Former Pasadena Mayor William Paparian is urging the City Council to reject the proposed fire parcel tax, warning it would cost thousands of senior homeowners $300 to $400 more per year without automatic exemptions for those on fixed incomes.

Paparian, who served 12 years as mayor with the backing of Firefighters Union Local 809, published his opposition in a guest opinion in Pasadena Now on Tuesday, July 28. His formal break with the measure lands six days before the council's Monday, August 3 vote, the last chance to place the tax on the November ballot and meet the Los Angeles County filing deadline.

The proposed tax would charge property owners 17 to 24 cents per square foot of developed space and is projected to raise $30 million annually to fund a $230 million fire infrastructure plan. As a special tax, it would need two-thirds voter approval in November.

"This is a classic regressive tax," Paparian wrote. "It applies the same rate whether a homeowner earns $200,000 a year or lives on a fixed pension and Social Security."

The stakes are personal, he argued. Citing Census data, Paparian estimates 8,000 to 13,000 Pasadena homeowners are 65 or older. He compared the added annual cost to a month's groceries or two weeks of prescription co-pays.

Paparian also argued the process has been rushed, saying critical documents and poll results were slow to surface and that the public was asked to discuss needs before the full price tag was clear. He said the city has not shown it has exhausted alternatives such as efficiency reviews and independent scrutiny of spending.

If the council does move forward, Paparian demanded that strong, automatic exemptions for seniors and low-income households be written into the ballot measure from the start. He pointed to two local precedents: the Library Special Tax and Pasadena Unified School District's Measure EE, both of which included protections for seniors and limited-income residents.

Paparian established the city's Public Safety Committee during his tenure and served as its first chair. He won his first mayoral race in the March 1987 primary, defeating three-term incumbent Jo Heckman with 60.6% of the vote.

The council rejected a separate revenue proposal, a 10% parking occupancy tax, in a 4-3 vote on Monday, July 20, leaving the fire parcel tax as the sole major ballot measure still under consideration. As we reported July 28, a canceled meeting earlier this month made August 3 the only remaining opportunity for the council to act.

The City of Pasadena posted a community survey on Monday, July 27 seeking resident feedback on fire department services and emergency response infrastructure priorities.

No city staff or council member had publicly commented on Paparian's opposition as of Tuesday, July 28. The council meets Monday, August 3; residents can attend or submit public comment through the city clerk's office.