24 children over two years, and argued that the administrative cost looked high 00:23:17
• City staff said the grant fully pays for the full-time position, and the Office of the Young Child's supervision is part of its regular work rather than an added cost 00:24:35
• City staff answered a question about what happens after the grant ends: the office will keep looking for funding to continue the program 00:25:37
• A councilmember explained that the larger figure uses a county service planning area as the catchment, and that Pasadena and Altadena have about 7,500 children aged 0 to 5 00:26:59
• A councilmember said the city's in-kind amounts are not new appropriations but money already in the Office of the Young Child's budget, counted to show the granting agency the time spent overseeing the grant 00:29:18
• A councilmember objected that the coordinator would not be providing case management and that $61,000 would go to printing, mileage, computer equipment and office supplies 00:30:32
• City staff clarified that although the job title is program coordinator, the person hired will be a licensed social worker or mental health clinician who provides services directly 00:31:21
• City staff said the program also works with families and educators and provides training, so it indirectly reaches more than 24 children 00:32:05
• A councilmember pointed to the city's budget pressures and recent cuts to health department staff, and said they were not fully persuaded on cost but would support the item 00:32:53
• A councilmember thanked the mayor for supporting services for children aged 0 to 5 and said there is a great need for mental health services for them 00:33:59
• City staff described the coordinator's other duties, including meeting with fire-affected educators and programs, working with community partners, and planning trainings 00:35:36
• City staff said the interns would come from local universities and colleges whose students need practicum or licensing hours 00:36:39
• A councilmember suggested future staff reports show the Office of the Young Child's broader approach, and proposed scheduling a meeting on its work 00:37:07
• A councilmember compared the program's cost with what it costs to house a state prison inmate, and said cost-effectiveness is needed to make the case to taxpayers for more investment 00:38:10
• A councilmember said the planned project at Villa and Lake, the Kaiser property, as it has come to be called, is expected to make mental health services for young people a priority 00:41:27
• A councilmember speaking as a former school board member, voiced strong support and said they would back spending even $500,000 to $600,000 for 24 children 00:46:23

An information-only report, with no staff recommendation, on the city's grants as of June 30, 2026. Per the report, the city manages 154 active grants worth about $410.3 million across 12 departments; transportation accounts for $282.6 million. In FY 2026, departments sent 27 applications seeking $60.42 million. Sixteen were awarded ($19.32 million), five were denied ($26.14 million), and six were still pending ($14.96 million) (agenda). 00:48:25

• A councilmember said the report's format was not very useful because it doesn't show each grant's status or how much has been spent 00:49:03
• A councilmember used the roughly $6.7 million Volkswagen settlement grant as an example of a line where it's unclear how much was spent and what it bought 00:50:03
• A councilmember suggested a couple of members meet with staff to decide what added information the report should include 00:50:54
• City staff credited grants staff for compiling a report that, to their understanding, had not been put together in several years, or possibly ever 00:51:57
• City staff said staff found internal reporting improvements to make and hope to bring the report back every year 00:52:47
• A councilmember said the takeaway was that staff apply for grants and have been successful at getting them 00:53:18
• City staff credited the citywide grant management team and the department staff who put the report together, and offered to come back with more information 00:53:56
• A councilmember asked how much of the city's money, from grants and otherwise, supports the school district, such as youth employment, transportation and crossing guards 00:54:29

• No one spoke during public comment on matters not on the agenda.
• The recording secretary said two pieces of written correspondence on item 1 had been posted online and made part of the record. Their contents weren't described.
• One speaker commented online on item 2: a member of the city's Human Services Commission, speaking for its early childhood ad hoc committee. The speaker supported accepting the grant and urged easy enrollment, outreach focused on the hardest-hit neighborhoods, and tracking outcomes so the program could continue after the grant ends.

• A councilmember said they would ask staff about scheduling a presentation on the Office of the Young Child's work.
• Committee members are to meet with staff to add information to future citywide grants reports, such as status and spending.
• Staff said they hope to bring the citywide grants report back every year.
• A councilmember asked for information on how much city money, from grants and otherwise, supports the Pasadena school district and the families it serves. No date was given.
• The chair said the committee would adjourn into closed session. No closed session item appears on the agenda.

A public hearing on zoning code and specific plan amendments meant to carry out Housing Element Program 9 (removing constraints on housing) by easing the rules for work/live units, which combine a home and a workspace in one unit. Staff proposed cutting the minimum unit size from 1,250 to 800 square feet, letting the living area be up to 50% of the unit with an 800-square-foot cap, setting parking at 1.5 spaces per unit citywide, allowing work/live by right in parts of the East Pasadena Specific Plan, and dropping the 25-foot ground-floor commercial depth rule. The agenda asked the commission to recommend that the City Council find the changes exempt from CEQA under the common sense exemption and approve them. Commissioners asked whether the category still matters now that most commercial areas allow mixed use, and voted for a different direction: staff should drop work/live as a separate use in mixed-use zones, keep the staff recommendation in zones that don't allow multifamily housing, and come back with revised recommendations. 00:01:33

• A commissioner moved, seconded by a commissioner, to direct staff to remove work/live as a separate use in all mixed-use zones and adjust definitions so work/live-type uses can be permitted within the commercial part of mixed-use projects, and to follow the staff recommendation in zones that do not allow multifamily housing; by friendly amendment, staff is to return with a summary of revised recommendations rather than proceeding directly. Two commissioners, the chair among them, were absent. Result: passed, 7-0. 01:15:14

• City staff described the current rules: units must be at least 1,250 square feet, with living space limited to 30% of the unit or 400 square feet, whichever is less 00:04:28
• City staff reported in the presentation that the average minimum unit size in the peer cities staff reviewed was about 825 square feet, but later said the average was closer to 700, or possibly lower; the figures in the recording conflict 00:05:29
• City staff recommended cutting the minimum unit size to 800 square feet 00:08:00
• City staff recommended letting the living portion take up to half the unit, capped at 800 square feet 00:08:00
• City staff recommended one parking standard citywide of 1.5 spaces per unit, matching what several specific plans already use 00:09:01
• City staff recommended allowing work/live by right, with no conditional use permit, in the East Pasadena Specific Plan districts where it is already allowed 00:10:13
• City staff recommended dropping the minimum ground-floor commercial depth while still requiring street-facing units to have direct street access 00:11:14
• City staff explained that work/live was created when most commercial zones didn't allow housing, and that most of those areas now do 00:14:38
• City staff noted that the work/live rules already bar industrial uses like auto repair, welding and machining even where the zone allows them 00:18:50
• City staff said the CEQA exemption covers only the code change, and any later project would get its own environmental review 00:19:36
• City staff said the city has at least three known work/live developments 00:20:14
• City staff said he expects little demand for the use, perhaps a handful of projects over the next few years 00:21:00
• A commissioner asked whether the exercise was needed at all, given how much housing rules have changed 00:22:16
• City staff said the city committed in its Housing Element to review these rules and must report its progress to the state 00:22:38
• A commissioner asked how the code defines work, given how much work has changed in the past decade or more 00:24:01
• City staff described work/live as a middle ground between a home occupation permit and a full commercial business, allowing limited visitors, clients and employees 00:25:00
• City staff said recent inquiries came from owners of existing buildings, including a shallow building on Lincoln where the 25-foot commercial depth rule didn't work 00:35:07
• City staff explained that the 800-square-foot cap was chosen to match what is allowed for accessory dwelling units 00:41:57
• A commissioner suggested much work/live activity could happen at the back of a property, questioning why street frontage should matter 00:43:35
• City staff reported that staff's research found many existing work/live developments elsewhere had converted to fully residential use 00:44:42
• A commissioner described the amendment as cleanup that isn't pressing 00:52:19
• A commissioner drew on a planning book and his experience writing a live/work ordinance in Vernon, noting most live/work projects are adaptive reuse 00:53:44
• A commissioner read a passage from the book arguing that regulating the split between living and working space is hard to enforce 00:54:55
• A commissioner agreed the current code is too restrictive but said it was still unclear what problem the rules are meant to solve 00:56:09
• A commissioner suggested the category may be redundant now that mixed use is widely allowed, and raised tabling the item entirely 00:57:20
• A commissioner said the 800-square-foot cap is limiting for people who could use more space 01:00:05
• A commissioner floated allowing work/live in every zone that isn't purely residential, with a conditional use permit rather than floor-area formulas 01:01:29
• City staff advised keeping work/live in the commercial flex zones, where it is the only form of housing allowed and there is no mixed-use alternative 01:07:05

The commission's annual Call for New Projects, where it suggests projects for the city's Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Year 2028-2032 (agenda). The program funds public infrastructure such as streets, parks and public buildings. Staff said a project must cost at least $75,000 and meet one or more criteria. The commission's CIP subcommittee, which met September 23, recommended two studies: a concept study combining the Northlake Specific Plan's complete-streets and streetscape action items, and a study of where public open space could go along East Colorado Boulevard between Allen Avenue and Sierra Madre Boulevard, where affordable housing projects have requested waivers to reduce required open space. Staff added a third: a similar concept study for the newly approved Fair Oaks Orange Grove Specific Plan. The commission voted to send all three forward. 01:15:14

▶ Hear it New housing approved without open space, and no park nearby · 0:54

• A commissioner moved to adopt staff's recommendation to submit three projects for the CIP: a Northlake concept study (complete streets and streetscape), an East Colorado Boulevard open space study, and a Fair Oaks Orange Grove concept study; the seconder isn't clear from the transcript. Two commissioners, the chair among them, were absent. Result: passed, 7-0. 01:36:09

• City staff explained that a project must cost at least $75,000 and meet at least one criterion, such as safety, maintenance, or carrying out a general or specific plan 01:15:47
• City staff said the city's commissions review the CIP in March and April 2027, with the Planning Commission checking all of it for consistency with the general plan 01:17:50
• City staff said the subcommittee recommended one concept study treating the Northlake complete-streets and streetscape items as a single project 01:24:09
• City staff said affordable housing projects along that stretch of East Colorado have requested concessions and waivers to significantly reduce required open space 01:25:59
• A commissioner as chair of the subcommittee meeting, urged the full commission to back the two subcommittee recommendations 01:27:28
• City staff proposed a third project studying the Fair Oaks Orange Grove complete-streets, streetscape and decorative sidewalk items together 01:29:22
• City staff cautioned that the Fair Oaks Orange Grove plan isn't fully final because its codified language still has to return to the council, but said the council strongly backed acting on it 01:30:24
• A commissioner clarified that the subcommittee also wants open space on North Lake and sees room for smaller open spaces within the Northlake studies 01:33:10
• A commissioner asked whether medians requested by North Fair Oaks residents could be part of the Fair Oaks study 01:34:23
• City staff said the council specifically raised medians as direction to staff at its meeting 01:34:48
• A commissioner stressed the need for open space, saying the commission has approved more than a thousand housing units in areas where open space was waived 01:35:21

An information item, with no decision, on the city's first Environmental Justice Element of the General Plan, which state law (Senate Bill 1000) requires of cities with disadvantaged communities. Staff described the six topic areas, a preliminary boundary in Northwest Pasadena drawn from the state's CalEnviroScreen and the Healthy Places Index, and outreach so far. The number of Pasadena census tracts the state counts as disadvantaged rose from one in 2021 to five in 2026, which staff attributed mostly to new indicators and better data. Staff said state law directs a share of state climate investment funds to disadvantaged communities. 01:36:16

▶ Hear it Will the city's outreach reach people who won't talk to officials? · 0:58

• City staff said state law requires 25% of state climate investment funds to benefit disadvantaged communities, and 10% to go to projects located in them 01:39:35
• City staff said Pasadena as a whole scores at 43.6% on CalEnviroScreen, below the middle 01:40:39
• City staff said one Pasadena census tract was counted as disadvantaged under the 2021 data and five are under the 2026 update, all in the northwest 01:41:42
• City staff said the jump to five tracts reflects new indicators and better data more than worsening conditions 01:42:29
• City staff described the preliminary boundary in Northwest Pasadena and pointed to past redlining and the freeway as factors 01:45:15
• City staff reported 355 survey responses, 57 of them from the Northwest 01:48:27
• City staff said more than 100 people attended the in-person and online open house and resource fair 01:49:28
• City staff said staff hopes to have a draft element in fall and winter 2027 and will bring it to the commission and then the council 01:50:35
• A commissioner asked whether the state data will be updated to reflect the Eaton fire 01:51:31
• City staff said residents raised electricity rates, with some unable to afford air conditioning during heat waves, and that Pasadena Water and Power is part of the effort 01:53:14
• A commissioner worried that turnout of around 100 people is too small next to the number of residents in the affected areas 01:54:39
• City staff said the community partner has been going door to door, and that outreach will expand to Pasadena Unified high schools next year 01:55:06
• A commissioner worried that Northwest residents may not feel comfortable sharing information with city officials 01:56:13
• City staff said the city is using promotoras, community health workers that public health uses, to build trust 01:57:07
• A commissioner urged outreach through churches and food distribution sites 01:58:06

Staff said the commission will meet only once in November, on Wednesday, November 18, because of the Veterans Day holiday and Thanksgiving eve. That meeting will be identified as a special meeting. Staff listed study sessions, including one on safe parking, and a public hearing on data centers, and said an item on possibly changing the meeting date will also come. 02:00:27

• City staff announced a single November meeting on Wednesday, November 18 02:01:05
• City staff listed a study session on safe parking among the items for that meeting 02:01:05

Reports from the Design Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals. The Design Commission held preliminary consultations on a redesigned 225-unit, four- to six-story multifamily project on the former Throop lumber property at 444 North Fair Oaks Avenue and on an affordable housing project on the Cameron Seafood lot. Projects at the former 99-cent store site and at Villa and Lake are coming soon. Staff said the council called up a hearing officer approval for Pacific Oaks School, set for November 10, and that the Board of Zoning Appeals may meet in January on an appeal involving the Western Justice Center's conditional use permit for events. 02:02:45

• A commissioner reported a preliminary consultation on a four- to six-story, 225-unit project at the former Throop lumber property that requests many concessions and waivers 02:02:45
• City staff said the council called up a hearing officer approval for Pacific Oaks School, and it goes to the council November 10 02:05:19
• City staff said the Board of Zoning Appeals could next meet in January on an appeal involving the Western Justice Center's conditional use permit 02:05:45

A commissioner reported on a session he gave at an American Planning Association conference about planning commissions in a pro-housing era. 02:07:19

• A commissioner reported presenting a session at the APA conference on planning commissions in a pro-housing era 02:07:19

• No one spoke during general public comment on items not on the agenda, in person or online.
• No one spoke at the work/live public hearing. Staff said one written comment had been received.
• No one spoke on the CIP item. The commission noted one written comment letter, and a commissioner said North Fair Oaks residents had submitted project requests about medians.

• Work/live amendments: staff will return to the commission with a short summary of revised recommendations reflecting the motion (no date given).
• The commission's only November meeting is Wednesday, November 18, identified as a special meeting. Items mentioned include a study session on safe parking, other study sessions, and a public hearing on data centers. An item on possibly changing the commission's meeting date will also come.
• Staff said a study session on the East Pasadena Specific Plan update is planned for December.
• CIP: departments review submitted projects over the coming months, commissions review the CIP in March and April 2027, and it goes to the City Council for adoption in May.
• Environmental Justice Element: pop-up events, community discussions and a youth summit are planned for winter 2026 and spring 2027, with a draft element hoped for in fall and winter 2027, going to the commission and then the council. Staff will send a count of residents in the EJ areas and may list the partner groups it has engaged.
• Design Commission: preliminary consultation for the former 99-cent store project expected around November 19, and the Villa and Lake project in early December.
• Pacific Oaks School hearing officer approval goes to the City Council on November 10 after the council called it up.
• The Board of Zoning Appeals may meet in January on an appeal involving the Western Justice Center's conditional use permit for events.
• Staff mentioned a package of code amendments in 2027 that could include promoting the updated work/live rules.