Council, City Services Closed for King Holiday

City Hall and many City services will be closed on Monday, Jan. 17, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The City Council will not meet, but the City Council’s Public Safety Committee will meet later this week.

King was a prominent voice in the Civil Rights Movement from 1955-1968.

After Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man in 1955, King led the Montgomery bus boycott whch lasted for 385 days and resulted in King’s house being bombed and his arrest.

A court ruling led to the desegregation of Montgomery buses.

King was friends with Bayard Rustin, a gay civil rights leader who was arrested in Pasadena in 1953. Prosecutors charged Rustin with vagrancy after he served 50 days in the L.A. County jail, a common charge levied against LGBTQ people at the time.

South Carolina Senator Storm Thurmond read Rustin’s entire arrest file into the Congressional record in an effort to discredit the Civil Rights Movement. As a result, several civil rights leaders, including King, distanced themselves from Rustin.

Rustin received a Posthumous Pardon last year.

King visited Pasadena in 1958, 1960 and 1965.

King was assassinated in 1968 and his birthday is now a federal holiday.

Pasadena Fire and Police Departments will continue to provide patrol, jail, fire, paramedic and all other emergency services. Residents are advised to always call 911 for life-threatening emergencies. For all other non-emergencies, call (626) 744-4241. As always, “If You See Something, Say Something.”

Pasadena residents and businesses with power emergencies should call Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) at (626) 744-4673. For water-related emergencies, call (626) 744-4138. PWP’s Customer Service Call Center will be closed, but customers can access their accounts and make payments by phone at (626) 744-4005 or online at www.PWPweb.com.

The Municipal Services Payment Center, Citizen Service Center, and Parking Office will be closed. The city will not collect trash, recycling or yard waste on Monday, Jan. 17.  Collection will occur one day after your regular pickup day.

All parking meters will be free, and parking time limits will not be enforced; however, violations for overnight parking, red curb parking, “No Parking” zones, and blocking fire hydrants will be enforced. All regular enforcement resumes Tuesday, Jan. 18.

The Permit Center will also be closed; however, some services will be available via Permit Center Online, where you can obtain subtrade permits and submit plans for commercial tenant improvements (new) and accessory dwelling units. In-person operations will resume Tuesday, Jan. 18.

Pasadena Transit and Dial-A-Ride buses will operate on regular weekday schedules on Monday.

Pasadena Public Library sites will be closed Sunday and will reopen Tuesday, Jan. 18.