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Firefighters, neighborhood groups urge Pasadena council to let voters decide on parcel tax
Summary
Firefighters, the West Pasadena Residents Association and other speakers urged council to put the parcel tax on the ballot, citing the Eaton fire, response times, training center and station retrofits as urgent needs.
Dozens of public commenters filled council chambers to press for — or against — the parcel tax measure. Multiple firefighters and neighborhood leaders urged the council to place the question before voters so residents could decide whether to fund seismic retrofits, new apparatus and a training center.
Carlos Javiera, president of the West Pasadena Residents Association, told the council the association “supports the fire department's continued research into thermal imaging technology as part of the city's early warning strategy for wildfires,” and said the plan would improve emergency response times and fund a comprehensive vegetation management program. Pasadena firefighter Christina Terrazas, assigned to Station 37, asked the council for a unanimous vote so the public can weigh in: “we're asking for a unanimous unanimous vote, and your support so that we can have the citizens of Pasadena go out and make this decision.”
Other fire personnel and a longtime fire‑management official described the Eaton incident and urged the council to give voters the option to fund a sustainable future for the department. Supporters emphasized that the measure would allow construction and retrofit work to proceed and would reduce response times over the proposed capital program timeline.
