The Commercial District Needs Assessment has reached 407 outreach contacts and produced 49 completed interviews and 125 partial interviews as the project nears completion, according to an Economic Development Update from Economic Development Director David A. Klug.
Early findings also show 29% of businesses reflected in the assessment prefer Spanish-language services and 63% prefer in-person follow-up. Businesses participating in the outreach identified needs including access to capital, marketing support, assistance with permits and inspections, and procurement opportunities.
The city said the findings will help shape recommendations intended to strengthen support for businesses in Northwest Pasadena. A full report detailing the findings and recommendations is expected in October.
The preliminary results are included in Klug’s Economic Development Update, which is listed as an information-only item on the agenda for the Pasadena City Council’s Economic Development and Technology Committee meeting Tuesday, Aug. 18. The committee is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. in the Council Chamber at Pasadena City Hall.
The assessment includes canvassing intended to better understand and address the needs of businesses in Northwest Pasadena. The city said it is using feedback from businesses to better understand community needs and inform future programs and resources.
The effort also included the first Rooted and Rising Breakfast on June 23. Economic Development staff described the event as an initiative focused on supporting emerging business leaders and engaging people interested in the continued development of Northwest Pasadena.
The breakfast brought together a group of community and business leaders to learn more about their work, identify opportunities for support and begin developing relationships and discussion about the area’s future.
The needs assessment comes amid broader outreach by the city’s Economic Development Division. During the second quarter of 2026, staff conducted 114 meetings with businesses and organizations, including business attraction and retention meetings and meetings with community partners. The division uses Bludot, its customer relationship management system, to track business and community outreach.
The city said those figures represent only a portion of the team’s engagement as staff continue expanding use of the tracking system and analyzing its data.
During the quarter, staff also recorded approximately 500 email communications with local entrepreneurs and sent eight targeted emails to industry clusters about local opportunities. Those included the Los Angeles Economic Equity Accelerator & Fellowship’s Access to Capital Program and the Pasadena Women’s Business Center’s Construction Procurement Accelerator.
Three newsletters distributed between April and June went to 6,451 subscribers and included information on grants, small-business support, new businesses and Pasadena’s technology and innovation industry.
Separately, Economic Development staff participated June 15 in the conclusion of a nine-week Construction Business Development Program led by the Pasadena Women’s Business Center. The program was designed to help general contractors, subcontractors and specialty trade firms compete for public and private contracts through training in estimating, bid and request-for-proposal development, compliance requirements, market research and business growth strategies.
The program concluded with a Bid Day presentation in which participants showcased their capabilities to create networking and future contract opportunities.
The Aug. 18 Economic Development and Technology Committee meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Room S249, at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave.
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