Council defers Crime Control board appointments pending online application process

The council debated whether to appoint three nominees to the City of Pasadena Crime Control & Prevention District board or defer their votes while the city develops an online application process for board vacancies.

City staff read a resolution appointing and reappointing Robin Davis, Carol Wilson and Sherry Free to the Crime Control board. Several councilmembers said they supported an open, citywide application system to make appointments more transparent, and some raised concerns that the current nominees were concentrated in a single district. Councilwoman Bianca Valerio argued the appointments cost the city nothing (appointees are volunteers) and raised concerns about political retaliation in earlier appointment practices.

The mayor and others argued some appointments were time‑sensitive because the Crime Control board needs to meet to address the police budget. Councilmembers debated whether amendments to terms could be offered from the floor and whether such changes complied with statutory bylaws.

After brief recess and legal clarification from staff, the council held a roll‑call vote on a motion to defer the appointments until the mayor places the item back on a future agenda once the online application system is ready. The motion to defer passed. The mayor said the online process would be prioritized and the item would be returned to a future agenda so the board could meet for budget work once the process is available.

Outcome and next step: Appointments were deferred to allow an online application process; staff will publish the application system and the mayor will schedule the item for a future meeting.