Displaced tenants speak at Pasadena City Council meeting on Jan. 13, 2020 (Photo – Garrett Rowlan)
At the first meeting in 2020 of the Pasadena City Council, some agenda items were cancelled, one was unexpectedly protracted and an open session tenant presentation was emotional.
By Garrett Rowlan
The most dramatic matter brought before the City Council was the open session presentation by the former tenants of an apartment complex at 215 S. Madison protesting a ban from their former residences after they were forced out by a fire on December 19, 2019.
The displaced tenants have not been allowed to return to gather their belongings—a burdensome situation during the Holidays, but also with ongoing ramifications in terms of lives being stalled. South Madison Ownership LLC, the owners of the building, claims that the issue is environmental with the possible presence of asbestos. If that is so, communication to tenants has been lacking. A tenant who is a deputy sheriff said, “They have not told us what kind of tests they are doing or what kind of time frame they have,” and he added, “I have guns issued from the sheriff that I can’t retrieve.” Another tenant said, “We have our memories. I have my law degree there.”
Asking the City Council for help getting into the building, tenant Tia Strozier called the lockout, “psychologically cruel.” She added that all displaced tenants are being denied relocation assistance. Another tenant described the experience as “living hotel to hotel.”
The issue was brought to the attention of the Pasadena Tenants Union shortly before Christmas, who organized and pushed for the protest.
The City Council meeting included a presentation on the Gold Line by Aston T. Greene, Interim Chief Systems Security and Law Enforcement Officer. Initially characterized as “brief,” the presentation lasted an hour, which Mayor Terry Tornek conceded was “longer than I anticipated.” Much of the delay was due to each Council Member addressing Mr. Greene regarding Gold Line stops in their area.
After 10 p.m., City Council chewed on Item Eleven on the agenda, a somewhat technical but vital discussion of the interstices of traffic and development in Pasadena.
> Click to watch the full Pasadena City Council meeting on Jan. 13, 2020.
In one ear and out the other. The only time these [omitted] councilmembers value the citizens is when they need their votes at election time.
Billy Gallegos, not necessarily true. If you reach out to your district council person you can get results.