Mayor Terry Tornek, Vice Mayor Tyron Hampton, Students performing, Mayor Tornek and former Mayor Bill Bogaard (Photos – Garrett Rowlan).
Perhaps it was the weather. The pouring had stopped but left the streets a slog, or maybe it was the lack of some galvanizing controversy, but the crowd gathered for Mayor Terry Tornek’s State of the City speech at Pasadena High School lacked the same level of intensity as last year’s address at Marshall Fundamental.
By Garrett Rowlan
The usual gathering of officials, friends, and those there to see and be seen met in the somewhat shadowy lighting of Pasadena High School—two western banks of lights remained unlit, giving the room a faintly lopsided illumination. And as the seven o’clock start time for the speech neared, there was an atmosphere of dutiful attendance, like waiting for the beginning of a play whose reviews were mixed.
The speech itself was solid, getting well-earned applause but, to overstretch the theatrical metaphor, no repeated curtain calls. Yet the news was, as Mayor Tornek himself proclaimed at the end of a solid address, good. The 245.8 million-dollar revenue, divvied up between police, fire, maintenance, and libraries, all seem to be holding steady, thanks to rising property taxes, other taxes, and with the Measure I and J funds soon forthcoming. While CALPERS still takes a big chunk of the budget, the possibility of new revenues from hotels, fallout from civic projects, and on-line sales seems promising.
Looking ahead, Mayor Tornek sees the abandonment of the 710 extension, the restoration of the Arroyo Seco, and the California grade separation, which should improve the arrival times of ambulances to Huntington, as current examples of opportunities to improve the quality of life in Pasadena.
In terms of how to spend the money from propositions I and J, the mayor shied away from the more conservative expenditures for reserves and pension deficit and seemed to lean toward doing urgent capital projects: facilities, fire stations, street lights, etc.
Other issues may have thorns, homelessness in particular, and the legislation of cannabis presents a minefield of difficulties, but both problems are being addressed.
What the future brings, ten years down the road, Mayor Tornek didn’t know, but considering the financial straits the city of Pasadena was in a half-dozen years ago, it seems he and the governing body—whoever it will be—are prepared to meet those challenges.
Leaving the venue, a few clouds had cleared, and a couple of stars appeared through the gloom.
> You can watch the State of the City 2019 event in its entirety here.
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