City Hall Offers to Send Fire Chief to Community Groups to Explain Fire Parcel Tax Measure

The City of Pasadena is offering to send Fire Chief Chad Augustin and city staff to community groups that request a presentation on Measure PFD, the parcel tax on the Nov. 3 ballot. 

The city announced the offer in a Sept. 23 news release, saying it is expanding outreach so residents have factual information about the Fire Department’s operational needs and the measure.

Neighborhood associations, homeowners’ groups, business organizations, service clubs, faith-based organizations and other community groups are invited to host a session, and requests are submitted through an online city form. The release says city staff and the chief are available to attend. 

Each presentation is to cover the department’s current and future operational needs, an overview of what the measure contains, and questions from participants, according to the release. The city also published the invitation in the city manager’s weekly newsletter on Sept. 17. The release does not list scheduled sessions or say how many groups have asked for one. 

Formally titled the City of Pasadena 911 Firefighter/Paramedic Emergency Medical/Wildfire Preparedness/Response Measure, Measure PFD would levy an annual special parcel tax of 19 cents per square foot of improved property. The city estimates it would raise about $22.1 million a year, and it would expire after 14 years. Because it is a special tax, it passes only with approval from two-thirds of voters. 

On a 1,600-square-foot home, the tax would come to about $304 a year, or roughly $25.33 a month, the city says. The rate applies to residential, commercial and other developed property based on building square footage. 

The measure exempts owners who qualify for a senior or disability exemption. A further exemption covers owners whose annual household income does not exceed the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Very Low, or 50%, income limit. 

Revenue would be restricted to fire and emergency services. The measure lists reconstruction of Fire Stations 33 and 37 among its priorities. It also lists an additional fire station, a training center and fire headquarters, rescue ambulances, apparatus and equipment. Operating money would pay for wildfire readiness, brush clearance and similar work. It requires annual independent audits and public disclosure of spending. 

State law sets the boundaries for the kind of outreach the city is offering. Government Code Section 54964 bars a local agency’s officers, employees and consultants from spending public funds on communications that expressly advocate the approval or rejection of a ballot measure. The same section permits spending to inform the public about a measure’s possible effects on the agency’s activities, operations or policies, provided the information is an accurate, fair and impartial presentation of relevant facts. 

Campaign activity is running separately. A committee, Firefighters & Paramedics Protecting Pasadena, began circulating two digital advertisements in mid-September and has the endorsement of Pasadena Firefighters Association Local 809. The Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles urged the council to reject the tax, arguing in a letter that it puts the cost of services used by renters, workers and visitors on property owners alone. The Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los Angeles urged commercial property owners to lobby against placing it on the ballot. 

The City Council voted Aug. 3 to place the measure on the ballot. 

Informational sessions are scheduled at the request of community groups. Requests may be submitted here. For more call the City Service Center at (626) 744-7311 or visit CityOfPasadena.net.