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This week, the Pasadena Unified School District will approve its Budget for 26-27 and its Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). The budget document is over 200 pages, and most of it is difficult to understand. For instance, what is the line for certifica... More »
I believe, in my heart, that when the majority of people are asked if they want to help the most vulnerable, care for those with the least, their first response will be: of course. If I don’t believe that, if we as a society don’t believe that, then our hope f... More »
Economist Herb Stein famously observed: “Things that can’t go on forever, don’t.” Across America, governments at every level are coming up against the painful reality of “Stein’s Law.” The quickest way to understand Pasadena’s fiscal challenge is to look at th... More »
The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education votes June 25 on its 2026–2029 accountability plan. The stakes are local, but the moment is national. This week, the federal government shifted day-to-day management and administration of federal special ... More »
There are three immutable aspects of economic life in California today. No. 1, Californians face the nation’s highest cost of living. It is 11% higher than the national average, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, including rents 53% higher t... More »
Across eleven Pasadena Unified campuses, 193 mature trees are scheduled to be cut down as part of the soil remediation that followed the Eaton fire. The district began the removals on June 11, and 16 trees have already been lost. I write as a parent whose son ... More »
I am concerned that we are gradually redefining success. For generations, Pasadena measured success not only by growth, but by beauty, craftsmanship, neighborhood character, and a commitment to preserving what made the city unique. Today, housing production se... More »
The video released last week from the September 7, 2025, shooting inside the Pasadena Police Department parking garage should alarm every resident who values professional policing and public safety. Two experienced officers engaged in what the Chief himself ca... More »
California leaders have less than two weeks left to finalize this year’s state budget. Even in the face of massive federal funding cuts and a major state deficit, lawmakers have rightfully fought to secure more than $1.5 billion to address California’s homeles... More »
[UPDATED] The recently released Pasadena Police Department video of an officer shooting another officer in the department parking structure should trouble the public for reasons far beyond the injury itself. This was not merely an “accidental” shooting. That ... More »
In the controversy over housing growth in Pasadena, one concern inevitably surfaces: Will we have enough water? It’s a reasonable question. California has endured repeated droughts. Climate scientists tell us the future is likely to be hotter and drier. And re... More »
SB 79 legalizes the construction of taller residential buildings close to California’s best transit in its biggest metro areas, including Pasadena’s six A-line stations where it would permit five to seven stories. Signed by Governor Newsom last October, it’s a... More »
