City Commission Digs Into Pasadena's Economic, Employment Numbers Today

The latest statistics on jobs and unemployment are positive and suggest that Pasadena is outpacing both the state and county when it comes to the latter category.
That is but one byte of the data to be parsed when the City of Pasadena’s Economic Development and Technology Committee convenes an “Ed Tech” special meeting Jan. 15.
“The idea is to get information to the half of the City Council that sits on the economic development subcommittee and update them on where job trends are now for both Pasadena and the region,” according to Eric Duyshart, the City’s Economic Development Manager.
“We have been fortunate that the healthcare and technology sectors in Pasadena are doing well,” he explained. “Those are generally sectors that have been stable, or even growing, within the region.”
Pasadena, he said, is a “job rich” location with more people coming into the city to work than leaving to labor in other locations.
This, the fourth such workshop, will be related to the city’s Economic Development Strategic Plan goals.
There are four: Support community investment that creates jobs; enhance commercial districts to create quality shopping and dining experiences; cultivate an entrepreneurial and academic environment that fosters innovation; and encourage the growth of cultural assets and entertainment activities that attract visitors and conventioneers.
A panel representing employers and service providers in the job development field has been assembled. They include: Donald Bradburn, Southern California Director of Workforce Planning and Development at Kaiser Permanente; Jennifer Curtis, director, human resources, City of Pasadena; Salvatrice Cummo, executive director, economic/workforce development, Pasadena City College; Doug McPherson, chief administrative officer and general counsel, Open X; Dianne Russell, executive director, Foothill Workforce Development Board; Peter Van Helden, chief executive officer, Stater Bros., and Cesar Valladares, deputy division chief, L.A./Coastal Workforce Services, California Employment Development Department.
The special meeting will convene at Pasadena City College, 1570 East Colorado Blvd., in the Circadian Room. The event is open to the public.
The city’s Economic Development Strategic Plan can be found at https://www.cityofpasadena.net/economicdevelopment/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/Economic-Development-Strategic-Plan.pdf