n
OPENING
ROLL CALL:
Staff:
CITY OF PASADENA
MUNICIPAL SERVICES COMMITTEE MINUTES
PASADENA CITY HALL
100 NORTH GARFIELD AVENUE
CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBER - S249
MARCH 24, 2026 MEETING
The Chair called the meeting of the Municipal Services Committee to order at 4:11 p.m.
CouncilmemberJustin Jones, Chair
Councilmember Tyron Hampton (Absent)
Councilmember Rick Cole
Councilmember Jason Lyon
Brenda hlarvey-Wiliiams, Assistant City Manager
David Reyes, General Manager of Water and Power
Koko Panossian, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services
Manuel Carmona, Director of Public Health
Varoojan Avedian, Assistant General Manager of Water and Power Lisa Hosey, Assistant City Attorney
Betty Gao, Recording Secretary
PUBLIC COMMENT
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
NEW BUSINESS
No one appeared for public comment on matters not on the agenda.
It was moved by Councilmember Lyon, seconded by Councilmember Cole, to approve the minutes of February 24, 2026, as submitted. (Motion unanimously approved) (Absent: Councilmember Hampton) PROPOSED 12-MONTH PILOT PROGRAM: SOLAR AND BATTERY
PERMITTING & PLAN CHECK FEE & WAIVER
David Reyes, General Manager of Water and Power, summarized the staff memo as part of the Powerpoint presentation on the item, including providing information on the program oven/iew, grid reliability, expected outcomes, revenue implications, evaluation framework, and responded to questions.
In response to Councilmember Cole's inquiry on residential installation fees, Varoojan Avedian, Assistant General Manager of Water and Power provided information on Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) department's fees associated with new meters, and responded to questions.
In response to Councilmember Cole's inquiry on legal restrictions related to the use of non-public benefit funds, Lisa Hosey, Assistant City Attorney, stated staff will return with additional information on the matter, and responded to questions.
Councilmember Cole spoke in support of reducing applicable fees related to the Solar and Battery permitting; and suggested staff conduct outreach, such as focus groups, to better understand and improve customer's solar installation experiences.
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Motion:
INFORMATIONAL ONLY
Councilmember Lyon thanked the staff for the presentation, encouraged continued program outreach and community engagement efforts, and emphasized the importance of ongoing fiscal tracking and monitoring program costs.
Following discussion, it was moved by Councilmember Cole, seconded by Councilmember Lyon, to endorse the staff recommendations that were presented during the meeting (and the staff memo), which includes not charging Pasadena Water and Power fees; and direction to staff to expeditiously examine if it is possible to abate the building and safety fees associated with the proposed pilot program. (Motion unanimously approved) (Absent: Councilmember Hampton)
Tom King, Pasadena resident, praised staff for the proposed program and advocated for staff to waive the building and safety fees.
Jamie Scott, Pasadena resident, requested a publicly available map of residential properties with existing solar installations and inquired on potential programs to use electric vehicles as energy storage.
In response to public comments, General Manager Reyes stated staff will follow up with the public speakers after the meeting.
ARTIFICIAL TURF ATHLETIC FIELDS AT CITY PARKS
David Reyes, General Manager of Water and Power, provided introductory comments, and Koko Panossian, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, summarized the staff memo as part of the Powerpoint presentation on the item, including providing information on athletic field availability, natural grass fields, artificial turf fields, attribute comparison, environmental and health concerns and mitigation measures, and responded to questions.
Councilmember Lyon raised concerns regarding the attribute comparison chart and asked staff to provide a comprehensive financial analysis between artificial turf and natural grass with information on lifecycle replacement and annual maintenance costs. He noted that the current comparison may not be equivalent and expressed skepticism on the long-term cost benefits associated with artificial turf.
Chair Jones expressed his preference with natural grass as opposed to artificial turf. hie also expressed concerns with the City's park facilities lighting, and recommended longer light usage hours to increase field playtime.
In response to Councilmember Cole's inquiry regarding the new Sustainability Administrator position, Brenda Harvey-Williams, Assistant City Manager, stated that the newly hired staff has been briefed on the subject and has reviewed the report.
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ADJOURMENT
Betty Gao, Recording Secretary, reported that 23 letters were received by the City Clerk's Office, which were distributed to the Committee, posted online, and made part of the record for this item.
The following individuals expressed health, environmental, and climate concerns regarding artificial turf, and/or provided related comments on the matter:
Teresa Wong, San Gabriel resident
Lena Kennedy, Pasadena resident
Suzanne York, Pasadena resident
Edgar Riddle, Pasadena resident
Phlunte Riddle, Pasadena resident
Lauren Siegel, Pasadena resident
lesha Siler, Pasadena resident
Laura Fleming, Pasadena resident
Amy Majeske, representing League of Women Voters
Cynthia Cannady, Pasadena resident
Monica Osuna, Pasadena resident
Barbara Ishida, Pasadena resident
Wes Reutimann, Pasadena resident
Tim Martinez, representing Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy Mike Polkda, Pasadena resident
Ana Soulriver, Pasadena resident
Manuel Carmona, Public Health Director, provided a brief overview of the staff memo and provided information on recent findings from the March 2026 California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEAP) report and a February 2026 regulatory document issued by the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), and responded to questions.
Councilmember Cole spoke in favor of allocating time, funding, and resources to address athletic field capacity, expressed a preference for natural grass, and encouraged exploring additional field development to reduce usage constraints and expand equitable access to City park fields.
Chair Jones expressed concerns with the reduced field usage in Robinson Park and Villa Park; and spoke on the importance of maintaining active and accessible fields during transition from artificial turf to natural grass. In addition, he asked staff to explore options and partnerships to expand field availability at all City parks.
Following discussion, on the order of the Chair, and by consensus of the Committee, the information was received and filed.
On the order of the Chair, the meeting of the Municipal Services Committee was adjourned at 6:17 p.m.
03 03/24/2026
Council
Munic a I
mber Justin Jones, Chair
Services Committee
ATTEST:
Betty Gao
Recording Secretary
04 03/24/2026