Mayor Seeks Federal Help In Funding Transit and Other Projects

Pasadena officials are seeking help from federal lawmakers to take advantage of being allowed to direct spending to projects in their districts now that a 10-year ban on the practice has been lifted by Democratic leaders in both houses of Congress.

Known as “earmarks,” the practice has been rebranded for the fiscal year 2022 federal budget process as “Community Funding Projects,” in the case of the House Appropriations Committee, or “Congressionally Directed Spending” in the case of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

In letters to U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, and to U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo outlined four local projects that could fit the categories for federal funding support.

These projects include the expansion of free Wi-Fi to all city parks in Pasadena, a sewer relining project in Northwest Pasadena, utility undergrounding in a wildfire-vulnerable Northwest Pasadena neighborhood, and the expansion of electric vehicle charging station infrastructure in the city’s Robinson and Victory Parks.

“All four of our requests would impact that critical area,” Gordo said in the letters. “As you know, wildfires are an increasing threat in California, and we are proposing to underground overhead utility lines for some homes in Northwest that are particularly vulnerable to wildfires. In addition, a federal contribution to our annual work to reline our aging sewer pipes will benefit Northwest Pasadena.”

Writing to Chu, Gordo also mentioned two more projects that could fit into the categories set by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for so-called “Member Designated Projects,” which include federal highway and transit programs.

These projects are the Union Street Protected Bike Lane Project, the first two-way protected bike lane project in Pasadena; and the plan to purchase two zero-emission buses for Pasadena Transit, along with the associated refueling/charging stations.

“As you know, even though Pasadena Transit is a robust system serving over 1.5 million riders annually, as a local provider we are not a direct recipient of federal transit funding for our operations or capital needs,” Gordo wrote. “Like many bus systems in the country, we did not collect fares for most of the pandemic, further eroding our ability to secure revenue for important projects.”

Assistant City Manager Julie Gutierrez is set to report about these requests when the City Council’s Legislative Policy Committee meets on Tuesday, May 25, in a special virtual meeting.

The meeting begins at 2 p.m. and can be accessed by the public through http://pasadena.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=9 and www.pasadenamedia.org.

Comments may be submitted by email to vflores@cityofpasadena.net or through www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/public-comment.