Pasadena council approves staff package to limit federal immigration‑enforcement activity on city property

The Pasadena City Council unanimously approved a motion Tuesday directing city staff to develop a package of measures aimed at reducing the city’s role in federal immigration‑enforcement operations and improving documentation and oversight.

Deputy City Manager Alex Sodto presented an information report comparing recent actions elsewhere — including Chicago’s Executive Order 2025‑8 and Los Angeles’ Directive 17 — that restrict the use of city‑owned or city‑controlled property for staging or processing immigration enforcement and require police to document encounters. Sodto said the presentation was intended to help the council consider whether Pasadena should adopt similar policies.

“[These operations] have spread fear and uncertainty throughout the community,” Sodto told the council during the presentation, summarizing incidents across the region and detailing options such as signage, locks or other physical barriers and procedures for preserving body‑worn camera footage.

Public comment was extensive. Daniela Nean, a District 3 resident and legal observer, said, “Words are not enough. Since June, families in Pasadena have continued to live in fear.” Several other residents described recent local raids, alleged failures to identify federal agents, and said they had observed police protecting federal officers rather than the community.

Police Chief (identified in the meeting as “the chief”) said Pasadena has contracts for traffic cameras branded as Flock and that staff are “confident” city data has not been shared in violation of policy, but he agreed to produce a fuller report. “We will bring that forward to both CPOC and the public safety committee,” he told council members.

Councilmember Rick Cole — who drafted the motion with the mayor — said the intent was to assemble practical, legally defensible steps modeled on other municipalities, including evaluating bans on the use of city property for civil immigration‑enforcement staging, posting signage on identified properties, developing police protocols for documenting federal activity, exploring contract‑disclosure requirements for city bidders, and creating a liaison process with groups that legally observe operations.

The motion, moved by Councilmember Cole and seconded by Councilmember Hampton, passed on a roll call vote with all present voting yes (Cole, Hampton, Jones, Lion, Madison, Masuda, Vice Mayor Rivas, Mayor Gordo). The council’s approval directs the city manager and city attorney to return with recommended implementation language and timelines.

The vote concluded a multihour discussion in which council members repeatedly emphasized the narrow scope of local authority, but urged the city to act “as much as we can” within legal limits. Vice Mayor Rivas asked staff to consider public reporting so the community can see monthly summaries of federal immigration activity in Pasadena; others pressed for transparency about contracts with surveillance companies and for training that clarifies the roles and boundaries of legal observers, the police department and city staff.

The council also noted the city’s prior actions, including Resolutions 9319 (2013) and 9557 (2017) and Police Department Policy 428, and instructed staff to take those policies into account while developing new language.

Council members said the next steps will include a written staff report, a presentation to the Public Safety Committee, and a timeline for implementation. The chief told the council he expects to bring a public safety report back within weeks and recommended the matter be docketed for a Public Safety meeting to provide a “thoughtful recommendation together with the chief.”

The council’s formal action does not itself create prohibitions or new penalties; it directs staff and the city attorney to prepare ordinances, directives or administrative practices for future council consideration.

The council adjourned the item after the vote and moved on to other business.