District 2’s Williams is Ready to Hit the Ground Running

When newly elected District 2 Councilmember Felicia Williams takes her seat on the City Council at 2 p.m. today, it will be the culmination of a decade-long journey.

“I have spent the last 10 plus years preparing for this moment so I can hit the ground running and conduct the business of the people efficiently,” Williams said. 

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on the council, most of whom I know very well. We will be a great team to tackle the challenges before us,” she said.

Williams defeated Tricia Keane, Kevin Litwin and Bo Patatian in a crowded primary race that many people expected to go to a runoff.”

Williams, who is bi-racial with an African-American father and Filipino mother, will be the third African American and second Asian American on the council. She will also be the only woman on the council. 

Williams has served with several city commissions since 2006, most recently the Planning Commission, on which she served as chair. Her community involvement also includes serving on the boards of several local nonprofits, including Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation.

The Pasadena native attended Polytechnic School in Pasadena and received her bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University. She later earned a master’s degree in urban planning from UCLA, and a master of business administration degree from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Williams brings to office the experience of a 20-year career in public policy and finance. She began her career at Kosmont & Associates in Los Angeles doing financial analysis for cities and securing land use approvals for large development projects. 

After receiving her MBA, Williams worked as an investment banker, structuring high-yield bonds and syndicated bank loans at Goldman Sachs, and municipal bonds at First Albany Capital, RBC Capital Markets, and PFM Financial Advisors. Her municipal finance work focused on property tax/assessment districts and environmental projects (water, sewer, solid waste and clean energy).

Williams owns a consulting firm, working with municipal clients on financing infrastructure projects and economic development.

Darla Dyson, a resident of the district’s Bungalow Heaven neighborhood, will serve as the District 2 liaison.

Williams said she and Dyon are focused on making City Hall more accessible. 

“We are working on making the District 2 office more accessible through email, social media, quarterly town hall meetings, and weekly coffees [when we are able],” Williams said. “I hope we can also do an annual community service day and a block party to bring neighbors together.”

To visit the District 2 website and sign up for the newsletter and important city updates visit, https://www.cityofpasadena.net/district2/.

Information is also available at https://www.facebook.com/FeliciaWilliamsD2, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PasadenaCaD2.