Baum, a longtime resident of District 1, said he is running as the college approaches its centennial and as communities continue recovering from the devastating Eaton Fire.
“Pasadena City College changes lives, and it does so at a moment when families across our community need it most,” Baum said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “After the Eaton Fire, after years of rising costs, students and parents are looking to PCC for an affordable, high-quality path to a degree, a transfer, or a good job.”
District 1 includes La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena’s Linda Vista, San Rafael and Madison Heights neighborhoods.
If elected, Baum would return to a board where he previously served three terms, including two as board president. He also served for 12 years on the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, where he was twice elected president, and spent six years on the board of the Pasadena City College Foundation.
During his tenure on the state board, Baum supported implementation of the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act, known as SB 1440, which established Associate Degrees for Transfer and guaranteed admission pathways from California community colleges to the California State University system.
He also helped oversee the launch of community college bachelor’s degree programs, supported expansion of transfer pathways to the University of California and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and advocated for Zero Textbook Cost degree programs, including a statewide funding initiative to support those efforts.
Baum has lived in District 1 for more than 30 years. He previously served as president of the West Pasadena Residents Association and was involved in community efforts opposing the proposed extension of the State Route 710 (SR-710) Freeway through Pasadena.
His professional background includes work in broadcast journalism, higher education administration at the University of Southern California and Claremont McKenna College, and philanthropic leadership. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Fordham University in 2024 and is a co-founding partner of Linda Vista Communications in Old Pasadena.
Former PCC President and former California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott is serving as chair of Baum’s campaign.
According to the campaign, Baum has received endorsements from former Pasadena mayors Bill Bogaard and Chris Holden, former La Cañada Flintridge mayors Mike Davitt and Stephen Del Guercio, several former PCC presidents and trustees, former Assembly Speaker John Pérez and Assemblymember Mark González.
The campaign plans to hold a kickoff reception June 30 at Mijares Mexican Restaurant in Pasadena.
The election for the PCC Board of Trustees seat will be held in November.
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