n
OPENING
ROLL CALL:
Staff:
CITY OF PASADENA
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES
PASADENA CITY HALL
100 NORTH GARFIELD AVENUE
CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBER - S249
AUGUST 28, 2025
SPECIAL MEETING
Mayor Gordo called the special meeting of the Public Safety Committee to order at 4:19 p.m.
Mayor Victor M. Gordo
Councilmember Tyron Hampton (Absent)
CouncilmemberJustin Jones
Councilmember Steve Madison (Absent)
Gene Harris, Police Chief
Art Chute, Deputy Police Chief
Bill Grisafe, Police Commander
Anthony James, Deputy Fire Chief
Trey Sorensen, Arson Investigator
Tim Wellman, Chief Assistant City Prosecutor
Nicholas G. Rodriguez, Assistant City Manager
Danielle St. Clair, Assistant City Attorney
Tamer Sabha, Recording Secretary
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
INFORMATION ONLY
It was moved by Councilmember Jones, seconded by Mayor Gordo, to approve the minutes of May 7, 2025 (special meeting), May 21, 2025 (cancellation), and June 18, 2025 (cancellation), as submitted. (Motion unanimously approved) (Absent: Councilmembers
Hampton, Madison)
FIREWORKS MITIGATION EFFORTS AND DEBRIEF
Anthony James, Deputy Fire Chief, presented a Powerpoint presentation on fireworks mitigation efforts and a debrief of the Fourth of July 2025 holiday weekend service calls and citations issued, and responded to questions.
Councilmember Jones spoke in support of a year-round firework mitigation program with Fire department staff present at community meetings and year-round signage to provide information to the residents.
In response to Councilmember Jones' inquiry regarding the possibility of the Fire Department using drones to track illegal firework activity, Deputy Fire Chief James shared that if the Fire Department were to implement a drone program, the intent would be for firework enforcement and would utilize legacy media, social 01 08/28/2025
media, and public education outlets to inform the public of the program.
Mayor Gordo spoke on the availability of illegal fireworks in Los Angeles County and the opportunity for stronger enforcement at the regional and state level, with Pasadena leading the way. Mayor Gordo requested that City staff in the City Manager's Office, and Fire and Police departments draft a written communication to be released on behalf of the City.
Art Chute, Deputy Police Chief, provided information on the possible role of Park Safety Specialists patrolling for fireworks offenses, the challenges in investigating reports of fireworks, and responded to questions.
Trey Sorensen, Arson Investigator, provided information about calls for service regarding fireworks, hotspots and incidents during the Fourth of July weekend, and responded to questions.
Mayor Gordo spoke in support of community members reporting fireworks incidents and sharing footage with authorities, requested the City Prosecutor's Office took at updating the municipal code, as well as the feasibility of using parking and code enforcement officers to observe and report incidents and issue citations for illegal firework activities.
Yadi, Pasadena resident, provided comments in support of transparency with drone and surveillance technology; and advocated for clear objectives related to the use of drones in the City to evaluate the merit of drone usage in reducing the use of illegal fireworks.
Recording Secretary Sabha reported that the City Clerk's Office received two tetters of correspondence and suggestions related to the matter, which were distributed to the Committee, posted online, and made part of the public record.
Following discussion, on the order of the Chair, and by the consensus of the Committee, the information was received and filed. 1 02 08/28/2025
ADJOURNMENT
ATTEST:,
Tame^abha
Recording Secretary
On t^/e^prder of Chair, the special meeting of the Public Safety Committee was adjourned^ a^ 4:55 p.m.
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Mayor Victor M. Gordo, C
Public Safety Committee
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