Lyon Becomes First Candidate to Qualify in District 7 City Council Election

Planning commissioner and local attorney Jason Lyon became the first candidate to qualify for the District 7 election on Tuesday according to the city’s election website.

Lyon is hoping to capture the seat being vacated by Vice Mayor Andy Wilson.

Two other candidates, Allen Shay and Ciran Hadjian, have also pulled papers to run in the election.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Lyon is the only candidate who has turned in the necessary 25 signatures from residents living in the district and paid the $25 fee.

“It is exciting and humbling to be the first candidate in District 7 to qualify for the ballot,” Lyon told Pasadena Now. “This is really a testament to the hard work of our volunteers, who have been getting out the word about our campaign since last fall. I am grateful for the broad support we’ve received from folks in the district. I’m looking forward to continuing to have meaningful conversations about the issues affecting our city.”

In June local residents will go to the polls and vote for candidates in districts 3, 5 and 7.

Incumbent John Kennedy and challenger Brandon Lamar have qualified in District 3. Jess Rivas, who has also qualified, is running unopposed in District 5.

Council District 7 is bounded by Colorado and Del Mar boulevards to the north; the city limits to the south; Arroyo Parkway, Madison Avenue, and Los Robles Avenue to the west; and Allen and Roosevelt avenues to the east.

The district is home to some of Pasadena’s most iconic institutions, including the Pasadena Playhouse, the Langham Hotel, Pasadena Community College, and Caltech.

Lyon lives in the Madison Heights neighborhood with his husband, realtor Tim Hartley, and their two sons.

Lyon grew up in North Carolina and moved to Los Angeles in 1998. Since moving to Pasadena in 2010, he has served on the boards of directors of several nonprofits and commissions.

In 2014, Lyon was elected to the board of Young & Healthy, a nonprofit dedicated to providing Pasadena’s uninsured and underserved children with access to high-quality healthcare at no cost to their families. He also served on the governing board of All Saints Church and became its senior lay leader in 2016, overseeing the transition from legendary Rector Ed Bacon to successor Mike Kinman.

Most recently, Lyon held a seat on the board of the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, which seeks to advance the economic vitality and quality of life in the region.

In 2017, Lyon was appointed to Pasadena’s Historic Preservation Commission. He has been a member of Pasadena’s Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals since 2019.

Lyon joined Pasadena’s Hahn & Hahn law firm in 2017.