Kudos to Councilmember Williams for her Scrutiny of the RBOC Budget
I want to commend Councilmember Felicia Williams for her Guest Opinion appearing in Pasadena Now on June 20, 2022, as well as her attempt, at last night’s (June 20, 2022) City Council meeting, to get transparency and accountability on issues related to the Rose Bowl and the Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC).
Given that the RBOC projects another multi-million-dollar budget shortfall for fiscal year 2023 and the fact that the RBOC received $21.5 million from our City’s General Fund and reserves to cover the Rose Bowl debt over the past two years, her questions were crucial.
Unfortunately, she was unjustly accused of “political showboating” by another councilmember when she attempted to get important information on RBOC issues, including bonuses paid to RBOC staff during the pandemic, when the City (i.e., community members) covered the Rose Bowl debt because the RBOC could not. We need urgent action from our City Council, and not another “ad hoc committee,” to address the RBOC’s dismal financial condition. And in the process, we need complete transparency and a reasonable opportunity for community members to voice their concerns and ideas.
Thank you.
Sonja Berndt
Pasadena
Got something to say, email Managing Editor André Coleman, at andrec@pasadenanowmagazine.
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
One thought on “We Get Letters: Rose Bowl Budget”
It WAS political showboating.
In her showboating she voted against funding affordable housing, road safety programs, our fire department, violence prevention initiatives, and a host of other services that serve the good of the community.
Our Police Department kills black men regularly, it seems, leading to multi million dollar payouts every few years and yet funding the police was not where Williams made a stand…it was over some dumb minutia about a ticket fee.
Steve Madison is right, all this was was political showboating.