Pasadena Senior Center to Lay Out Stark Aging Crisis — and Its Response — Before City Commission Tuesday

The City of Pasadena Senior Commission is scheduled to receive a sweeping presentation Tuesday on the accelerating growth of the city’s older adult population and the mounting pressures that growth is placing on local services, housing, and public health.

Akila Gibbs, executive director of the Pasadena Senior Center, is set to deliver the briefing at 2 p.m. at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. The presentation will draw on census data and community health assessments to argue that Pasadena is aging faster than most cities of comparable size — and that the consequences are already visible in emergency rooms, food pantries, and the rental market.

The core finding is this: Pasadena is not keeping pace with its own demographic reality. Adults aged 65 and older now make up 16% of the city’s population of 140,000 — a figure that has grown 27% over the past decade, a rate faster than both Los Angeles County and the state of California. Adults aged 50 and older, the population eligible for Pasadena Senior Center services, constitute 36% of the city’s total population. By 2030, according to the presentation, older people are projected to outnumber children nationally for the first time in U.S. history — a milestone the presentation states has already arrived in Pasadena.

The economic picture for older Pasadena residents is bleak. With the average apartment in the city running 859 square feet at an average rent of $3,004 per month, most older adults are effectively priced out of the rental market. The presentation will note that 15.7% of Pasadena seniors live below the federal poverty line, compared to 13.3% in Los Angeles County. More seniors in Pasadena are also living with a disability — 38% compared to 37.3% countywide.

Social isolation is another dimension of the crisis the Commission will hear about Tuesday. Nearly half of Pasadena adults aged 65 and older — 47.8% — live alone, compared to 40.7% across Los Angeles County. The presentation will also note that seniors represent a disproportionate share of emergency room visits at Huntington Hospital: 20% of patients are aged 65 or older, compared to a national rate of 15%.

Against that backdrop, Gibbs is expected to detail the scope of what the Pasadena Senior Center does to address these needs — and the constraints under which it operates. The Center, which receives no city or government funding and relies entirely on donor support, serves more than 10,000 older adults annually and provides 178,000 units of service per year. Those services range from an emergency food pantry — described in the presentation as the largest distribution site for older adults in Los Angeles County, providing 18,500 units of service annually — to a fully equipped fitness center staffed by certified fitness instructors and a licensed physical therapist, monthly health screenings, more than 40 quarterly classes, and 20 member-driven clubs.

The presentation will also address the Center’s response to recent crises. During the 2020–2022 COVID-19 pandemic, the Center remained open and continued programming online while delivering needed supplies to homebound residents. During the 2025–2026 Eaton Fire disaster, the Center provided immediate supplies, offered free memberships to Altadena adults displaced by the fire, hosted ongoing workshops and events, and is in the process of hiring a social worker for a two-year term.

Transportation and space constraints are also on the agenda. The presentation will flag that parking at the Center is inadequate and that current discussions with the City are underway to address the issue. It will also note that classes are sold out and that additional space is needed to expand programming.

The Senior Commission meeting is open to the public. Members of the public who wish to comment may submit a speaker card to the recording secretary prior to the start of the relevant agenda item, or submit written correspondence in advance to jconcul@cityofpasadena.net. The meeting agenda and related documents are available at www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/senior-commission and at all branch libraries.

Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena. For more visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/senior-commission/. Free and open to the public.