Pasadena's Measure PFD has crossed 66% approval for the first time, reaching 66.26% of the vote as of Saturday night, Nov. 7.

Measure PFD had 36,178 yes votes, or 66.26%, against 18,419 no votes in unofficial results updated at 4:02 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. The measure requires two-thirds approval—approximately 66.67%—to pass.

Because Measure PFD is a special tax, it requires a two-thirds supermajority. The measure first broke through 66% on Saturday when an update from the Los Angeles County Registrar's Office showed 66.06% approval. A late-night update moved the figure to 66.19%, and a subsequent count pushed it to 66.26%.

The tax would raise an estimated $22.1 million a year by levying 19 cents per square foot of improved property. A 1,600-square-foot home would pay about $304 a year, according to city estimates reported by Pasadena Now. The rate would not rise automatically. The tax would expire after 14 years.

Revenue would fund 911 emergency response, wildfire preparedness, earthquake and medical emergency services, firefighter recruitment and retention, lifesaving equipment and fire alert communications, according to the ballot question. The ballot question also calls for independent audits and public spending disclosure.

The Pasadena City Council voted 7-0, with Councilmember Tyron Hampton abstaining, on Aug. 3 to place the measure on the ballot, about 19 months after the January 2025 Eaton Fire.

The measure's path has been a slow climb. On election night, Nov. 3, early returns showed 65% approval. By the next day's update, it had reached 65.33%. By Friday, Nov. 6, the Pasadena Star-News reported the measure had reached 66% in a 4:37 p.m. update from the Registrar's Office.

Fire Chief Chad Augustin has said Stations 33 and 37 do not meet seismic standards. The measure's ordinance calls for rebuilding those two stations within the first 10 years, along with an additional fire station, training centers and a Fire Department headquarters, Pasadena Now reported.

Mayor Victor Gordo, the Pasadena Firefighters Association Local 809, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez are among the measure's supporters. Opponents include the Committee for Responsible Property Taxation, whose top funders are the National Association of Realtors and the California Association of Realtors, according to the committee's disclosure, along with the Pasadena-Foothills Association of Realtors and former Mayor William Paparian.

Matt Klink, a campaign consultant for the No on PFD campaign, said before the election that voters could support firefighters and still oppose the tax, and that the City Council should fund public safety first, according to Pasadena Now.

Countywide, an estimated 94,000 vote-by-mail ballots, 32,000 conditional voter registration ballots and 5,000 provisional ballots remain to be counted. Those figures cover all of Los Angeles County, not just Pasadena.

The County expects to post updated results at least once a day, usually around 5 p.m., through Nov. 13. Certification is scheduled by Nov. 27.