CITY OF PASADENA
City Council Minutes
March 20, 2023-5:30 P.M.
City Hall Council Chamber
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING
The meeting was convened and held virtually by videoconference/teleconference.
OPENING:
ROLL CALL:
Councilmembers:
Staff:
Pasadena Unified School
District, Board of Education
Staff:
CEREMONIAL MATTERS
Mayor Gordo and President Richardson Bailey called the
Special Joint meeting of the City Council and Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Board of Education to order at 5:35 p.m.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by PUSD Boardmember
Fredericks.
Mayor Victor M. Gordo
Vice Mayor Felicia Williams
Councilmember Tyron Hampton
Councilmember Justin Jones
Councilmember Jason Lyon
Councilmember Steve Madison
Councilmember Gene Masuda
Councilmember Jessica Rivas
City Manager Miguel Marquez
City Attorney/City Prosecutor Michele Beal Bagneris
City Clerk Mark Jomsky
President Michelle Richardson Bailey
Vice President Kimberly Kenne
Boardmember Patrick Cahalan
Boardmember Tina Fredericks
Boardmember Jennifer Hall Lee
Boardmember Patrice Marshall McKenzie
Boardmember Dr. Yarma Velazquez
Dr. Brian McDonald, Superintendent of Schools
Leslie Barnes, Ed.D., Chief Business Officer
Elizabeth J. Blanco, Ed.D., Chief Academic Officer
Mayor Gordo and President Richardson Bailey recognized Blair Hair School Boys Varsity Basketball Team on their first CIF- Southern Section Division 5A Championship, and presented the coaches and players with commendations.
UPDATE ON CITY OF PASADENA'S EARLY CHILDHOOD
DEVELOPMENT POLICY*
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Dr. Vera Vignes, Chair of the Early Child Development & Early Learning Task Force, provided a Powerpoint presentation on the agenda item, and responded to questions.
Dr. Brian McDonald, Superintendent of Schools, stated that there has been productive discussions with Dr. Vignes, Michelle Garrett and others to ensure that funding sources are identified to conduct the Early Development Instrument (EDI)
Assessment. He expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership as the group works to collaboratively to attract more families to PUSD.
Boardmember Hall Lee spoke in support of the collaboration to reach new families, which is an important component for the future success of the School District.
Boardmember McKenzie requested that the proposed effort be as user-friendly as possible, minimizing barriers and making sure information and services are available and accessible to the families most in need.
Councilmember Hampton spoke on the needs of children in the age category of infant to 5 years of age, how to identify locate those children most in need in the City, including through the Pasadena Public Health Department, an opportunity for the City and PUSD to partner in providing daycare and preschool
services to this age group, and the need to extend outreach related to the Welcome Baby Campaign program to include fertility clinics located in Pasadena.
Dr. Vera Vignes mentioned that there will be a huge launch of Pasadena's Early Child Development and Early Learning
Initiative in 2024.
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Councilmember Madison thanked Dr. Vignes and the Task
Force members for their work, recognized Carla Hegwood, Office of the Young Child, and asked the City Manager to provide information on the Council Standing Committee that would have jurisdiction over the work related to the Task Force.
Boardmember Cahalan provided information on the Governor's budget and mid-year cuts, and encouraged everyone to stay informed when the May revision incorporates changes to the state's early childhood funding positions.
Mayor Gordo expressed appreciation and thanks to Dr. Vignes and the Task Force members for their work and effort in getting the City to this point. He also thanked the School District for their partnership and spoke on the importance of the EDI data as a Council Minutes203/20/2023
way to ensure services are provided in a coordinated manner to support the infant to 5 age group, so that when they arrive on PUSD school steps, they are prepared to succeed.
The following individuals provided comments on the agenda item:
Alien Shay, Pasadena resident
Olden Denham, Pasadena resident
Adrians Bautista, representing Black Live Matter (BLM)
Pasadena
Jasmine Richards Abdullah, representing BLM
Anonymous, Residence not stated
Mayor Gordo emphasized that there is a lot of work to be done, with the primary goal to identify those children that are most in need of the support as they prepare to enter the School District.
Following discussion, on order of the President and Mayor, and by consensus, the information was received and filed.
DISCUSSION REGARDING A CAREER TECHNICAL
EDUCATION (CTE) PILOT PROGRAM AND PARTNERSHIP
Michelle Garrett, Assistant to the City Manager, presented a Powerpoint presentation on the item, and responded to
questions.
Dr. Laura Ramirez, Assistant Superintendent & Vice President of Instruction at Pasadena City College, and Dr. Kristina Turley, Coordinator, College and Career Pathways Program for PUSD presented a Powerpoint presentation on the item, and
responded to questions.
Due to technical difficulties, the City Clerk read a statement from Dr. Morgan, representing Huntington Hospital: "Huntington is proud to be part of this work group, hluntington is essentially a small city and needs workers of all types. Yes. The obvious as physicians and nurses but we need cooks, engineers, painters, technicians of all types, environmental services, service workers, security officers, therapists, electricians, and even administrators. We love working with our City, educational and community partners to keep local citizens here working in our communities."
Chris Hanna, Executive Secretary, LA/OC Building Trades Council, presented a Powerpoint presentation on the item, and responded to questions.
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Doug Kranwinkle and Cynthia Kurtz, Task Force members,
briefly spoke on the efforts of the Task Force and expressed their support for the proposed pilot program and partnership, noting the positive impact it will have on the City's young people.
Vice Mayor Williams briefly spoke on the San Gabriel Valley Economic Forecast that reported on the labor force and housing gap challenges in the region, and expressed her support for the CTE pilot program and partnership, as well as a community benefits program that connects the City's land use polices, building codes, etc., with the training/education to enable those living and learning in Pasadena to have the opportunity to also work in the City, and encouraged a robust outreach effort that will reach all constituents and PUSD students and parents.
Boardmember Velazquez, stated: "the Pasadena public
education system also trains and will train the leaders of all of these institutions. We will train the nurses, but we will also train the chief surgeons and chief doctors of this community. And so it is our responsibility to provide students with the choices that they want for their education, and I am particularly happy with the opportunity to bring new commerce and new students with more opportunities to their development in the City and in this state. But it is not because we are a public education system that serves predominantly diverse students that we are a good fit for this type of initiative. It is because we are an education system that is committed to the success of all of their students regardless of their choices."
Boardmember Hall Lee advocated for humanities to be part of the trade school education/program, stating it is essential to the pursuit of happiness.
Dr. Morgan reiterated her comments that were read out loud by the City Clerk, and expressed it is Huntington Hospital's hope to contribute to this effort, increasing opportunities for local students and enable Pasadena residents the opportunity to continue to live and work in Pasadena.
Boardmember Fredericks expressed her support for the
program and partnership with the City, and requested that staff track and chart the progress participants.
Boardmember McKenzie expressed her support for the
proposal, highlighted the incredible opportunity that is on the horizon with the upcoming 2028 Olympics games to be held in Los Angeles, and noted the need to train and provide a
workforce able to meet timelines and deliverables for the Olympics.
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The following individuals provided comments on the item:
Adriana Bautista, representing BLM Pasadena
Jasmine Richards Abdullah, representing BLM
Pasadena
Anne-Marie Otey, representing LA/OC Counties
Building Trades
Alien Shay, Pasadena resident
Marlene Benites, Pasadena resident
Anonymous, Residence not stated
Mayor Gordo stated that he believes there is an opportunity to refurbish one of the PUSD school sites to meet the needs of these programs and asked that this be a central point for future discussions once formal action is taken.
Assistant City Manager Reyes noted that City staff, at the direction of the City Manager, has applied for a federal grant that would allow for either the construction and/or rehabilitation of an existing building for the purpose of providing needed space for such programs, and stated the City also intends to pursue available state grants in partnership with PUSD.
President Richardson Bailey expressed excitement for this partnership, and mentioned Twilight Adult Education Franklin Site as a potential location.
Boardmember Cahalan echoed Presidents Richardson Bailey's comments and provided information on the process for school construction and modernization projects, noting that approval by the Division of the State Architect (DSA) may take up to a year if plans are not received by the end of April, or beginning of May.
In response to Councilmember Madison's comments, Mayor
Gordo stated the action today is to formalize the partnership and allow staff from the City and PUSD to proceed in pursuing funding, with direction to the Superintendent, City Attorney, and the City Manager to come back to City Council with any
additional actions to formalize the approval.
Councilmember Hampton thanked the public speakers for their comments, stating that the City Council is committed to figuring out a path for success for everyone. He expressed he will advocate for eliminating barrier, highlighting the first sentence of the vision statement that states, "Everyone deserves a path to success", which also includes individuals with disabilities, students with IEP'S, etc., and commented that once the
partnership is formed, he would like to see all the public speakers who came out tonight at the table.
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Following discussion, it was moved by Councilmember
Hampton, seconded by Councilmember Jones, to formalize the partnership with the Pasadena Unified School District and Pasadena City College to create a Career Technical Education (CTE) Pilot Program and Partnership, and to authorize City staff to work with PUSD in pursuing federal and state funding opportunities:
AYES: Councilmembers Hampton, Jones, Lyon, Madison,
Masuda, Rivas, Vice Mayor Williams, Mayor Gordo
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
It was moved by Boardmember McKenzie, seconded by
Boardmember Hall Lee to formalize the partnerships with the City of Pasadena and Pasadena City College to create a Career Technical Education (CTE) Pilot Program and Partnership, and to authorize PUSD staff to work with the City in pursuing federal and state funding opportunities
AYES: Boardmember Cahalan, Fredericks, Hall Lee,
McKenzie, Velazquez, Vice President Kenne,
President Richardson Bailey
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
UPDATE ON THE PASADENA UNIFIED SCHOOL
DISTRICT'S FACILITIES MASTER PLAN
Leslie Barnes, Ed.D. Chief Business Officers, presented an oral presentation on the item, and responded to questions.
Discussion occurred and touched on matters related to the condition of school grounds, maintenance schedule for school sites (whether in-use or not in-use), and bond/measure funding available to address maintenance issues. It was requested that future joint meeting topics include information regarding vacant properties, plans for school sites, and how the City can support the School District, including the potential of forming a working group comprised of City and School District members, to address these matters going forward.
President Richardson Bailey suggested that there may be an opportunity for the City Council to participate as a liaison for the City at PUSD Facilities Committee, but stating this is just one of the Board's Committees, and is open to further discussion on how to work with the City on this issue.
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Mayor Gordo cited the 710 Working Group as one example
where the City Council appointed a member of the School Board to include that perspective as part of that body, suggesting that perhaps a Councilmember can participate in the formal
discussions surrounding the future of school sites, and requested that the City Manager, City Attorney, and/or
Superintendent provide some advice on how such a similar arrangement may be achieved on the part of the School Board.
Councilmember Madison spoke on state legislation that is very supportive of educator workforce housing, noting the potential for opportunities for workforce housing as part of the 710 relinquishment property discussion.
Mark Jomsky, City Clerk, reported that nine letters expressing concerns with the condition of the Allendale Elementary School campus; six letters expressing concerns with the condition of the Linda Vista Elementary School site; 1 letter expressing general concerns with the condition of school grounds in Pasadena; and all letters providing suggestions and recommendations to improve the maintenance and upkeep of school sites; and one letter expressing concerns with the School Board not using Measure 0 funding for public charter schools, were received by the City Clerk's Office, distributed to the City Council and Board of Education, posted online, and made part of the public record for the item.
The following individuals provided comments on the matter:
Rene Gonzalez, Pasadena resident
Julieta Aragon, Pasadena resident
Diane Kirby, Pasadena resident
John Penido, Pasadena resident
Ken Kiessling, representing Linda Vista Annandale
Association
Jeff Bulgin, Pasadena resident
Jessica Bulgin, Pasadena resident
Nina Chomsky, representing Linda Vista Annandale
Association
George Barajas, Pasadena resident
Brent Sorenson, Pasadena resident
Amy Valencia, Pasadena resident
Anonymous, Residence not stated
Jill Shook, representing Making Housing and Community
Happen
Lindsay Amstutz, Pasadena resident
Paul Holliday, representing Linda Vista Children's Center Council Minutes703/20/2023
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In response to comments regarding the walkway behind Field Elementary School, Assistant City Manager Reyes stated that City and PUSD staff are looking at the situation with the Public Works Director to understand where the City and School District stands on this matter.
Mayor Gordo spoke on the concerns expressed by the public speakers related to the Linda Vista school site and stated the City's readiness to assist the School District with addressing the maintenance concerns, such as by possible utilizing the City's MASH Program to provide maintenance and upkeep, while
acknowledging that PUSD does have existing contracts with teamsters, and this would have to be looked into further.
Dr. Brian McDonald, Superintendent of Schools, provided information on the walkway located adjacent to Field Elementary School, stating that after the Uvalde school shooting, the District became aware of the access to the school through the walkway.
Giving careful consideration, as well as legal advice, the School District reinstalled the gate for security reasons. He noted that a compromise may be possible by designing a fence that would allow resident access to the walkway. In regard to the Linda Vista school site, the Superintendent stated that the School District will look at addressing the issue as soon as possible.
In relation to the Field Elementary School walkway, Leslie Barnes, Ed.D. Chief Business Officer, stated that as soon as the Division of State Architects signs off on the drawings, PUSD will host a community meeting on next steps.
Mayor Gordo asked the Boardmembers to keep the City Council updated on matters pertaining to Field Elementary, Linda Vista Elementary, and Annandale Elementary sites.
Boardmember Velazquez stated that the Superintendent's
Office and the Facilities Office have been incredibly responsive to all of her inquiries with regards to Linda Vista Elementary site, allowing for active communication with neighbors; and noting she is in the process of creating an advisory committee to discuss these issues and thanked the neighbors for their participation at tonight's meeting.
Following discussion, on order of the President and Mayor, and by consensus, the information was received and filed.
UPDATE ON PASADENA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT'S
OVERALL FISCAL OUTLOOK, INCLUDING
A. REPORT ON THE USE OF MEASURE I FUNDS
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B. REPORT ON THE EXPIRATION OF THE STATE'S "HOLD
HARMLESS" PROVISIONS RELATED TO AVERAGE DAILY
ATTENDANCE (ADA)
Leslie Barnes, Ed. D. Chief Business Officers, presented a Powerpoint presentation on the item, and responded to
questions.
Elizabeth J. Blanco, Ed.D., Chief Academic Officer responded to questions regarding the School District's "signature" programs, declining enrollment, and the educational master plan.
Boardmember Hall Lee briefly spoke on new regulations related to enrollment versus Average Daily Attendance (ADA) to point out the issue's high complexity, and spoke on the importance of signature programs.
Boardmember Kenne advocated for the School District to utilize Measure J funds for signature programs as opposed to the current practice of using supplemental and concentration grant funds, which are intended to support low income, English learner, foster youth, and career technical education. She stated her support to set aside funds for maintenance issues.
Councilmember Madison requested a copy of the Powerpoint presentation.
Rene Gonzalez, Pasadena resident, expressed concerns
with PUSD's fiscal health, noting that teachers' salaries are not competitive; and advocated for increasing School
District revenues, as well as potentially monitoring
overspending through a Board sub-committee.
Following discussion, on order of the President and Mayor, and by consensus, the information was received and filed.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF SCIENCE FEST 2023 AT MUIR HIGH
SCHOOL ON APRIL 22, 2023 AND EARTH DAY
Vice Mayor Williams provided information on Science Fest 2023 at Muir High School, thanked Warren Skidmore and other lead organizers for inviting the City to participate, and thanked City Manager Marquez and Assistant City Manager Reyes for
organizing the participation of various City departments.
Boardmember Hall Lee announced PUSD's 2023 Women's
hlistory Month event, "My Body, My Choice, Our Rights", which includes Dolores Huerta and a pre-recorded keynote address by Byllye Avery on March 22, 2023 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
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ADJOURNMENT
ATTEST:
Councilmember Hampton expressed appreciation and gratitude to the PUSD Board of Education for participating in a productive meeting, and shared that he and Vice Mayor Williams attended an Aviation conference at the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport, and that he is working to connect PUSD with the Airport Authority to discuss job opportunities and potential areas for collaboration.
On the order of the President and Mayor, the special joint meeting of the City Council and Pasadena Board of Education adjourned at 10:13 p.m.
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Victor M. Gordo, May
City of Pasadena
City Cleij^/
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