Hundreds Attend City Hall Ceremony Honoring the Late Councilmember John Kennedy

With equal parts sadness and joy, hundreds of Pasadenans — elected and city officials, community members, friends and family members  — on Friday celebrated the life of former District 3 Councilmember John Jackson Kennedy, who passed away July 21 at the age of 61.

Kennedy died suddenly of unspecified causes.

Mourners filled Centennial Plaza directly in front of Pasadena City Hall, where Kennedy was first elected to the City Council in 2013 and served nearly a decade in the City where he was born. 

Pastor Terry Turrentine of Deliverance Tabernacle Church Pasadena officiated the celebration.

Two fifty-foot banners honoring and quoting Councilmember Kennedy hung high above the steps of City Hall, reading “All my life I’ve fought for fairness,” and ‘I’ve got you. One Pasadena.”

A host of elected officials including all of the current members of the Pasadena City Council except Tyron Hampton, who was sick with Covid,  City Manager Miguel Márquez, former Pasadena Mayors Bill Thompson, Rick Cole, Bill Bogaard and Terry Tornek, and Mayor Victor Gordo—were in attendance, paying tribute to Kennedy’s memory. 

“John Kennedy, obviously, was held in the highest regard in this community, because of his commitment to public service,” said former Mayor Bill Bogaard, before the formal ceremony. 

“When he came to City Hall, he wasn’t performing a ‘job,’” continued Bogaard. “He was performing a vocation, a commitment to the public and to the community, and I’m glad that this community is stepping forward to honor his service to the public and maybe be inspired to do that as well as he did.”

Mayor Victor Gordo pointed out Kennedy’s dedication to service and community, telling the gathering, “Serving in Pasadena, as you all know, means serving people from all walks of life. It means serving people, not an institution …and John did that with dignity and distinction, right until his final days.”

Gordo recalled that in his last City Council meeting, Kennedy stayed later to vote for “one of the most important issues for him, involving housing.”

Gordo also noted the diversity in the calls he received from “every part of the City, from even billionaires and just everyday, working people,” expressing their pain at the loss of Councilmember Kennedy. 

“I want us all to stand and applaud and give honor to our friend John Kennedy for a life well lived for his service to our community and for so many accomplishments,” Gordo told the audience, which stood applauded in tribute.

Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathyrn Barger recalled her first meeting with Kennedy, saying, “He was a fierce advocate for social justice,” and adding, “Although we came from very different backgrounds, we had a lot in common.”

Barger said that Kennedy had an “eye for homing in on just what his community needed and wanted,” noting especially his fight for the Jackie Robinson Park pool.

“To some,” said Barger, “it was just a pool, but that pool represented so much more to him. It was part of John’s vision to create a safe and healthy space for the children in his community, and a place where seniors and local residents could socialize and connect.”

Barger added, “When John sought support for anything, it was never about John. His focus was always, always, on the greater good.”

Friend and former Mayor Terry Tornek also emphasized that theme, saying that Kennedy “was a  big man, with a big, booming voice, he wore a big hat, drove a big truck, and had big dreams for this city,  his nation, and his community, and for himself. 

“He addressed housing for the poor, and first-class facilities for Northwest Pasadena,” Tornek continued, “and civilian oversight of the police and a powerful sister city relationship with an African city, … along with widespread recognition of historical mistreatment of minority communities in his beloved Pasadena.”

“Unfortunately,” said Tornek, “he didn’t have the time to realize all of his dreams, but we do.” 

As Tornek pointed out, “It’s good today for us to be making speeches praising John, but it’s more important for all of us to commit to working hard to realize his dreams.” 

Assemblymember Chris Holden described Kennedy as a “devoted public servant.” He said John’s service for the community “always came from the heart of a servant.” 

“At his core, John loved people.”

Kennedy attended Blair High School and USC, receiving degrees in International Relations and Economics. He went on to earn a law degree at Howard University School of Law, and later served as president of the Pasadena branch of the NAACP.

Kennedy was elected to serve as a Councilmember after Chris Holden decided to seek a seat in the Assembly.

Kennedy also served on the City Council’s Finance and Public Safety committees. Previously Kennedy served as one of three City representatives to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.

Kennedy was a tireless advocate for police oversight and at one point was the lone supporter of an oversight commission on the City Council. That changed after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

In June, voters decided to send Kennedy back to the City Council for another term.

In the wake of his passing, the range of Kennedy’s impact outside Pasadena shone through condolences were sent to his family from a host of elected officials including President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congressman Adam Schiff, Governor Gavin Newsom, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Cory Booker, Congresswoman Judy Chu, and state officials, including Assemblymember Chris Holden, and State Senator Anthony Portantino.

Following more than two hours of tributes, Kennedy’s sister Lena Louise Kennedy thanked Mayor Gordo and County Supervisor Barger, and said that “John would be overwhelmed with joy at your presence.”

“As our family copes with the loss of John, whom we cherished, we have been supported by all of the City of Pasadena in more ways than you can imagine,” Lena Kennedy said, mentioning in particular support from Vannia De La Cuba and Susana Porras, the District 3 office liaison. 

“John’s loss was not only a loss to our family, but it was a loss to our entire community,” she said. “I ask that we remember how he championed this community and that we all continue to do that.”

Kennedy will be interred at Mountain View Cemetery in a private family ceremony.   

Kennedy’s family has requested that contributions be made in his honor to a scholarship fund at the Pasadena Community Foundation. Donations can be made at bit.ly/PCFKennedyFund