Candidate Shay Touts Leadership, Local Roots

Pasadena Now sent local City Council candidates vying for seats in the June election several questions. The responses are being run as they come in.

In District 7, candidate Allen Shay is squaring off against local Commissioners Jason Lyon and Ciran Hadjian.

Raised in Pasadena, Shay served as Student Body Vice President while attending Eliot Junior High School, four years as a football player at Muir High School and a Student advocate for Homeless Veterans at USC, where he received a degree in Political Science and minored in Business.

Upon graduating from USC, Shay opened his own business consulting firm with a focus on creating sustainable business growth and jobs in Pasadena. After five years of stabilizing his business, he returned to school to earned a Juris Doctor Degree and a Real Estate Broker’s license.

Shay has worked for his family business the Little Red Hen, said to be the oldest Black-owned business in Altadena along with the responsibilities of the family-owned real estate and other businesses. He also served as an executive board member of Pasadena’s NAACP. In 1994, Shay created a nonprofit foundation called “Our Society Foundation” (located in district 7) to provide scholarships, internships and mentorships to college-bound students from PUSD. In 1997, former City Councilwoman Joyce Streeter appointed Shay as Chair of the Lincoln Avenue Steering Committee which was responsible for developing new business growth on North Lincoln Avenue.

 In 2006, Shay joined the Local Government Relationship (LGR) committee with Pasadena Association of Realtor (located in district 7), in 2009 Shay became an author and published a book series called “New Beginnings” chronicling the journey of President Obama since he lived in district 7 while a student at Occidental College. 

In 2010 Shay was encouraged by several local leaders to run as a City Council candidate for the March 2011 election. Shay did not win; but he was appointed to the Northwest Commission. 

Shay has held the leadership role as chair and vice-chair three time each term during his twelve years as a commissioner. Because of Shay’s business experience and his knowledge of Pasadena, he was able to serve and provide the Northwest district with support for affordable housing, housing for the homeless, job creation, public safety-police engagement, capital improvement, grants disbursement to non-profit organizations, working with Parks and Recreation to remodel Robinson park and undergoing remodeling of several parks in district, developing affordable rental housing for seniors – Heritage Square, working with PUSD to form Pasadena City College west campus at John Muir high school and the implementation of youth shadowing programs just to name a few areas included in the Northwest Commissioner’s strategic plan each year under his leadership. 

In 2012, Shay was appointed by former president of the board of trustees Belinda Brown to Pasadena City College Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee (located in district 7) and became chair until all funds were expended to complete the new multi-million-dollar Art and Media Center.

Pasadena Now: What are the top issues facing your district?

Shay:  The issues most important to residents in District 7 is public safety, followed by the impact on sky rocking rents, the homeless crisis, balancing development; the impact of SB-9 legislation on residential communities, building affordable housing, especially housing that “Moderate Income” families can afford; creating more jobs for local residents, open space, improving a walkable community, restoring South Lake business district; and continuing to provide exemplary constituent service to the District, which covers responding to immediate local needs like unsafe sidewalks, stop signs at dangerous intersections, tree trimming and code enforcement.

What do you bring to the City Council?

Real-life experience as a Pasadena resident, a long term business owner in the South Lake Business district with a proven record of 12 years of accomplishments, leadership and accountability as a long-term commissioner.  I have Chaired and served on a commission that’s responsible for the underserved community approximately 1/4 of the city of Pasadena. During my tenure, new units of housing has been built throughout the district.  Currently, two projects are being built right now in the Northwest district – 69 units for formerly homeless seniors, with full wrap-around social services, and 180 new units including affordable housing. 

What is the most valuable quality the next City Manager must possess?

Having a real understanding of the residents’ needs, engaging the staff with goals to improve the quality of life in Pasadena and someone who has and can make tough decisions with the ability to work well with City Council while managing the Police Department, managing the debts associated with the Rose Bowl and the Central Library retrofit and all our other infrastructure, moving our city and our utility toward a smaller carbon footprint, creating more affordable housing and must demonstrate an ability to involve residents in the governance of the city.  

The City Council will not choose the police chief, but how can the next chief reassure critics in light of the McClain shooting?

To answer this question, the chief must overcome the crisis and reassure critics in the aftermath of the McClain shooting, the only way the next chief can achieve such a tall order is to set forth specific guidelines that establish community trust, and a community policing plan which if not complied with has enforceable power available to the residents.  Without having authority to enforce appropriate action in the event of breach of such guideline (s), the next chief will experience a very difficult transition as chief in the wake of the McClain shooting where there is distrust by the community, the inability of police to provide transparency and the fact that police with bodycam and dashcam are now known to dispute their own video(s). 

Rents are at an all-time high, how do we keep people in their homes? 

In order to answer this question, there must be an evaluation of the circumstance surrounding the tenant’s financial position, whether their financial situation is short term or long term? If the financial condition is short-term, the tenant should be directed to a short-term rental assistance program which should keep them in their home. If the circumstances are the result of a long-term financial condition, the pathway should be to enroll the tenant in a section 8 rental housing program. This type of program will offer the tenant a long-term plan to keep them in their home.

If you could change anything in the City Charter, what would it be?

To answer this question, it would be to have a “Residents’ Exception Clause” where residents may rejection a decision made by City Council or carry out a specific mandate submitted by residents. Such a change to the City Charter would allow the residents to have a voice in matters that may have an adverse impact on the city because of its nature, the politics surrounding the matter or the claim at issue and allow the residents to have a direct voice in the final outcome. 

Why should local residents in your district give you, their vote? 

To answer this question, as the only candidate that has real experience and a track record in providing affordable housing, housing for the homeless, senior citizen housing, sustainable business growth and job creation. I believe that after 12 years of effective leadership, solid achievements, exemplary constituent service, and personal accessibility to address concerns and advocating for residents is a priority in order to serve the residents of district 7.  Further, I will develop an annual strategic plan to outlined goals for each year starting with public safety, addressing homelessness and balancing development in South Lake business district. Each year will come with new goals and objectives in order that the residents may evaluate the results and or address specific focus to achieve the goals while earning the support of District 7 voters as I carried out in the three districts (1, 3 and 5) which makes up the Northwest district.