CITY OF PASADENA
City Council Minutes
January 23, 2025-2:00 P.M.
City Hall Council Chamber
SPECIAL MEETING
Pursuant to Resolution No. 10110, the City Council Meeting was held and convened remotely via videoconference/teleconference in compliance with the Brown Act.
I
OPENING:
ROLL CALL:
Councilmembers:
Staff:
Mayor Gordo called the special meeting to order at 2:02 p.m. The pledge of allegiance was led by Councilmember Hampton. (Absent:
None)
Mayor Victor M. Gordo
Councilmember Rick Cole
CouncilmemberTyron Hampton
Councilmember Justin Jones
Councilmember Jason Lyon
Councilmember Steve Madison
Councilmember Gene Masuda
Vice Mayor Jessica Rivas
City Manager Miguel Marquez
City Attorney Michele Beat Bagneris
City Clerk Mark Jomsky
ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO SUSPEND THE COLLECTION OF
PARKING FEES FOR PREFERENTIAL PARKING GUEST
PASSES, OVERNIGHT PARKING PERMITS AND PARKING IN
CITY GARAGE FACILITIES, FOR VEHICLES REGISTERED AT
ADDRESSES DAMAGED OR DESTROYED IN THE EATON FIRE
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council:
(1) Find that the action proposed in the agenda report is not a "project" subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to California Public Resources Code Section 21065 and within the meaning ofCEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b);
(2) Adopt a resolution to suspend the collection of parking fees for (Resolution No. 10113):
a. Up to three additional annual guest preferential parking permits per account address for vehicles that are registered to addresses that were damaged or destroyed in the Eaton Fire;
b. Additional overnight parking permits, in excess of the limit of two, to residents hosting vehicles that are registered to addresses that were damaged or destroyed in the Eaton Fire, except
c. Vehicles registered to addresses that were damaged or destroyed in the Eaton Fire to park in City parking facilities with available capacity for up to 30 days.
Council Minutes101/23/2025
MOTION:
Joaquin Siques, Director of Transportation, presented a Powerpoint presentation on the item, and responded to questions.
It was moved by Councilmember Hampton, seconded by
Councilmember Cole, to approve the staff recommendation.
AYES: Councilmembers Cole, Hampton, Jones, Lyon,
Madison, Masuda, Vice Mayor Rivas, Mayor Gordo
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
UPDATE - CITY RESPONSE TO WINDSTORMS AND FIRES -
CITY MANAGER AND EMERGENCY OPERATIONS STAFF
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council:
(1) Consider updates from City staff and provide direction if desired by the City Council; and
(2) Find that, if direction is given to staff, it would not be a "project" subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to California Public Resources Code Section 21065 and within the meaning ofCEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b).
Chad Augustin, Fire Chief, provided a status update on the Eaton fire containment, the remaining areas under Do-Not-Drink water advisory, the forecasted rain for the upcoming weekend, and the City's preparations for mud and debris flow, and responded to questions.
In response to Councilmember Jones' inquiry regarding k-rails and mud flow preparations, Greg de Vinck, Public Works Director, reported that City crews are on standby to place k-rails if needed, and the City does have an operational contract with a k-rail vendor who is also on standby if additional assistance is required.
In response to comments by Councilmember Jones advocating for Pasadena Water and Power to assess and consider acquiring Altadena's water utilities, David Reyes, Acting General Manager of Water and Power, reported that City staff is in contact with local water agencies that serve Altadena and is offering assistance and support through the City's water leases and interconnection agreements but noted that no further discussions have occurred.
City Attorney Bagneris and Acting General Manager Reyes stated that such actions would require extensive legal research and would need to be initiated by those independent agencies.
Councilmember Cole advocated for the City to assist employees who lost their homes with navigating through the process of rebuilding in addition to proving other support and resources.
Council Minutes201/23/2025
Mayor Gordo left the
meeting at 2:07 p.m. to
attend multi-agency
meeting that conflicted
with this Council meeting.
L
Manuel Carmona, Acting Director of Public Health, reported on air quality and soil testing options. He reported on potential gaps of tracking air quality and fluctuating particulate matter. He stated that the City will continue to have discussions with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), FEMA, AQMD, and regional partners to develop an approach addressing air quality and soil testing.
Paul Wennburg, Caltech Professor, presented information on air quality and particulate matter, and responded to questions.
In response to Councilmember Jones' inquiry regarding testing and clean up of the City's pools and playgrounds, Koko Panossian, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director, reported that the pools were thoroughly cleaned, passing all sanitation requirements, and added that City staff is sanitizing all playgrounds and will remove and replace 3 inches of sand from all play areas.
Discussion ensued regarding how residents can safely clean their homes, the importance of wearing protective and effective masks, the correlation between air quality and direction of air flow, and low- cost air quality sensors and purifiers.
In response to Councilmember Hampton's inquiry regarding the hazardous materials removal process, Bill Jones, EPA
representative, reported that EPA officers will be working in teams to collect hazmat waste (i.e., paint cans, car batteries, etc.) from burnt sites and transport them to a staging site in Irwindale. Israel Del Toro, Planning Deputy Director, also reported that during Phase 2 of the debris cleanup process, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will remove and transport damaged vehicles to a staging site for adjudication.
City Clerk Jomsky reported that one tetter expressing concerns with the City's response to the Eaton Fire and the City's relationship with a local nonprofit, one letter advocating for the City Council to prohibit rent increases during the City's State of Emergency, and one letter expressing concerns with the City's lack of information related to the fire, were received by the City Clerk's Office, distributed to the City Council, posted online, and made part of the public record for the item.
John Butler, Pasadena resident, inquired when the City would be picking up green waste from sidewalks.
Following discussion, on the order of the Vice Mayor, and consensus of the City Council, the information was received and filed.
Council Minutes301/23/2025
ADJOURNMENTOn order of the Vice Mayor, the special meeting of the City Council adj^urrie^ ^4:01 p.m.
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ATTEST:
Victor M. Gordo, Mayor
City of Pasadena
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Council Minutes401/23/2025