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OPENING
ROLL CALL:
Staff:
CITY OF PASADENA
MUNICIPAL SERVICES COMMITTEE MINUTES
PASADENA CITY HALL
100 NORTH GARFIELD AVENUE
CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBER - S249
SEPTEMBER 22, 2026 MEETING
Chair Jones called the special meeting of the Municipal Services Committee to order at 5:11 p.m.
CouncilmemberJustin Jones, Chair
CouncilmemberTyron Hampton
Councilmember Rick Cole
Councilmember Jason Lyon
Greg de Vinck, Director of Public Works
Joaquin Siques, Director of Transportation
Chad Augustin, Fire Chief
Nallely Procopio, Emergency Services Manager
Varoojan Avedjian, Assistant General Manager of Water and Power Kelly Nguyen, Assistant General Manager of Water and Power Stacie Takeguchi, Assistant General Manager of Water and Power Kellee O'Rourke, Public Relations and Marketing Manager Kimberty Huynh, Principal Electrical Engineer
David Reyes, General Manager of Water and Power
Lisa Hosey, Assistant City Attorney
Tamer Sabha, Recording Secretary
PUBLIC COMMENT
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
INFORMATION ONLY
No one appeared for public comment on matters not on the agenda.
It was moved by Councilmember Lyon, seconded by Councilmember Hampton, to approve the minutes of August 25, 2026 and September 8, 2026 (cancelled meeting) as submitted. (Motion unanimously approved) (Absent: None)
UPDATE ON THE NORTH HOLLYWOOD TO PASADENA BUS
RAPID TRANSIT (BRT) PROJECT
Joaquin Siques, Transportation Director, provided introductory remarks on the item and Matt Evans and Kenyan Price, representatives from Metro, presented a Powerpoint presentation on the item, providing information on construction/schedule update, construction outreach, and Metro's Eat Shop Play program to support local businesses during construction, with all responding to questions.
P.A. Brown, Pasadena resident, advocated for the City to integrate the Pasadena Rapid Transportation Project with the City's transit signal priority project.
Humaira, Pasadena resident, expressed support for Pasadena's public transit system and advocated for the City to promote public transportation through creative campaigns and advertising. 01 09/22/2026
02 Councilmember Lyon inquired whether the ongoing litigation concerning a dedicated bus lane in Burbank would affect the overall project schedule. Mr. Evans reported that while litigation is ongoing, Metro has reached an agreement with the City to implement civil improvements necessary for the bus stations, and noted that the line is expected to open as planned, regardless of whether it is in a dedicated lane in Burbank.
Councilmember Jones expressed concerns regarding insufficient notice of construction delays for local businesses and requested that Metro provide prompt communication related to delays that the City can distribute to the community for public awareness.
Following discussion, on the order of the Chair, and by consensus of the Committee, the information was received and filed.
EL NINO PREPARATION EFFORTS
David Reyes, General Manager of Water and Power, provided introductory remarks on the item, noting that the Governor has recently declared a preemptive state of emergency ahead of potentially strong winter storms. Nallely Procopio, Emergency Services Manager, presented a Powerpoint presentation with information on community preparedness workshops, collaboration with regional partners on preparation efforts, and communication alerts. Greg de Vinck, Public Works Director, provided a brief overview of the City's public works service capacity, after-hours coverage, citywide coordination with other departments, and public safety priorities. Varoojan Avedian, Stacie Takeguchi, and Kelly Nguyen, Assistant General Managers of Water and Power, provided a brief overview of the City's protecting water and power facilities, delivery of utility services during emergencies, and being proactive in situations of extreme wind and rain. Kellee O'Rourke, Public Relations and Marketing Manager, provided information on internal and external communications methods and public outreach during emergencies.
Fire Chief Chad Augustin provided information on the Pasadena Fire Department's emergency response related to the Eaton Fire, and responded to questions.
Councilmember Lyon expressed concerns regarding the lack of formal protocol for the City Council and their role during natural disasters emergency response. He requested that City staff establish a protocol outlining City staff's interaction with the City Council offices and City Councilmembers' roles in relaying information to their residents.
In response to Councilmember Lyon's inquiry regarding evacuation actions for residents, Emergency Services Manager Procopio reported that residents can access the evacuation zone map online and through the City's emergency preparedness app, and that evacuation zone education for residents is being incorporated into the City's Prepared Pasadena community education campaign.
Recording Secretary Sabha reported that one letter of correspondence was received by the City Clerk's Office, distributed to the committee, posted online, and made part of the public record for this item. 09/22/2026
Motion:
03 Following discussion, on the order of the Chair, and by consensus of the Committee, the information was received and filed.
MUNICIPAL SOLAR PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND
BALCONY SOLAR UPDATE
General Manager Reyes provided introductory comments on the item and reaffirmed the City's commitment to achieving 20 megawatts of municipal solar and Kimberly Huynh, Principal Electrical Engineer, presented a Powerpoint presentation on the municipal solar program, confirmed expansion from the original 5-site pilot to 27 sites based on GIS analysis, shading review, and asset feasibility, and provided information on the site categories and configurations, with both responding to questions.
Councilmember Lyon thanked City staff for their efforts to balance the City's priorities of solar power expansion and tree canopy preservation.
He encouraged City staff to bring forward to the City Council any needed policy clarifications/changes regarding configuration of the municipal solar implementation and the City's tree canopy.
The following individuals provided comments related to advocating for the City to expand municipal solar in the City; spoke on trees and climate advocacy, advocated to allow design firms to propose tree preserving solutions related to RFP's, and providing comments on the matter:
P.A. Brown, Pasadena resident
Sam Berndt, representing Pasadena 100
Cynthia Cannady, representing Pasadena 100
Lauren Seigel, Pasadena resident
Councilmember Cole expressed concerns that well-intended plans may face setbacks and proposed a motion requesting City staff to return with redundancy of 10% of planning for 22 megawatts of municipal solar, with a recognition that would provide delivery cushion; and opposition to solar reductions at Washington Park to preserve the palm trees and noted that palm trees are not true shade trees and pose risks in wind and fire events.
Councilmember Lyon expressed concerns with adding new tasks for City staff and emphasized that significant redundancy is already built into the 20-megawatt plan, while agreeing with Councilmember Cole's statements regarding palm trees.
Following discussion, Councilmember Cole motioned to ask staff to return to the Committee with plans for redundancy of ten percent with a plan of twenty two megawatts of solar with a recognition that would provide a cushion for some of the projects that may or may not meet the deadline. (Following discussion, Councilmember withdrew his motion)
Due to time constraints the Committee unanimously agreed to defer the balcony solar update portion of the presentation to the next Committee meeting.
09/22/2026
Motion:
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ADJOURNMENT
Following further discussion, it was moved by Councilmember Cole, seconded by Councilmember Hampton, to direct City staff to reexamine the Washington Park design to add solar canopy coverage over the area occupied by palm trees as part of design-build evaluations. (Motion unanimously approved) (Absent: None) RECEIVE ANNUAL REPORTS FOR FISCAL YEAR JULY 2025
THROUGH JUNE 2026 AND WORK PLANS FOR FISCAL YEAR
2026-2027 FOR:
a. DESIGN COMIVIISSION
b. HAHAMONGNA WATERSHED PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE
c. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
d. HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION
e. LIBRARY COMMISSION
f. PLANNING COMMISSION
Councilmember Cole expressed concerns that recent reports and updates from City commissions mostly summarize presentations the commissions heard rather than vetting policies, programs, and projects, and providing recommendations to the City Council. He advocated for training City Commissioners on how to be effective and revitalize the advisory role of commissions.
On the order of the Chair, 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 7:35 p.m.
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Counciljr(^mb§js<fu^tin Jones, Chair
Munipip^l Sgi^jp^s Committee
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ATTEST:
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Recording Secretary
04 09/22/2026