Pasadena’s Economic Development Division Working on Local Hiring Process

The Economic Development Division is retooling the local hiring process to identify and refer Pasadena residents who want to work on construction jobs to developers and contractors that want to hire Pasadena residents.

“Developers and contractors that want to take advantage of the construction tax rebate or comply with the local hiring mandate when receiving City financial assistance should also consider the economic incentive to hiring Pasadena residents on their construction projects in Pasadena,” according to a memo.

In 2004 the City Council adopted the First Source Hiring Ordinance, a resolution establishing a construction tax rebate for contractors voluntarily hiring Pasadena residents to work on projects in Pasadena.

The Council also adopted mandating local hiring for construction projects that include financial assistance from the City.

“The ordinance is the result of considerable concern, voiced by the community, that local residents were not being employed for major private construction projects in Pasadena,” according to the City’s website. “Among the elements of the ordinance is the establishment of a program to encourage, and in some cases require, developers of construction projects to hire locally [City of Pasadena] for skilled and unskilled labor.”

By adopting this ordinance, the implementation is targeted toward placement of Pasadena residents onto construction jobs.
This includes residents who are skilled in trades or unskilled residents wanting to work on sites where unskilled labor is needed.

“The City of Pasadena is continuing its commitment to increasing the hiring of Pasadena residents on construction jobs in the city,” according to the memo.