Hate Crimes, Olympics Planning Head Up Human Relations Commission 2027 Work Plan

Tracking hate incidents alongside the Pasadena Police Department, engaging in planning for the 2028 Olympic Games and co-sponsoring an anti-hate week in October are among the priorities the Pasadena Human Relations Commission is scheduled to take up Tuesday, July 7, when it considers its work plan for fiscal year 2026-2027.

The plan, listed under old business as an action item, sets three broad objectives for the commission and updates its presentation calendar.

For residents and community organizations focused on hate-incident response, civil rights and neighborhood relations, the work plan offers an early look at where the commission intends to concentrate its attention through mid-2027.

Under the first objective, collaborating with city departments, the commission would collect data on new and previous hate incidents and hate crimes from the Pasadena Police Department, according to the plan.

Commissioners Katie Young and Nat Nehdar are assigned to that effort, which also calls for communicating monthly with City Council district liaisons so information from commission meetings can be shared in district online newsletters.

The objective further proposes collaborating with the Pasadena Fire Department on fire recovery and disaster preparedness and reviewing public memorials and monuments to highlight positive representations of human relations and identify any in need of remedy.

A second objective centers on community engagement and would be led by Commissioners Paul McGee and Jonathan Horton. It calls for identifying and assigning commissioners to attend priority community meetings and events, preparing information for residents about the purpose and impact of city commissions, and engaging with the city in planning for the 2028 Olympic Games to identify the commission’s role.

The third objective, assigned to Commissioners Sandy Greenstein and the Rev. Michael Roffina, focuses on commission-hosted initiatives. It would co-sponsor United Against Hate Week in October, schedule presentations at commission meetings, nominate community members or organizations for the Human Relations Trailblazer Awards, and review feedback submitted through the commission’s Human Relations Commission Concerns Survey.

The commission would also take up updates to its presentation calendar for July. The calendar lists no presentation for July and, for August, a presentation from the City Manager’s Office on Olympic-related activities in Pasadena and the commission’s role, to be delivered by Deputy City Manager Alexander Souto. The commission established the fiscal year 2026-2027 work plan at its special annual meeting on June 16, where it also elected Young as chair and McGee as vice chair for the year.

The Human Relations Commission is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7, at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 North Fair Oaks Avenue, in Pasadena. For more information call (626) 744-7311 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas/.