Guest Opinion | Geoff Baum: Pasadena Has Lost a Fierce Advocate, Remembering Nina Chomsky

When I reflect on the many years I served on the board and as president of the West Pasadena Residents Association, I picture countless meetings and long evenings spent debating the issues that define life in our community. Rose Bowl concerts, freeway threats, historic preservation, and the beauty of the Arroyo Seco. In nearly all of them, one voice was always present, sharp, insistent, and unyielding: Nina Chomsky’s.

Nina led the Linda Vista Annandale Association with unmatched determination. Her advocacy could be relentless, whether challenging city leaders over noise, traffic, and commercialization, or reminding neighbors of the fragile character of our hillsides and historic homes. At times, I found myself at odds with her characterizations, her tone, or her rhetoric. But I also knew that without her vigilance, many of the safeguards we take for granted might never have been secured.

We may forget how fragile community protections are until someone like Nina reminds us. She did so tirelessly, even when it meant ruffling feathers, confronting authority, or standing alone. She was no mere “gadfly.” She was a conscience for Pasadena, asking the questions that others avoided, forcing us all to confront the consequences of growth and development in our beloved city.

In an era when civic engagement often feels muted, Nina’s activism stands out. Our neighborhoods need voices like hers. Brilliant, passionate, sometimes contrarian, always committed. We may not have agreed on every tactic, but I respected her clarity of purpose and her fierce defense of the community we share.

Nina Chomsky’s passing leaves a void that cannot be easily filled. If Pasadena is to thrive while preserving what makes it special, more of us must find the courage she embodied: to speak up, to stay vigilant, and to care deeply about the city we call home.

Geoffrey Baum is a Pasadena resident whose career spans education, journalism, and public service, having served as president of the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees and on the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.