Tonight: City Council, School District Candidates to Meet in 2017 City Election’s First Forum

The political new year in Pasadena starts in earnest tonight when candidates for both the Pasadena City Council and Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education state their cases in the election’s first candidate forum.

The city-wide election primary will be held on March 7.

The event, sponsored by ACT — the Pasadena based non-partisan political action organization– will take place at Pasadena City College, Creveling Lounge which is in the Campus Center-Cafeteria Building CC. Building CC is located in the northwest corner of the campus near Hill Street. The PCC Faculty Association, among other organizations, is co-sponsoring the forum.

The forum will be moderated by former ACT Co-Chair, John Buchanan. He will start questioning the School District candidates first at 6:30 p.m. followed by the City Council candidates at 8:15 p.m. Doors open at 6:15.

ACT Executive Director Jon Fuhrman said, “The forum will be the public’s first opportunity to hear candidates tell the public why they should be elected to the Pasadena School Board or Pasadena City Council. It will be Pasadena politics in real time.”

Running unopposed for Pasadena City Council District 3 will be incumbent John Kennedy. Opposing incumbent Victor Gordo of District 5 will be Aida Morales and Krystal Lopez Podley. District 7 incumbent Andy Wilson, who is finishing the last two years of Mayor Terry Tornek’s term, will have four challengers–Phil Hosp, Alejandro Menchaca, Bryan Witt, Sheena Tahilramani.

The School Board candidates include four incumbents and three challengers. District 1 incumbent and board president Kimberly Kenne will be opposed by Rita Miller. Incumbent Adrienne Ann Mullen will be opposed by Michelle Richardson-Bailey in District 3. Elizabeth Pomeroy, District 5 incumbent will be opposed by Matthew Baron. Lastly, Scott Phelps incumbent in District 7 will run unopposed.

Joining ACT and the PCC Faculty Association as co-sponsors are the Pasadena Chapters of the ACLU and NAACP, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice-CLUE,-Coalition for Increased Civilian Oversight of Pasadena Police-CICOPP, Greater Pasadena Affordable Housing Group-GPAHG, Community Council for Equality and Justice at Madison School-CCEJM, Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance-IMA, National Day Laborers Organizing Network-NDLON, Pasadenans Organizing for Progress-POP, Pasadena Tenants Union-PTU, Pasadena Latino Forum-PLF, Pasadenans Empowering Parent Participation in Educational Governance-PEPPEG.