Pasadena Awards $970,000 Contract for Public Outreach to Chino Hills Firm

The Pasadena City Council will vote Monday on a $970,000 contract with Chino Hills-based Arellano Associates for community engagement services, despite four Pasadena firms originally competing for the taxpayer-funded work on six transportation projects linked to the former SR 710 corridor.

The contract, which pays exclusively for public meetings, surveys, outreach, and door-to-door canvassing rather than actual planning or construction, represents redirected Measure R funds originally designated for the California Boulevard Grade Separation Project. The Department of Transportation is recommending Arellano Associates after the firm scored 92 out of 100 in evaluations, beating Pasadena-based Allegra Consulting’s score of 87.

“The purpose of MCPE services is to ensure that the Pasadena community’s vision guides the direction of each project phase,” according to the staff report, which outlines plans for 45 public meetings, community advisory committees, and extensive canvassing efforts across multiple neighborhoods.

The six projects include the Columbia Street Improvement Project, a Greenways Project, the Pasadena Avenue and St. John Avenue Roadway Network Project, and three smaller traffic operation improvements at Orange Grove Boulevard intersections and San Rafael Avenue.

Four of the eight firms submitting proposals were Pasadena-based businesses, with five qualifying as small or micro-businesses. The winning firm, Arellano Associates, previously worked on Los Angeles’ 710 North Mobility Improvement Program and has provided engagement support for Pasadena’s Union Street Protected Bike Lane Project.

The contract breakdown allocates $929,964 for services, with an additional $40,036 contingency for change orders. The engagement work is expected to begin in November and continue through the construction phases of all six projects.

The report, submitted by Transportation Director Joaquin T. Siques, said that consolidating outreach under one consultant provides “both a branding advantage and cost-effectiveness compared to contracting separate outreach services for each individual project.”

The projects themselves are funded through Measure R Mobility Improvement Project funds that Metro approved after the city submitted a list of alternatives to the California Boulevard Grade Separation Project in September 2022.