Geoffrey Baum (Photo – geoffreybaum.com)
As Pasadena City College prepares to celebrate its 100th commencement ceremony on June 12, Geoffrey L. “Geoff” Baum announced his candidacy for the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees in District 1.
By News Desk
District 1 includes La Cañada Flintridge and the Pasadena neighborhoods of Linda Vista, San Rafael, and Madison Heights. Baum is seeking to return to the board after previously serving three terms, including two as board president.
In addition to his local service, Baum spent 12 years on the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, where he was twice elected president. He also served six years on the board of the Pasadena City College Foundation.
“Pasadena City College changes lives, and it does so at a moment when families across our community need it most,” Baum said in announcing his campaign. “After the Eaton Fire, after years of rising costs, students and parents are looking to PCC for an affordable, high-quality path to a degree, a transfer, or a good job. I want to help the college meet that responsibility with the experience and the relationships this moment requires.”
During his tenure in statewide community college leadership, Baum supported the enactment and implementation of the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act, known as SB 1440. The legislation created Associate Degrees for Transfer that guarantee community college students admission to the California State University system.
Baum also presided over the first approval of community colleges to offer bachelor’s degree programs, expanding access to four-year credentials in fields including respiratory therapy and dental hygiene. He was involved in efforts to establish Zero Textbook Cost degree pathways and helped secure a $115 million state appropriation to support the initiative. His work also included expanding transfer pathways to the University of California system and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
A homeowner in District 1 for more than 30 years, Baum previously served as president of the West Pasadena Residents Association. He helped lead the community effort opposing the proposed SR-710 freeway extension, a campaign that resulted in approximately 50 acres of corridor land being returned to the City of Pasadena.
Baum’s professional background includes work in broadcast journalism, higher education administration at USC and Claremont McKenna College, and philanthropic leadership. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Fordham University in 2024 and is a co-founding partner of Linda Vista Communications in Old Pasadena.
His campaign is centered on the theme “Experience. Innovation. Results for Students.” Former Pasadena City College President, California State Senator, and California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott is serving as campaign chair.
According to the campaign, Baum has received support from a range of local and statewide leaders, including former Pasadena mayors Bill Bogaard and Chris Holden; former La Cañada Flintridge mayors Mike Davitt and Stephen Del Guercio; four former Pasadena City College presidents; current and former PCC trustees; former California Assembly Speaker John Pérez; and Assemblymember Mark González.
The campaign plans to hold a kickoff reception on June 30 at Mijares Mexican Restaurant in Pasadena.
Another candidate in the race is Francis Pollara, who is also seeking election to the Trustee Area 1 seat.
The election for the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees will take place in November 2026.
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