Joint School Board, City Council Meeting Thursday Will Look at Elections

The Pasadena City Council and the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education are holding a joint meeting on Thursday, February 16, to discuss, among other issues, the future of elections in Pasadena.

Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek is expected to lead the City Council contingent, and PUSD Board President Kimberly Kenne will lead the PUSD delegation.

City Clerk Mark Jomsky will do a presentation at the joint meeting to explain the implications of state law with regards to elections in Pasadena, although these may not impact the upcoming City Council and PUSD Board elections in March.

Under the California Voter Participation Rights Act (SB 415) signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014, all local elections that occur on “off-year” election dates are required to shift to statewide election dates which are in June and November of even-numbered years. To comply with the law, cities and local agencies in the state will have until the November 2022 election cycle to transition to statewide election dates.

For Los Angeles County, the change will affect all of the 88 cities that hold off-year elections – including Pasadena. These cities have only until January 1, 2018 to declare an intention to transition to statewide election dates.

Jomsky is also expected to discuss, for information purposes, the impact on Pasadena elections the California Voter’s Choice Act (SB 450) and of the Los Angeles County’s Voting System Assessment Project (VSAP).

The special joint meeting will also feature an oral report on the City of Pasadena’s Office of the Young Child, an annual report for Collaborate Pasadena, and an update on the Pasadena Youth Master Plan.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the City Council Chamber Room S249 at Pasadena City Hall.