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OPENING
ROLL CALL:
Staff:
PUBLIC COMMENT
CITY OF PASADENA
LEGISLATIVE POLICY COMMITTEE MINUTES
PASADENA CITY HALL
100 NORTH GARFIELD AVENUE
COUNCIL CHAMBER - ROOM S249
MAY 5, 2026
The Chair called the meeting of the Legislative Policy Committee to order at 5:02 p.m.
Councilmember Steve Madison, Chair
Vice Mayor Jess Rivas
Councilmember Gene Masuda
Matt Hawkesworth, Interim City Manager
Michele Bagneris, City Attorney/City Prosecutor
Mark Jomsky, City Clerk
Phillip Leclair, Acting Assistant City Manager
Jim Wong, Director of Housing
Karin Schnaider, Director of Finance
Tim McDonald, Director of Libraries and Information Services Tim Wellman, Chief Assistant City Prosecutor
Timothy Park, Budget Administrator
Chinua Obaze, Management Analyst III
Shannon Prior, Principal Administrative Analyst
Stephen Leung, Senior Administrative Analyst
Arnold Lee, Chief Assistant City Attorney
Tamer Sabha, Recording Secretary
The following individuals advocated for the City Council to adopt a resolution in support of nuclear abolition:
Alon Friedman, Pasadena resident
Ed Sewall, Pasadena resident
Maylene Hughes, representing Physicians for Social
Responsibility
Robert Shaefer, La Canada Flintridge resident
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
OLD BUSINESS
It was moved by Vice Mayor Rivas, seconded by Councilmember Masuda to approve the minutes of February 18, 2026, March 3, 2026, and April 7, 2026, as submitted. (Motion unanimously approved) (Absent: None)
CONSIDERATION OF REVISED PROTOCOLS AND
PROCEDURES GOVERNING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS FOR
RECOMMENDATION TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL
Chair Madison provided introductory comments and opened a discussion on City Council protocols and standards for more efficient meetings.
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NEW BUSINESS
Mark Jomsky, City Clerk, provided information on timer usage for tracking Councilmembers' speaking time, City Council Meeting Policy (Resolution No. 9716), Senate Bill (SB) 707, and virtual meeting participation, and responded to questions.
Chair Madison recommended establishing a "five and five" rule for City Council meetings, where Councilmembers are given five minutes to ask questions and five minutes to make comments, with additional time granted for good cause; and that the City Council adopt a practice to not begin any substantive discussion after 10:00 p.m. during City Council meetings.
Vice Mayor Rivas voiced support of Chair Madison's
recommendation of establishing a "five and five" rule for Councilmember questions and discussion; and proposed adopting a framework of how the City Council can discuss each meeting agenda item (i.e. staff report, questions, public comments, discussion, motions).
City Clerk Jomsky volunteered to share the Committee's
recommendations and comments with the Mayor during City Council agenda review and advised the committee to draft a memorandum to recommend amending the City Council Meeting Policy.
Following discussion, on the order of the Chair and by consensus of the Committee, the information was received and filed.
SUPPORT FOR CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY BILL 2329 (FONG) -
SURPLUS PROPERTY DISPOSITION - CITY OF PASADENA
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO
SIGN LETTER OF SUPPORT
Jim Wong, Director of Housing, summarized the agenda report as part of a Powerpoint presentation on the item, and responded to questions.
The following individuals spoke in support of the City Council endorsing Assembly Bill (AB) 2329:
Tim Ivison, representing United Caltrans Tenants
Lizz Wolf, Pasadena resident
David Corrales, Pasadena resident
Kelly Brinkman, representing United Caltrans Tenants
Chair Madison spoke in support ofAB 2329 and the opportunity for homeownership for tenants in Caltrans-owned houses in the 710 corridor.
Phillip Leclair, Acting Assistant City Manager, stated that a discussion on AB 2329 will be agendized at the May 11, 2026, City Council meeting.
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INFORMATION ONLY
Following discussion, it was moved by Vice Mayor Rivas, seconded by Councilmember Masuda, to approve the staff recommendation and forward the item to the City Council for consideration. (Motion unanimously approved)
BRIEFING BY KYRA EMANUELS ROSS ON STATE
LEGISLATIVE MATTERS
a. SB 1361 (Durazo) Transit-Oriented Housing Developments b. AB 1768 (Bryan) LA County Sales Tax
Kyra Emanuels Ross, State Legislative advocate for the City, provided an update on state and local legislative matters listed below and responded to questions:
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Senate Appropriations Suspense Hearings and the
Governor's release of the May Revision to the budget
scheduled for Thursday, May 14, 2026;
Personal income tax and corporation tax collections to the state continue to come in billions over the budget forecast, with most of excess funds required to go to education and budget savings accounts;
Legislature has a deadline of June 15, 2026 to send budget to Governor;
AB 1768, LA County Sales Tax;
SB 79 clean-up measures, SB 2576;
SB 1361, Transit-Oriented Housing Developments, gutted
and amended by Senate Housing Committee;
Group of seven bills on land-use guardrails for data centers:
SB 1168, SB 978, SB 886, SB 887, AB 1577, AB 2619, AB
2469;and
Zone Zero draft regulations.
Chair Madison requested staff provide an update on the Los Angeles County Measure ER and how the legislation may impact Pasadena's sales tax.
Tamer Sabha, Recording Secretary, reported that the City Clerk's Office received one letter of correspondence, which was distributed to the Committee, posted online, and made part of the record for this item.
P.A. Brown, Pasadena resident, provided comments in
support of SB 868 and asked the committee to consider
formal support for the legislation.
Chair Madison asked the State Legislative advocate to provide an update on SB 868 at the next committee meeting.
Following discussion, on the order of the Chair and by consensus of the Committee, the information was received and filed.
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BRIEFING BY CHRIS GIGLIO ON FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE
MATTERS
Chris Giglio, Federal Legislative advocate for the City, provided an update on the following legislative matters listed below and answered questions on the following topics:
76-day partial federal shutdown ended on April 30, 2026; Congress is working to pass legislation to provide additional funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol (USBP) through the end of the current
administration;
$1 billion White House ballroom project;
Ongoing Fiscal Year (FY) 27 budget process;
House of Representatives working on a farm bill with potential impacts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) benefits; and
Upcoming Congressional recesses and campaigning for
November 2026 General Election.
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Following discussion, on the order of the Chair and by consensus of the Committee, the information was received and filed.
REVIEW OF RECENT CITY ADVOCACY LETTERS
Following a brief discussion, on the order of the Chair and by consensus of the Committee, the information was received and filed.
PAST AGENDAS FOR CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
a. Accessibility and Disability Commission -April 28, 2026 b. Commission on the Status of Women - April 1 , 2026
c. Community Police Oversight Commission - April 9, 2026 d. Environmental Advisory Commission - April 14, 2026
e. hlistoric Preservation Commission - April 21, 2026
f. Human Relations Commission - April 7, 2026
g. Human Services Commission - April 8, 2026
h. Library Commission -April 15, 2026
Northwest Commission -April 14, 2026
j. Planning Commission - April 22,2026
k. Recreation and Parks Commission - April 7, 2026
1. Senior Commission - April 14,2026
m. South Lake Parking Place Commission -April 9, 2026
n. Transportation Advisory Commission - April 23, 2026
o. Urban Forestry Advisory - April 8, 2026
Following a brief discussion, on the order of the Chair and by consensus of the Committee, the information was received and filed. 04 05/05/2026
I
NEW BUSINESS - Cont.
1 BUDGET WORKSHOPS - FY 2027 RECOMMEND OPERATING
BUDGET
a. LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT
b. CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
c. CITY COUNCIL
d. OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
Matt Hawkesworth, Interim City Manager, provided introductory remarks related to the budget workshop and asked the committee to consider the following questions when reviewing department key performance indicators (KPIs):
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Is the KPI helpful to the City Council in making a decision? Can the City Council use the KPI to make a future funding or priority decision?
Does the City Council have any suggested outcomes they
believe would be valuable to measure?
05 Tim McDonald, Director of Libraries and Information Services, and Chinua Obaze, Management Analyst III, jointly presented a Powerpoint presentation on the department's Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 major achievements and appropriations, FY 2027 major initiatives, significant changes from FY 2026 budget, and proposed outcomebased KPIs, with both responding to questions.
P.A. Brown, Pasadena resident, provided comments in support of the FY 2027 recommended budget for the Libraries and Information Services Department; and encouraged the city to explore if a modernized new library replacement with
multifamily housing incorporated in the design.
Michele Bagneris, City Attorney/City Prosecutor, presented a Powerpoint presentation on the department's FY 2026
accomplishments, appropriations, significant changes from FY 2026 adopted budget, FY 2027 priorities and workplan, FY 2027 key performance indicators, and outside legal expenses; and responded to questions.
Karin Schnaider, Director of Finance, presented a Powerpoint presentation on the City Council's FY 2026 accomplishments, appropriations by category, and significant changes from FY 2026 adopted budget, and responded to questions.
Mark Jomsky, City Clerk, provided information on the ordinance regarding the Mayor and City Council compensation, which will be presented to the City Council on May 11, 2026; and responded to questions.
Chair Madison spoke in support of the ordinance on City Council compensation and using it as an opportunity to pursue reform, suggested that the City Attorney's Office be required to review all Councilmember communications mailers to the community, and clarified that the 710 Freeway stub is not a land-use planning effort, 05/05/2026
ADJOURNMENT
ATTEST:
but a city asset, along with the former Kaiser building on Lake AvenueA/illa Street, and the former YWCA building.
Mark Jomsky, City Clerk, presented a Powerpoint presentation on the department's FY 2026 major accomplishments, expenses by categories and divisions, FY 2027 priorities and work plan, and key performance indicators; and responded to questions.
Following discussion, on the order of the Chair and by consensus of the Committee, the information was received and filed.
On the order oj^the Chair, the meeting of the Legislative Policy ComrQJitee'^Sl^djourne^t 7:43 p.m.
CoC>Qcil]^i©fl'fl5er Steve ^/ladison, Chair
Legislative Policy Committee
Tam^r Sabha
Recording Secretary
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