Hardin Scores Surprising Victory in Climate Action Forum Poll

Mayoral Candidate Jason Hardin scored a surprising victory against incumbent Mayor Terry Tornek and longtime Pasadena City Councilmember Victor Gordo Tuesday, when he won an “instant” online straw poll following the Mayoral portion of the Youth Climate Action Forum.

Hardin was the top vote-getter in a post-forum question asked of the Jackie Robinson Recreation Center audience: “Which mayoral candidate has the best vision for a climate-resilient Pasadena?’ Audience members voted with an online voting app which instantly tabulated the results.

Hardin scored 46 points, Gordo came in second with 32 points, and Tornek came in third with 10 points.

Candidate Major Williams did not appear, and posted on his Facebook page Tuesday that he was still recovering from flu-like symptoms.

The event was the first youth-led event of the campaign season, and was moderated by David Acevedo, along with Sequoyah School climate activist Ozzy Simpson, and students Estrella Barcenes, Selina Yang, and Edgar McGregor.

Hardin offered at least two innovative ideas for dealing with the effects of climate change, suggesting that  the city should create “white streets” and “white rooftops,” which would deflect heat and absorb less energy. He was also the only candidate to advocate for free parking for electric vehicles in the City, and said that the City should “protect its urban forest.”

All of the mayoral candidates were strong advocates of dealing with climate change, with both Tornek and Gordo calling for more electric car charging stations, as well as utility-provided subsidies for the poor and elderly to deal with future higher energy costs.

At one point, candidates were asked a series of questions, in which they could only respond with “yes” or “no” answers without speaking. Asked if the climate crisis would be the city’s number one priority in their administrations, all of the candidates answered “no,” but when asked if the climate crisis would “affect all their discussions and decisions” once in office, all answered in the affirmative.

Tornek took issue with the question format, responding to a criticism by Simpson of the Mayor and City Council’s refusal to sign on to a Green Action Plan last week.

“That’s just not fair,” said Tornek.”It’s one thing to ask a council for a declaration of a climate crisis, but it wasn’t packaged exactly that way. To be fair, …to begin to grapple  with some of these issues, and send us a particular instrument and say, “Sign this and agree to all of what’s attached to it,’ is not a reasonable thing to do, that’s why no one signed it.”

All of the candidates also advocated “all electric” requirements for new building developments in Pasadena.

Asked about ideas for giving more people access to green and affordable options citywide, Gordo said the city should expand transit routes, including local bus routes and hours, while Tornek advocated, among other things, more bikeways. Hardin suggested “the Monrovia model” which provides a flat $1 rate for all UBER rides within the limits of that city, as well as free public transportation.

“I liked what Jason Hardin was talking about, and his ideas,” said student Valentin Gonzales, while audience member Joseph Hall commended Tornek for “wanting to go deeper into the issues, and not just give the yes and no answers.”

In the City Council poll portion of the event, District 4 candidate Charlotte Bland swamped candidate Kevin Wheeler 43 votes to nine, while Ryan Bell, with 42 votes, topped incumbent Steve Madison and candidate Tamerlin Godley, who scored eight and four votes, respectively.

Tricia Keane emerged first in the District 2 poll with 33 votes, while Felicia Willliams was close behind with 26 votes. Kevin Litwin scored one vote, as he consistently voiced anti-climate positions while mentioning the “environmental police.”

All of the City Council candidates expressed support for free local public transportation.

Councilmember Madison called the remaining “stump” of the 710 of the freeway “50 acres of opportunity” to support a new infrastructure, saying the area should be a “model of sustainability.”

Candidate Godley expressed the need for “more walkable neighborhoods,” while Bell called for more “micro-mobility,” and asked why more scooters weren’t allowed in Pasadena.

Candidate Wheeler called for limited parking availability for new developments, saying that it could lessen the amount of cars in the city, and increase transit ridership.

Looking at the big picture, Candidate Williams said she would ask the City to declare a “climate emergency, establish a coordinated sustainability office, as well as find government partnerships to fund reaching climate and energy goals.