Here’s Who’s Running in Local Races During Tuesday’s Primary Election

Six local residents are vying for three City Council seats and seven people are battling it out for seats on the Pasadena City College’s Board of Trustees in Tuesday’s election as voters head to the polls in Tuesday’s primary election. 

Seats in districts 3, 5 and 7 are up for grabs in a race that will change the face of the City Council and have a tremendous impact on the city.

Over on the PCC Board, four district seats will be filled anew.

Voting is well underway and local residents can drop their ballots off at a dozen drop boxes across the city. 

Official election results, certified by the Secretary of State’s office, will be posted on https://www.sos.ca.gov/ by July 15. 

Here are a list of the candidates in Tuesday’s races.

PASADENA CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 3

John J. Kennedy (incumbent)

In 2013, John J. Kennedy was elected to serve as a Councilmember representing District 3 in the City of Pasadena, California, where he also currently serves on the Finance Committee, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, and as one of three City representatives to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.

From a young age, Kennedy dedicated his life’s work to serving others. Born and reared in Pasadena, he served as Student Body President at Blair High School and Student Senator at the University of Southern California, where he received dual degrees in International Relations and Economics. 

Kennedy earned a Juris Doctor Degree from Howard University School of Law, and was the youngest person to have served as President of the Pasadena Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 3

Brandon D. Lamar (challenger)

Brandon Lamar has been involved in the community since his youth, being a part of Pasadena’s own programs such as Pasadena Youth Ambassadors, Pasadena Youth Council, Pasadena Alpha Phi Alpha Mentoring program, Pasadena Vision 20/20 initiative, and so many more. 

Later on, Lamar became a steering committee member of Vision 20/20, a community advisor for DayOne Pasadena, and assisted in the start-up of the La Pintoresca Teen Center and Pasadena Parks After Dark programs.

Lamar is now the Chair of the Human Relations Commission and serves on the Executive Boards of Pasadena NAACP, Pasadena Organizing for Progress, Leadership Pasadena, and Black Los Angeles Young Democrats.

CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 5 

Jess Rivas (incumbent)

Jess Rivas has spent her life working in public service. She previously served as a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice and is currently a deputy county counsel with the County of Los Angeles. Rivas was also a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and served on both the Northwest Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women. 

She graduated from Princeton University and New York University School of Law.

Rivas was appointed to the city council seat after Mayor Victor Gordo stepped down to become the city’s mayor. 

CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 7 

Ciran Hadjian (challenger)

Ciran Hadjian was born in Pasadena, where she and her husband raised their children. Her education and professional experience has been focused on solving the housing, sustainability and transportation complexities relating to cities.

Hadjian has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Urban Planning and an MBA in Finance from the University of Southern California. As a professional, she worked with community leaders to formulate broad, long-range policy documents to protect neighborhood quality of life, conserve historical buildings and craft development policies using community goals.

Over the past 20 years, Hadjian has served as a City of Pasadena Planning Commissioner, a City of Pasadena Library Commissioner and a City of Pasadena Recreation and Parks Commissioner. She currently is a senior volunteer Committee Chair with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 7 

Jason Lyon (challenger)

Jason Lyon was appointed to Pasadena’s Historic Preservation Commission in 2017. During his term on the commission, he worked to update the city’s ordinance limiting demolition of historic homes.  In 2019, Councilmember Andy Wilson appointed Lyon to the city Planning Commission. Lyon currently serves as the Vice Chair of both the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Since his son began attending preschool in Pasadena in 2006, Lyon has been deeply committed to serving our community. During that time, he served in various volunteer capacities for Pacific Oaks School. After settling here permanently in 2010, he joined the board of directors of Young & Healthy, a nonprofit dedicated to providing Pasadena’s uninsured and underserved children with access to high-quality health care at no cost to their families. 

In 2018, Lyon joined the board of the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, which works to advance the economic vitality and quality of life in our region. The same year, he accepted a seat on the board of Planned Parenthood Pasadena San Gabriel Valley, which provides equitable access to sexual and reproductive health care, including trans care.

CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 7 

Allen Shay (challenger)

Raised in Pasadena, Allen Shay served as Student Body Vice President while attending Eliot Junior High School, four years as a football player at Muir High School and a Student advocate for Homeless Veterans at USC, where he received a degree in Political Science and minored in Business. Upon graduating from USC, Shay opened his own business consulting firm with a focus on creating sustainable business growth and jobs in Pasadena. 

Shay has worked for his family business the Little Red Hen, said to be the oldest Black-owned business in Altadena along with the responsibilities of the family-owned real estate and other businesses. He also served as an executive board member of Pasadena’s NAACP. In 1994, Shay created a nonprofit foundation called “Our Society Foundation” (located in district 7) to provide scholarships, internships and mentorships to college-bound students from PUSD. In 2006, he joined the Local Government Relationship (LGR) committee with Pasadena Association of Realtors (located in district 7).

Shay was appointed to the Northwest Commission in 2011. 

PASADENA COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEE CANDIDATES

This year, voters in odd-numbered areas will elect four members to represent them on the Pasadena Community College Board of Trustees.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AREA 1

Sandra Chen Lau (incumbent)

Sandra Chen Lau is the Chief Advancement Officer for the prestigious American Film Institute and has held similar positions in the nonprofit sector including the Japanese American National Museum. She also runs her own consulting firm, transadaptive philanthropy, serving charitable organizations including foundations that support local public school districts. 

Chen Lau is serving her first term as the Governing Board Member of Pasadena Area Community College District – Area One (La Canada and Pasadena-West Pasadena, Old Town, Oak Knoll and Madison Heights neighborhoods). She is also a board member of the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association. Recently, Chen Lau was a policy group member on the National Covid-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative.

In addition, Chen Lau serves as a member of Pasadena City College President‘s Asian Pacific Islander Advisory Council. She graduated from UC Riverside with honors and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from UCLA, with a focus on community development and leadership in civil society. Chen Lau lives in Pasadena with her husband and their two school aged children.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AREA 3

Berlinda Brown (incumbent)

Berlinda Brown was elected to the governing board of the Pasadena Area Community College District in 2009 to represent Trustee Area 3, which covers Northwest Pasadena. Before retiring, Trustee Brown worked as a health care professional for the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center for more than 30 years. She credits her frontline experience at the medical center in molding her belief in society’s need for a well-educated and career-ready workforce. This is especially true for careers that provide healthcare to working families.

An immigrant from Costa Rica, Trustee Brown first mastered English at Pasadena City College by attending night classes. She later earned an associate in arts degree at East Los Angeles College. Trustee Brown also holds a B.A. from California State University Dominguez Hills. She is committed to helping students graduate in a timely fashion and begin careers that help them achieve personal dreams and benefit the nation’s economy.

Trustee Brown has served twice as President of the Board of Trustees. She was also the Board Liaison to the college’s 2021 accreditation process, which resulted in PCC being deemed 100 percent compliant with all accreditation standards, in addition to three commendations for the college’s work in equity and support of its adjunct faculty. She has also served as chair of the Accreditation/Board Policy Review Committee and the President’s Advisory Council on the Education/Facilities Master Plan, and has been a member on the Board Legislative Advocacy Committee.  

BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AREA 3

Steve Gibson (challenger)

Dr. Steve Gibson, Pasadena City College alumnus, education scholar, and 20-year Pasadena-Altadena community leader is running for the Pasadena Community College Board of Trustees member for District 3, which includes Northwest Pasadena, Garfield Heights, Orange Heights, Normandie Heights, Washington Square, Olive Heights, Lincoln-Villa, southwest Altadena, and parts of Bungalow Heaven and the North Arroyo.

Gibson earned his PhD in Education in 2019 after starting off at PCC in 2010. Raised by a domestic worker mother and a gardener father, he was the first in his family to pursue a four-year university degree. Gibson said as an African-American and Korean-American, and board officer of a Latino voter outreach group in Los Angeles, he has a track record for reaching, engaging, and working with diverse communities, including the young Hispanic/Latino population.

Gibson said he is supported by Mark Whitworth, President of the Pasadena City College Faculty Association. 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AREA 5

Linda Wah (incumbent)

Linda S. Wah is a life-long champion for public education. Her three children attended Alhambra and Montebello Unified School Districts. As an alumna of several community colleges herself, she encouraged her children to also attend community college upon graduating from high school. Wah’s passion and support for Pasadena City College (PCC) was heightened as a result of her personal experience when both her children, Marc and Irene attended and blossomed after graduating from PCC.

In September 2010, Wah was appointed to serve as Pasadena City College Area 5 Trustee. Area 5 includes the cities of San Marino, South Pasadena, and Temple City.  In 2011, the voters overwhelmingly approved of the job that she was doing and they reelected her to serve another term.

Wah has always put students first, and increasing college access has been her highest priority. She helped to promote the availability of community college classes in high schools through the establishment of “Dual Enrollment.” This program accelerates college completion by enabling high school students to enroll at Pasadena City College. In addition, she has been a strong advocate of the Pasadena City College Promise program which provides two years of a high-quality, tuition free education for all first-time, full-time students, regardless of age, income or immigration status.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AREA 5

Kristine Kwong (challenger)

Kristine Kwong is an education lawyer representing both public and private sector entities throughout the State of California in a variety of operational issues such as labor and employment, student issues, operational compliance, and litigation. In the public sector, Kwong has worked with special districts, parks & recreational districts, water districts, sanitation districts, K-12 schools (public, private, and charter), and universities on a variety of matters.

Most notably, during COVID-19, she helped educational and private entities manage the constantly developing landscape of COVID-19 compliance, offering a steady hand during the navigation of changing federal, state, and local mandates. 

Kwong is a resident of South Pasadena, and a graduate of South Pasadena High School. She serves on the Parks & Recreation Commission in South Pasadena and was formerly on the Transportation Commission. Additionally, she is a current member of the diversity board at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AREA 7

Anthony Fellow (incumbent)

Dr. Anthony R. (Tony) Fellow was elected to the governing board of the Pasadena Area Community College District in 2009. He represents Trustee Area 7, which includes the City of Arcadia.

He is professor of Communications at California State University, Fullerton, where he was chair of one of the nation’s largest university departments. In 2007, he was a Fulbright Scholar by the U.S. President’s Commission and was assigned to Italy, where he held the Vercelli Chair of Twentieth Century Media History at the University of Piemonte, the most prestigious Fulbright award in Italy. Following the Fulbright announcement, Cal State Fullerton Dean Rick Pullen called Fellow an “exemplary scholar with a strong reputation.”

Fellow has written three books, including American Media History, one of the nation’s top texts on the history of American media, Copy Editors Handbook for Newspapers, and Writing in a Multimedia World. Before entering university teaching, he was a reporter, political columnist, and city editor for 10 years with the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. He covered the presidencies of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter for the Thomson Newspapers. He continues to write newspaper columns on politics and water issues.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AREA 7

Alton Wang (challenger)

Alton Wang is the son of immigrants and a second-generation Arcadian educated in our local public schools who understands firsthand that community colleges open doors. His parents raised him in Arcadia because of our community’s renowned public schools. He attended Longley Way Elementary School, Dana Middle School, and ultimately graduated as a salutatorian from Arcadia High.

As an organizer, he drove record voter turnout in California and across the nation to increase our political representation. As a congressional staff member, he worked to ensure that all immigrants have the opportunity to succeed in America. Today, he advocates for expanding voting rights and fairer representation to guarantee that all Americans can access their right to vote.

Wang currently serves on the board of the Arcadia Parks Foundation as Secretary. He has been published in The Washington Post and the AAPI Nexus Journal. Wang has his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the UCLA School of Law, where he earned the prestigious Equal Justice Works Fellowship. As Trustee, Wang will work with teachers, students, and our neighbors to make sure that PCC provides outstanding learning opportunities so that every student can achieve their full potential.