3.B. City Manager Operating Budget
The public was told back in 2024, that the reason for consolidating the risk management function under the City Manager office was to reduce the spiraling liability costs.
I protested this unprecedented measure (see my original comment attached), stating that there was a lack of adequate rationale, it significantly increased the size and scope of the City Manager function which is out of line with cities of similar size (and larger) than Pasadena.
Yet here we are with a significant increase of almost 50% for the risk management division.
Please, explain to the public what is going on, including but not limited to how much of this has to do with the Eaton Fire.
The public should have more transparency. We need more granular information on the excess GL.
What departments and what line items are driving that?
For example, the city of Los Angeles has a transparency dashboard (https://liabilityclaims.lacontroller.app) that have information about the liability claim payouts.
Are these coming out of their department budgets or the general fund? How is the city improving risk management audits to look for ways to understand whats driving these costs and what can be done to reduce them? Are these costs taking away funds from other city services? There are discussions in LA for an officer liability insurance for example. This would be more productive than looking for ways to further nickel and dime residents through problematic “public safety” programs like speed and red light cameras.
______________________________
Yadi
Pasadena Finance Committee Meeting
May 18, 2026
3.B. City Manager Operating Budget
1.DraftOrdinanceamendingPasadenaMunicipalCode(Chapters2.40,2.265,and2.275)relatingtoRiskManagementFunctionsunderCityAttorneyOffice I opposeanordinancetoamendthePasadenaMunicipal Codetomoveriskmanagement functionsunder theCityManager'sOffice.
1. Thereisalackof rationalefor siphoningriskmanagement functionsawayfromother Citydepartments.
TheCityManagerOfficeneedstoprovidethepublicandCityCouncilwithjustificationforabsorbingfunctionsthatarealreadypartofotherdepartments.BringinginriskmanagementdirectlyundertheCityManagerOfficeisnotinlinewithmostothercitiesinthestate.Moreclarificationastothemissionandgoalsisneeded,whyotherdepartmentscannoteffectivelyundertakeriskmanagementresponsibilities,andif-forinstance-thisofficewouldhandlemostoftheGeneralLiability(507)Fundmovingforward.
2. TheCityManager iscurrentlyundertakingriskmanagement responsibilitieswithout properauthoritytodosounder thePasadenaMunicipal Code.
AlthoughriskmanagementactivitiesfallunderotherdepartmentssuchasthedepartmentofFinance,theCityManagerstates:
“Thesefour sections[SafetyDivision, ADACompliance, Workers’ Compensation, Fire&PoliceRetirement System(FPRS)] arenowfunctionallyreportingtotheRiskManagement Division; however,thebudget will remainintheir respectivedepartmentsfor FY2024andwill bemovedtotheCityManager’sOfficebeginningFY2025.” 1 ;“Asthenewlyappointeddeputycitymanager, Soutowill beresponsiblefor overseeingtheCity’senterpriseriskmanagement program...“ 2 It'sputtingthecartbeforethehorse,moreover,what’sthepointofhavingmunicipalcodeandprocessifit'sgoingtobeblatantlydismissed?
3. Most other citiesinCaliforniahouseriskmanagement functionswithindepartmentssuchasFinance, HumanResources/Personnel, or CityAttorneyOffice.
City
2022Population(Thousands) RiskManagementFunctionFresno* 3 545.5 HumanResources/PersonnelSacramento*
4 528 HumanResourcesLongBeach*
5 451.3 HumanResourcesOakland*
6 430.5 HumanResources
6 https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/risk-management
5 https://www.longbeach.gov/hr/about-us/risk-management/ 4 https://www.cityofsacramento.org/City-Hall/Departments 3 https://www.fresno.gov/personnel/risk-management/
2 https://www.cityofpasadena.net/city-manager/news/city-of-pasadena-announces-two-new-department-directors-and-deputy-city-manager/ 1 https://www.cityofpasadena.net/finance/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2024-Adopted-Operating-Budget.pdf?v=1715586963799
1.DraftOrdinanceamendingPasadenaMunicipalCode(Chapters2.40,2.265,and2.275)relatingtoRiskManagementFunctionsunderCityAttorneyOffice Bakersfield*
7 410.6 RiskManagementAnaheim*
8 344.4 HumanResourcesStockton*
9 321.8 HumanResourcesSantaAna*
10 308.1 HumanResourcesChulaVista*
11 279.1 HumanResourcesGlendale*
12 189.2 HumanResourcesLancaster*
13 169.1 AdministrativeServicesSalinas*
14 161 CityAttorneyCorona
15 159.5 LegalVisalia*
16 143.9 GeneralServicesTorrance*
17 141.1 FinancePasadena* 134.2 CityManagerBurbank*
18 103.9 ManagementServices*Charter City
3. TheCityManager Officeleadershipisbloatedandout of linewithother citiesof similar sizeor larger thanPasadena.
HistoricallyinPasadena,theCityManagerhad2AssistantCityManagers. 19 Now,Pasadenahas3AssistantCityManagersandisaddinganadditional(1)DeputyCityManager,doublingtheCityManagerOfficeleadership.Other citieswithaCityManagerOfficeof4ormorearemorethandoublethepopulationofPasadena.Theofficeistoolarge-Pasadenaisacity,notacounty.
City
2022Population(Thousands)
Assistant CityManager
DeputyCityManager Total
Fresno*
20 545.5 4 2 6
20 https://www.fresno.gov/citymanager/key-staff/
19 https://www.cityofpasadena.net/finance/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2022-Section-10-City-Manager.pdf 18 https://www.burbankca.gov/web/management-services
17 https://www.torranceca.gov/government/finance
16 https://www.visalia.city/depts/transportation_services/risk_management/default.asp 15 https://www.coronaca.gov/government/departments-divisions/legal-risk-management/risk-management-division 14 https://www.cityofsalinas.org/Your-Government/Find-a-Department/City-Attorney/Risk-Management 13 https://www.cityoflancasterca.org/our-city/departments-services/administrative-services 12 https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/human-resources/about-human-resources 11 https://www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/human-resources/about-us 10 https://www.santa-ana.org/rmd/
9 https://www.stocktonca.gov/government/employment/index.php 8 https://www.anaheim.net/414/Risk-Management
7 https://www.bakersfieldcity.us/373/Risk-Management
1.DraftOrdinanceamendingPasadenaMunicipalCode(Chapters2.40,2.265,and2.275)relatingtoRiskManagementFunctionsunderCityAttorneyOffice City
2022Population(Thousands)
Assistant CityManager
DeputyCityManager TotalSacramento*
21 528 4 0 4LongBeach*
22 451.3 1 4 5Oakland*
23 430.5 2 2 4Bakersfield*
24 410.6 2 0 2Anaheim*
25 344.4 1 1 2Stockton*
26 321.8 0 3 3SantaAna*
27 308.1 0 0 0ChulaVista*
28 279.1 1 1 2Glendale*
29 189.2 1 0 1Lancaster*
30 169.1 1 0 1Palmdale*
31 163.4 1 2 3Salinas*
32 161 0 0 0Pomona*
33 146 1 0 1Visalia*
34 143.9 1 0 1Torrance*
35 141.1 1 2 3Pasadena*
36 134.2 3 1 4Burbank*
37 103.9 1 0 1*Charter City________________________YadiPasadenaCityCouncil MeetingMay13, 20241. Draft OrdinanceamendingPasadenaMunicipal Code(Chapters2.40, 2.265, and2.275)relatingtoRiskManagement Functionsunder CityAttorneyOffice 37 https://www.burbankca.gov/documents/d/management-services/pages-from-org-charts-master-visio-document-fy-2023-24-3-1-24-general-city-pdf 36 https://www.cityofpasadena.net/city-manager/
35 https://www.torranceca.gov/government/city-manager/city-manager-staff 34 https://www.visalia.city/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=54818 33 https://www.pomonaca.gov/government/city-manager
32 https://www.cityofsalinas.org/Your-Government/About-City-Government/City-Manager 31 https://www.cityofpalmdaleca.gov/185/City-Manager
30 https://www.cityoflancasterca.org/our-city/departments-services/administrative-services/city-manager 29 https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/management-services/glendale-city-managers 28 https://www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/city-manager 27 https://www.santa-ana.org/departments/city-managers-office/ 26 https://www.stocktonca.gov/government/city_manager/staff_directory.php 25 https://www.anaheim.net/149/City-Administration
24 https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/b337b6a3-c6e1-46bd-a915-e64f4a7f3397 23 https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3Ae3bbb0d0-4579-39b5-ad6d-12eef7db7945 22 https://www.longbeach.gov/citymanager/
21 https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/city-manager/Assistant-City-Managers