After several uncomfortable moments, the Pasadena City Council tabled an update on the process to establish a Sister City relationship with cities in Mexico, including Guanajuato, Mexico.
Guanajuato Mayor Samantha Smith Gutiérrez has invited Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo and councilmembers to visit Guanajuato to explore forming a formal city relationship.
The invite follows her visit to Pasadena in January.
“I can’t imagine that there’s a right thinking person that would oppose forming this partnership with Guanajuato,” said then Vice Mayor Steve Madison, who extended the invitation and has pushed for a Sister City from a Latin American city for some time.
“And part of my discomfort is now the mayor has invited this entire council, you mayor and the entire council to come to Guanajuato around the day of the dead celebration at the end of October, early November. And yet it hasn’t moved forward on our end. So I’m feeling a little bit sort of uncertain and that it’s just sort of downright impolite to not be moving forward.”
The January meeting was problematic for Mayor Victor Gordo, who said it was arranged without his knowledge or counsel.
“When you sent your letters inviting, you did so under the letterhead of the vice mayor, you didn’t inform me or invite me,” Gordo said. “And then when you invited them to bring their delegation, you didn’t inform me or invite me.”
Gordo said the process starts with an introduction letter between the mayor of Pasadena and the city under consideration.
Mayor Gordo and Councilmember Madison both expressed support for adding Guanajuato as a Sister City, and exploring other cities in Mexico.
Councilmember Rick Cole intervened and called for cooler heads in the conversation.
“I am deeply worried about the city council opening a bitter discussion about who said what to whom and when, because that’s not at all in the spirit of Sister Cities. And I would prefer that we let this process play out and not get into a exchange of who said what to whom, because I think it deeply, deeply damages the spirit of what we’re trying to do,” said Cole. “I hope that everyone involved in this will take a step back and take a deep breath and remember why we have Sister Cities, and that’s my concern. I hope we don’t continue down this road this evening.”
Cole eventually made a motion to table the item which was seconded by Councilmember Jason Lyon.
The City Council unanimously agreed to table the item, but not before the public was allowed to speak on the matter.
Before that happened, the City Council agreed to receive a report on Council Compensation, without discussion, to continue to the Sister Cities matter.
The City Council was required to receive that report before Oct. 1.
During public comment, several people accused Madison of being in cahoots with members of the City Cities Commission that are currently involved in in-fighting.
Madison said he was not involved with those people.
The group receives $2,500 a year for each Sister City which totals about $15,000 a year according to Miguel Marquez.
To establish a sister city, 10 new members must advocate for the relationship and sustain that interest for one year.
Currently, Pasadena’s sister cities include locations in China, Germany, Japan, Finland, Armenia, and Dakar-Plateau, Senegal—the city’s first African partnership. To date, there is no official sister city relationship with any city in Mexico.
Guanajuato, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is recognized for its colonial architecture and historical significance, sharing similarities with in Pasadena in culture, education, and tourism. Both cities have comparable populations: Guanajuato holds about 194,000 residents; in Pasadena, around 140,000.
“Failing to adhere to the process as outlined by sister cities and failing to adhere to the City Charter creates confusion, division and ultimately flies in the face of what we are trying to accomplish — unity.” Gordo told Pasadena Now.
“I said it when Mr. Madison requested the matter be placed on the agenda. I suggested it go through the Sister City process first in order to avoid the confusion, division and international embarrassment that we regrettably endured this past Monday.”
Noticeably missing from the chamber was even one person in support of the confusing and ultimately divisive proposal.
“Here we are now, let’s come together and correct it.”
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