First Day of Nominating Period for 2020 Elections Shows Crowded Mayoral, District 2 Races

[Updated] By the end of day two in Pasadena’s official nominating period for the March 2020 elections, both the Mayoral and the District 2 City Council races shaped-up as five-way contests.

New names emerged in three of the races.

The nominating process opened Nov. 12 and will close at day’s end on Friday, Dec. 6, thus more candidates are likely to “pull papers” in the Mayoral and City Council elections early next year.

Each candidate must circulate nomination petitions to gather sufficient signatures of registered voters in order for their names to be placed on the March 3 ballot.

Wednesday, a list of “nomination papers issued,” was posted at 12:58 p.m. by the Pasadena City Clerk.

For the Council District 2 seat, incumbent Margaret McAustin has announced she is not seeking reelection. Planning Commissioner Felicia Williams was already on record as intending to run for the post.

The new actions revealed candidates Alex Heiman, Tricia Keane, Boghos (Bo) Patatian, and Kevin Litwin as having received and likely are now circulating nomination petitions for District 2.

Litwin said he entered the race because Williams was running unopposed and he thought District 2 residents were entitled to a choice.

Keane is a deputy director of the City of Los Angeles’ Planning Department and a member of the Rose Bowl Operating Committee’s board of directors.

She’s been on Pasadena’s Recreation and Parks Commission, Planning Commission, and served as chair of the Design Commission.

“I’ve always been impressed by Pasadena’s rich tradition of citizen involvement and community engagement,” she said in an interview, “and I want to continue that, but also elevate it and make sure we are hearing from a diversity of voices.”

The week’s early pullings change the landscape in that sense. Litwin lauded McAustin’s record and said that as a Councilmember he would seek to continue her agenda.

Incumbent Mayor Terry Tornek, District 5 Councilmember Victor Gordo, marketing entrepreneur Major Williams, and former City Commissioner Jason Hardin, all of whom have declared they will run for Mayor, pulled nominating papers for the top spot.

The new name on the list is attorney Mike Geragos, who said that, at this point, his bid is largely exploratory.

The list confirms that incumbent Councilmembers Tyron Hampton, Gene Masuda, and Steve Madison each seek to renew their terms.

Hampton could be challenged in District 1 by two relative unknowns, Anthony Montiel, and Darrel Nash, who pulled papers on Tuesday.

Masuda is looking at three possible opponents in District 4 including Charlotte Bland and Kevin Wheeler, the latter a self-described non-partisan who pledges to focus on traffic reduction.

Auto body shop owner Joe Baghdadlian has declared his candidacy for District 4, but pulled no papers yet; a good reminder the candidate carrousel still has a few turns to complete before the slate is settled.

Incumbent Madison will square off against Ryan Bell in District 6, but expectedly will also face challenger Tamerlin Godley, who so far has not pulled papers.