The City Council could reconsider how much money the school district receives under a measure that passed in 2018.
Under Measure J, the school district has received millions of dollars a year.
But on Monday, the idea was floated to use those monies to help fund several crucial fire department projects.
The department presented a $227 million, 10-year overhaul on Monday.
“Obviously the price tag for all these things is large,” said Councilmember Steve Madison. “I think we need to look at Measure I and Measure J, which measure I passed strongly, the property tax increment for public safety primarily, and then Measure J as an advisory matter authorized the council but did not mandate us to provide money to the school district that started out at like six million bucks.”
According to Madison, the school district could receive $12 million from Measure J monies this year.
Madison said the City Council should look to see if the monies could be used to continue to support the district while also helping with the price tag on the fire department overhaul.
Although much of the discussion over measures I and J surrounded helping the schools, Measure I was primarily a public safety measure.
“If Pasadena voters approve a local sales tax measure, should the City use 2/3rds of the measure’s annual revenue to maintain essential City of Pasadena services such as fire, police, paramedics, emergency service/response times; keep fire stations open; improve neighborhood and school safety; repair streets/sidewalks; address homelessness; maintain afterschool programs/senior services; with the remaining 1/3rd of the measure’s revenue going to support Pasadena public schools?”
The passage of Measure I allowed the City to assist the school district funding under Measure J, but does not mandate the annual transfer.
“Measure J advises the Pasadena City Council to use one-third of sales tax revenue from Measure I to protect and strengthen public schools.”
The school district is currently running a $31 million deficit. Currently, the Fire Department uses one of its facilities, Jefferson Middle School, as a training center.
Madison and Jason Lyon expressed concern over that lease on Monday.
“I would support Councilmember Madison’s suggestion of reexamining the Measure I and Measure J funds and where they might play into this,” said Lyon. “And I think we need to move up the conversation about the training center because the school district has all but indicated that they don’t intend to renew the lease at the end and that they have targeted, it’s my understanding, the Jefferson site to become the headquarters of the district moving off of Hudson.”
The site was a point of contention last year after parents demanded the City terminate the lease and reopen Jefferson to accommodate Longfellow students that were being displaced due to campus renovations.
The school board originally voted to end the lease, but was forced to take another vote due to a Brown Act violation. The board voted 4-3 the second time to maintain the lease.
In addition to money from Measure J, the City pays the District $100,000 per year to use the Jefferson campus.
Not all councilmembers were onboard with any unilateral considerations by the council.
“Raising Measure I and J funding without having serious conversations in a collaborative spirit with the School Board is deeply concerning to me,” Rick Cole said. “We have a mandate from the voters. It is not a legally binding mandate but it was put on the ballot precisely to give assurance to the voters of where the money was going to go. I don’t want us to alarm the School District, particularly if we are going to have productive discussion with them over the future of Jefferson School that we as a body are contemplating raiding the funding that we promised to the School District on an ongoing basis.”
The Pasadena Fire Department’s long-range plan includes construction of a new firefighter training center at the city’s Civil Defense site on Eaton Canyon Drive.
The proposed facility would provide live fire, confined space, hazardous materials, and vehicle extrication training, ensuring firefighters can prepare for the wide range of emergencies Pasadena faces. Officials estimate the cost between $14 million and $20 million, depending on final design and site requirements. Fire Chief Chad Augustin said on Monday, the center would modernize training capabilities, eliminate the need to rely on outside facilities, and better equip the department to respond to increasingly complex incidents while also reducing long-term operational risks.
Beyond the training center, the Pasadena Fire Department is seeking major investments in staffing, equipment, and facilities to meet rising call volumes and modern safety standards.
Short- and mid-term priorities include adding a new fire engine, two additional rescue ambulances, as well as a long-recommended ladder truck. Over the next decade, these expansions are projected to add more than $113.7 million in personnel, overtime, and apparatus costs.
On the facilities side, the plan calls for rebuilding or replacing aging fire stations, including Station 33, 37 and Station 32 and constructing a new ninth station, with future plans for a new headquarters and emergency operations center.
To strengthen wildfire preparedness, the department is also requesting a comprehensive fuel-reduction program.
The City faces a growing array of risks, from wildfires and mudslides to major earthquakes and mass gatherings at the Rose Bowl. Pasadena’s aging population, expanding vertical development projects and the rising frequency of large events all point to a future with greater demand for emergency services.
“This plan ensures that your Pasadena Fire Department has the personnel, the training, and the tools to provide the highest possible level of service to our community, both for today and the next 25 to 50 years to come,” Augustin told the City Council.
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