Pasadena residents will get their first detailed look at a new Environmental Justice element being added to the city's General Plan when Planning Department staff present the initiative to the Human Services Commission on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
The element, required under California Senate Bill 1000, will identify communities bearing disproportionate environmental and health burdens and develop policies to address those inequities. It would be the eighth element in Pasadena's General Plan, joining Land Use, Mobility, Housing, Green Space/Recreation/Parks, Open Space and Conservation, Noise and Safety.
Planner Ani Garibyan and Principal Planner Anita Cerna will lead the 25-minute presentation, which includes a project overview, community input period and Q&A, according to the commission's agenda.
The Planning Department launched community engagement for the element at Pasadena's Annual Family Fun Day on May 23 at La Pintoresca Park, and a community survey closed July 31, according to a city press release. Engagement activities have been conducted bilingually. The project team includes city planning staff alongside outside consultants DUDEK and Day One.
The Planning Department said the program aims to give residents facing the greatest environmental and health burdens a direct role in shaping city policy and investments.
Transitional housing report heads to City Council
The commission will also vote to approve a Transitional Housing Report for distribution to City Council and the Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee. Chair Joshua Levine Grater is leading that agenda item.
The report was developed during the prior fiscal year by the commission's Ad Hoc Committee on People Experiencing Homelessness, led by Commissioner Anthony W. Orlando. The committee focuses on increasing interim and temporary housing availability in Pasadena, with particular attention to women, seniors and domestic violence survivors. Commissioners reviewed the report at their July 8 meeting and had no changes. The Aug. 12 vote would formalize it for distribution to City Council.
The report arrives amid modest progress on local homelessness. Pasadena's 2026 Point-in-Time Homeless Count, conducted Jan. 21, tallied 577 people experiencing homelessness, four fewer than in 2025. Unsheltered homelessness fell 6 percent to 322 people, the first such decline in five years, according to Pasadena Now. That drop stood out against a 3.3 percent countywide increase in unsheltered homelessness, according to LA County.
Among those surveyed, 29 percent of unsheltered residents reported being affected by the January 2025 Eaton Fire, and 9 percent said it was the direct reason they lost their housing.
How to participate
The meeting is open to the public. It begins at 6 p.m. at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 North Fair Oaks Ave. Written public comments must be emailed to [email protected] at least 30 minutes before the meeting starts. In-person speakers must submit a speaker card to the recording secretary before the item is called. Language translation and disability accommodations are available with 72 hours' advance notice by calling (626) 744-7925.
Residents seeking more information on the Environmental Justice Element can visit bit.ly/PasadenaEJelement or email [email protected]. The commission's next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 10.
