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Public health director: outreach, reporting changes linked to drop in Pasadena coyote complaints
Summary
At a July 15 Public Safety Committee meeting, Emmanuel Carmona, Pasadena’s director of public health, reported about 1,400 community coyote concerns over four years and said targeted outreach and reporting updates correspond with recent reductions in complaints; staff will return annually and expects a consultant report this summer.
Emmanuel Carmona, Pasadena’s director of public health, told the Public Safety Committee on July 15 that staff have logged roughly 1,400 community concerns about coyotes over the past four years and have taken steps — education, targeted outreach and improved reporting — to reduce conflicts.
Carmona said the city saw elevated reports from October 2024 through May 2025 and a peak of 115 complaints in April 2025. From January to May 2026 the city recorded 76 fewer reported concerns than in the prior year. He cautioned the committee not to over-interpret short-term declines without more outreach and data but said the numbers suggest progress in neighborhoods where the city targeted interventions.
The update described several specific actions: partnerships with Pasadena Humane and Caltech to reduce attractants on campus; sidewalk talks in Madison Heights and San Pascual; parkway signage reminding residents that feeding wildlife is illegal; two public-education videos and a "Be Coyote Safe" social-media campaign; and updates to the city’s online reporting system to analyze trends and map hotspots. Carmona said Caltech and two adjacent neighborhoods accounted for higher encounter rates and were priorities for enhanced outreach.
Carmona also reported that of community-reported incidents classified as possible human "attacks," four were investigated by Pasadena Humane and yielded no evidence of an actual attack. He described the incident breakdown in behavioral categories: nearly half of community reports described normal coyote behavior, a little over one-third were characterized as mildly habituated behavior, and about 13% were labeled aggressive-habituated behavior.
On tools and pilots, staff have loaned motion-activated sprinklers (which residents have responded to positively) and handheld sonic deterrent devices (which have seen lower uptake). Carmona said the department is open to testing locally proposed devices — pheromone treatments, light systems or speaker-based noise devices — through volunteer pilots and formal evaluation.
Carmona told the committee an expert panel on urban coyotes that was postponed in 2025 because of the city's fire response is rescheduled for October 2026, and a consultant retained in December 2024 completed four neighborhood assessments; the consultant’s field-study write-up is expected to be finalized and distributed this summer.
Council members pressed on pet safety and nonlethal options; several said trapping or relocating coyotes has not proven effective and emphasized coexistence strategies that keep coyotes wary of humans. The committee heard suggestions to test deterrent technologies and directed staff to return with an annual update unless new developments warrant more frequent reporting.
The committee did not take formal action other than requesting ongoing reporting and pilot evaluations; staff said they would continue outreach, finalize the consultant report and bring results back to the committee.
