Council to Appoint District 5 Councilmember on Feb. 4

The four applicants vying for the Pasadena City Council’s District 5 seat will make their case at a special meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4.

Candidates Patrick Amsbry, Jessica Rivas, Martha Shekenberg and Michael Warner will be interviewed individually at that meeting. 

“COVID is the biggest issue for both the city as a whole and District 5,” Rivas told Pasadena Now. “For the city, operationally as a public entity, the economic shock from COVID is going to be a huge challenge moving forward. For District 5 residents, COVID threatens our health and ability to earn a living and keep a roof over our heads.”

The selection process will match the one used to fill the vacant District 7 seat in 2015 after then-Councilman Terry Tornek was elected Mayor.

Each applicant will have six minutes to address the council in open session, and then answer questions posed by councilmembers.

After all of the interviews, Mayor Victor Gordo will ask for a motion and a second for an applicant, and that applicant will be appointed if they receive five affirmative votes.

In 2015, it took three motions before District 7 Councilmember Andy Wilson received a majority vote to replace Tornek. The council defeated motions that would have appointed two other candidates.

After a majority vote, City Clerk Mark Jomsky will immediately administer the oath of office.

The appointee will be just the third District 5 Councilman since William Crowfoot was elected to represent the district in 1993. At that time, City Council district lines were redrawn according to the U.S. Census figures to increase voting opportunities for the city’s growing Latino population, which has been steadily growing since the 1980s.

According to state law, cities must review the district boundaries of local governing boards to determine if any group is being left out of the political process and determine whether they could be better represented.

The seat was previously held by Victor Gordo. Gordo, who served as Crowfoot’s field representative, resigned the seat after he won the race for mayor against Tornek in November. 

There won’t be much time for celebration. The new councilmember will help lead the city through its post-pandemic financial recovery and will choose a commissioner for the new Police Oversight Commission. The city is also in the midst of an affordable housing shortage and violence is on the rise.