McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
From: Rachel Stone
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 9:36 AM
To: PublicComment-AutoResponse; Lyon, Jason; Thyret, Pam Subject: Comment for 5/8 Operating Budget Meeting
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To the Pasadena City Council,
I am writing today as a resident of District 7 and as a member of Pasadena's Human Relations Commission. After reviewing the City of Pasadena's proposed city budget, I am highly alarmed at the funding allocation for the Pasadena Police Department.
The budget sends a clear message about what City Council's priorities are and unfortunately in this case, they are clearly misaligned with the needs and priorities of Pasadena residents, which continue to be affordable housing and mental health services for the unhoused. With the current proposal, Pasadena's proposed police budget is 2.5x bigger than our housing department budget and 4x bigger than our public health department budget. Per this 2024 proposed budget Pasadena will spend more on policing than it will on funding our housing, public health, and parks & recreation and community services departments combined. This budget is not how we create a Pasadena that works for all of us.
It is also critical to note that research indicates increased police funding DOES NOT lead to safer communities. There is six decades' worth of data to support this fact:
• https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/21/why-more-police-funding-no-route-public-safety • https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/07/over-past-60-years-more-spending-police-hasnt- necessarily-meant-less-crime/
Additionally, Pasadena made enormous strides in affordable housing in 2023 through production, subsidies and preservation. The city should be continuing this growth in 2024 by allocating the funds to at the very least match the accomplishments in 2023, if not expanding on them. We should not plan to spend less on housing than we have planned to spend in the most recent fiscal year - especially given recent accomplishments in housing and the importance of housing in our state at this time.
I strongly encourage Pasadena City Council to reconsider its proposed budget and update it to reflect the most critical needs and wants of the majority of constituents.
Thank you,
Rachel Stone
City of Pasadena Human Relations Commissioner
District 7
5/8/2023
Item 15
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
From: Ada Ramirez
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 2:03 PM
To: PublicComment-AutoResponse
Subject: To Justin L. Jones and the entire city council (Item 15 of agenda for 05/08/23 Some people who received this message don't often get email from Learn why this is important [AI CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. Learn more....
Dear councilmembers,
I am a resident in district 3, I write to you after looking at the budget that you are considering this evening. I am shocked that after what so many of us went through during the pandemic, almost losing the roof over our heads, our city is allocating so little for what truly is a basic need for our community. Housing is key for any community and Pasadena truly needs to recognize this by allocating more in its budget for it. Please consider not approving this budget until the appropriate increase has been made to the housing line of this budget.
Ada Ramirez
English / Spanish Interpreter and Translator
Spanish Copy Editor and Proofreader
Website: adalramirez.godaddysites.com
linkedin.com/in/ada-l-ramirez-2b411229/
5/8/2023
Item 15
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
From: Liberty McCoy
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 3:32 PM
To: PublicComment-AutoResponse
Subject: Item 15 - Proposed Budget
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My name is Liberty McCoy and I live in District 5. I was disappointed to read through the proposed budget - and to note that there is an increase to the police budget, while there is a decrease in the Housing Department budget. The proposed Pasadena police budget for 2024 sits at over $105 million - this is a $7 MILLION dollar increase from the 2023 adopted budget. I do not believe this reflects the priorities of Pasadena - for instance in the most recent election the choice was made to prioritize housing concerns by approving Measure H - and a recent poll from Council Member Felicia Williams office to her constituents had them choosing homelessness as their top concern.
Housing and what Pasadena is and isn't doing about housing is top of mind for all here in Pasadena, so it is unfortunate that Pasadena now notes that "The Housing Department's budget saw a decrease of 6.0% from the revised 2023 budget, bringing it down to $40.6 million". Currently Pasadena has NO bad weather shelter and no dedicated capital funding towards this - how can this be, when we are currently in a homelessness crisis that is actually a housing crisis - as noted by the 2022 Pasadena Homeless Count "Despite conventional beliefs, our unsheltered residents in Pasadena are, more often than not, our long-time neighbors who faced significant barriers to housing stability." I urge you to balance this budget towards housing.
Best,
Liberty McCoy
5/8/2023
Item 15
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
From: Dan Huynh
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 4:04 PM
To: Jones, Justin
Cc: PublicComment-AutoResponse
Subject: Pasadena Proposed Budget
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Dear Council member Jones,
My name is Dan and I've lived in Pasadena's District 3 for over the past eight years. During this time I've seen the pandemic dramatically increase the number of unhoused neighbors in our city. Sadly, Pasadena hasn't had a Bad Weather Shelter since the start of the pandemic and our proposed budget undercuts spending on housing.
I strongly urge you to support the use of city funds for capital improvements for one or more Bad Weather Shelter sites. This should happen quickly so one or more shelters are available by Fall of 2023 so that our neighbors have a safe place to sleep and stay before winter.
As you already know, in addition to seasonal shelters, larger budget and housing policies will be key in the successful implementation of a citywide Homelessness Plan. However, the city's FY 2023 revised budget for housing ($43,215) is less than the city's planned budget for FY 2024 ($40,608). We should not plan to spend less on housing this next fiscal year - especially given our city's recent accomplishments in affordable housing production and the homelessness crisis that is impacting our city's residents and quality of life. A city budget that prioritizes housing and services over policing is the urgent call to action that needs your immediate leadership and vision.
Thank you,
Dan
5/8/2023
Item 15
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
From: Jon Mabuni
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 5:01 PM
To: PublicComment-AutoResponse
Cc: Rivas, Jessica
Subject: Comment Regarding the Proposed 2024 Operating Budget (Agenda Item 15) Some people who received this message don't often get email from r. Learn why this is important [A1 CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. Learn more....
Dear City Council,
My name is Jon Mabuni and I'm a Pasadena resident in District 5. I am writing in response to the proposed 2024 city budget. I urge the city to rethink its budgeting priorities and increase funding for things that provide care & opportunity for our community, such as housing and public health. As many folks point out, budgets are moral documents. The things we prioritize reflect our values, and as you know, what we fund can have dramatic impacts on our community.
In particular, I urge the city to increase budget allocations significantly in the area of housing. We are in the middle of a housing crisis, and a decrease in the housing-related budget paired with a continued increase in police funding does not reflect the urgency needed to invest heavily in community care. While Pasadena has made some great progress in the domain of housing, there is still a long way to go. If the city is serious about the Department of Housing's commitment (as outlined in the budget, copied below), we NEED the budget to reflect that.
"Implementation of the City's Homelessness Strategy prioritizes a Housing First approach by funding a continuum of programs including street outreach; rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing; homelessness prevention and legal services; and emergency shelter. These programs address homelessness at different points, with a goal of preventing homelessness whenever possible, placing people experiencing homelessness into housing as quickly as possible, and supporting housing retention." On a more specific and urgent level, I also urge the prioritization of funding for sites that can host bad weather shelters. We saw some severe and deadly weather this past winter, and the fact that Pasadena did not have a bad weather shelter open is unconscionable. We need to allocate and act now so that this same scenario doesn't play out come the fall and winter.
I hope the city council will take these comments into consideration when looking ahead to this upcoming year and will make it a priority to fund and expand housing-related programs so that everyone in our community can thrive.
Thank you,
Jon Mabuni
5/8/2023
Item 15
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