Councilmember Madison Calls for Full Vote as Safe Parking Appeal

A Councilmember on Monday called for a full City Council vote on a controversial stalled safe-parking proposal that has left a church-based program in limbo and exposed divisions over how the City should respond to residents living in their cars.

“I think the applicant’s entitled to a vote by the full council,” Councilmember Steve Madison said during Monday’s meeting, asking when the safe-parking proposal at All Saints Church would return to the agenda.

The proposal would allow up to 25 vehicles to park overnight in the northern lot of All Saints Church at 202 N. Euclid Ave., offering a secure place to sleep for people living in their cars, including seniors, low-wage workers and families.

The church has operated a temporary shelter, Safe Haven with nonprofit partners including Shower of Hope.

City staff said the matter remains under review by the Planning Department and is not currently agendized.

The comments followed a failed and inconclusive council hearing in November that halted the All Saints Safe Parking program without either approving or overturning it.

With Madison absent, the City Council split 4–3 on whether to adopt required California Environmental Quality Act findings tied to the project.

Mayor Victor Gordo joined Councilmembers Tyron Hampton and Justin Jones in opposing the findings, leaving the vote one short of the five needed to move the program forward.

Because the CEQA findings failed, the council could not finalize action on whether to uphold or reverse a Board of Zoning Appeals decision approving a Minor Conditional Use Permit for the program.

Madison said on Monday he supported the program. If he votes in favor of it, and no other votes change, it would pass 5-3.

“Since the CEQA findings were not met you can’t approve the project unless there is a motion to reconsider,” City Attorney Michele Beal Bagneris told the council at the time.

A City staff report concluded the program complies with zoning rules for religious institutions and qualifies for a Class 1 CEQA exemption because it would not expand facilities or significantly change the physical site.

Nearby residents disagreed, filing appeals that argued the program would change the nature of the parking lot’s use, increase noise and safety risks, and should not be exempt from environmental review.

“The City Council correctly rejected staff’s proposed CEQA findings,” said Strefan Fauble, president of the Maryland in Pasadena homeowners association. “Recognizing that camping in one’s car is not the same as ordinary parking, the council rightly rejected staff’s assertion that the proposed safe-parking program would not be a change in use.”

Under City rules, without approved CEQA findings, the zoning permit could not be finalized even though the zoning board’s underlying approval technically remains.

Councilmember Jason Lyon, who voted in favor of the project, said the stalemate leaves vulnerable residents without a safer alternative.

“The bottom line is there are going to be 25 older women and men sleeping in cars on our streets without the benefit of access to services, restroom facilities and security,” Lyon said after the failed vote.

Deliberations highlighted philosophical splits. Jones questioned whether the roughly $25,000 per month allocated to safe parking would be better spent on direct rental assistance.

Mayor Victor Gordo echoed that view, calling rental assistance and indoor shelter “a much more humane approach,” and asked whether the church could house people inside its facilities.

Supporters countered that safe parking addresses an urgent gap.

“Our homeless count two years ago was 34 folks parked in cars. Last year it was 37,” said Councilmember Rick Cole. “They’re out there. They often have jobs. They’re clinging by their fingernails to stability.”

Cole also urged All Saints to continue meeting with concerned neighbors.

All Saints and its partners have held multiple public meetings over the past year outlining operations, conduct rules and security plans. The proposal would prohibit drug and alcohol use, loud music and camping structures, require participant registration, and limit overnight parking to 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. with a security guard on site.

The City adopted a safe-parking ordinance in September 2023 as part of its housing element update. In April 2024, the council approved a $305,000 contract with Shower of Hope to operate a site, contingent on securing a permit.

No date has been set for the All Saints item to return to the council.

For now, Madison said, the lack of a full vote continues to leave both the applicant and potential participants in uncertainty.