Pasadena City Council Will Take Up Park Safety Issue Monday

Mayor Bill Bogaard said the Pasadena City Council has agendized a public discussion about the safety of city parks at next Monday night’s meeting.

Bogaard’s decision came last weekend, even before Tuesday night’s shooting murder of a man in Villa Parke.

The request to discuss park violence and park policing was made by Councilmember Victor Gordo after two men were shot and nearly killed in Gordo’s District 5 Washington Park on January 21.

“ I think we need to increase security at our parks and in our neighborhoods,” Gordo said last week. “We need to immediately ensure that the parks like Washington Park have full time attention until the efforts of the police department get this matter fully under control.”

Gordo said earlier that if Pasadena police “don’t have the resources necessary to immediately provide additional security and safety officers at our parks” then the City Council needs to know that, immediately.

If the Council needs to provide more resources for the police chief and the police department then it should be done immediately without waiting for the next budget cycle, Gordo said.