Pasadena City Council opened its April 14, 2025 meeting with a celebration of Pasadena High School’s football team, which won its first CIF section title since 1933 (Photo – Screengrab)
The April 14 Pasadena City Council meeting opened with a celebration of Pasadena High School’s football team, which won its first CIF section title since 1933 with a 21–17 victory over Gahr High School.
By Chase Jones
Most of the Bulldogs attended the meeting wearing their championship rings. They were presented with a certificate of achievement from Mayor Victor Gordo before posing for a group photo with him.
April Is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
Mayor Gordo also proclaimed April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, recognizing the devastating effects of sexual assault on people of every race, gender, identity, religion, and age. The Mayor emphasized the importance of speaking out against perpetrators and supporting survivors to change the attitudes that allow sexual assault to persist.
Remembering Doug Kranwinkle
The Mayor and City Council also acknowledged the passing of Doug Kranwinkle, a Pasadena resident of 57 years. After graduating from Northwestern University Law School in 1967, Kranwinkle served as a law clerk for Chief Justice and former California Governor Earl Warren. He later moved to Pasadena to practice law and became deeply involved in community service.
Kranwinkle played a key role in the creation of the One Arroyo Foundation, aimed at improving the Arroyo Seco area, and was appointed to the Board of the Rose Bowl Operating Company in 2016. Councilmembers remembered him as both a mentor and a friend, admired for his sense of humor and ability to bridge disagreements.
“If I could teach anything to the generation after me, it’s to put service first, and everything else will fall in line,” Kranwinkle once told Councilmember Justin Jones.
Update on Washington Park Stormwater Project
Vice Mayor Jessica Rivas and Stormwater Program Administrator Dawn Petschauer addressed public concerns raised during the March 25 council meeting regarding the Washington Park Stormwater Capture Project.
They clarified that the project’s timeline is not driven by grant deadlines. Funding for construction won’t be available until the final design is approved. At this stage, only design planning is pre-funded. If the project doesn’t move forward, no money will be allocated to construction.
“We aren’t going to be compelled to move forward just because we have money burning a hole in our pocket,” said Rivas.
Addressing cost/benefit concerns, Rivas cited the Storm Drain Master Plan, which estimates that 116 acre-feet of water could be collected annually at Washington Park—making it one of the top 10 collection sites in Pasadena. These estimates were made before the Eaton fires, which have since increased runoff pollution, reinforcing the need for the project.
Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Process Opens
The City Council formally opened the 2026–2030 Capital Improvement Program budget process. No specific decisions were made at this meeting; the goal was to begin the approval process. The Finance Committee will meet on April 28 to discuss the CIP in detail, and the final plan is expected to return to Council for a vote on May 5.
Councilmember Rick Cole urged fellow Councilmembers to “think about priorities, and what hasn’t been fixed and isn’t in the capital plan…the most basic responsibilities.”
Relief for Eaton Fire Survivors
The meeting concluded with a report on relief programs available to residents affected by the Eaton Fire.
The next Special Council meeting will be on April 16, 2025.
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