Pasadena City Council advances $195 milllion bond to retrofit Central Library

Pasadena residents will soon face a crucial decision in the upcoming November election: whether to approve a $195 million bond to retrofit the city’s century-old Central Library.

The Pasadena City Council’s 6-2 vote on Monday in favor of the bond has set the stage for the measure to potentially appear on the ballot. Staff will draft a resolution for the bond to be placed on the Nov. 5 general election, if the ordinance passes its second reading next Monday, July 29.

But while all council members agreed on the necessity of repairing the library, Councilmembers Jess Rivas and Jason Lyon, who voted against the measure, questioned the bond’s fiscal responsibility.

“I don’t have any doubt it’s going to pass,” Lyon said. “But painfully, I think it sends exactly the wrong message to send this unanimously without saying to the public, there are grave concerns about whether this is fiscally sound. And as a fiduciary for this city, I cannot say that this is a fiscally sound choice.”

Rivas also said she has been “wrestling with” the process.

“I think ultimately my reservations and why I will still be a ‘no’ tonight is the process,” she said, “that I feel like we didn’t have that moment of soul searching, doing that gut check, and we very well would have landed in the same place, I think it’s safe to say, but I don’t think we did that.”

The rest of the panel, on the other hand, was supportive of the bond.

“This is not something that I think we can be ambiguous about,” Councilmember Steve Madison said. “Great cities have great libraries, and we are so proud in Pasadena of our Central Library, our system of libraries.”

Mayor Victor Gordo pointed out that if the voters approve the bond, the city would appoint a citizens’ oversight committee to make sure the bond proceeds are used exclusively for the purposes outlined in the measure.

“We inherited a terrific city, and one of the things that I heard from, I believe, all of the public speakers, is unanimity with regard to preserving the library,” he added. “There may be disagreement as to how best to achieve that, but I did not hear any of the public speakers say, don’t do it.”

The city received 10 letters in support of the library project before the meeting, said City Clerk Mark Jomsk. In addition, a number of people who spoke during public comment encouraged the panel to vote unanimously on the item.

“To me, this is part of the project plan, that it ends with a bond,” said Kimberly Douglas, who described herself as a longtime resident of District 7. “And you can’t stop it at this point, it’s time to take it to the people and let the people decide.”

Yet, like members of the City Council, a few of the residents who spoke expressed concern about the cost of the project.

George Brumder said he is “fully in favor of improving the library.” But he is concerned that the proposed plan will cost “quite a bit more than necessary, by tens of billions, maybe more, maybe less, but certainly a substantial sum.”

But Tim McDonald, director of libraries and information services, said the project “has been designed as a transparent process where every stone was turned over”.

“And any ideas that would make this happen quicker, more cost effectively, were examined,” he said. “For the question of alternative retrofit approaches, there were ideas brought forward that were analyzed and deemed not viable for this project.”

The $195 million general obligation bond greenlit by the panel will help retrofit the Central Library to withstand future earthquakes. The 97-year-old library has been closed since May 2021, following an assessment that revealed its structure posed a significant earthquake risk.

It will cover earthquake repairs, fire safety improvements, a new roof, asbestos and lead paint removal, technology and mechanical system upgrades, as well as restoration of services.

Repaying this bond would cost around $12 million per year, translating to an average tax of $28.90 per $100,000 of assessed property valuation for property owners for 30 years.

The city hopes to lower the threshold with the passage of Proposition 5, a state measure that is also on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

Proposition 5 would make it easier for local jurisdictions to issue bonds for affordable housing and public infrastructure projects by reducing the required vote from two-thirds to 55%. If passed, the proposition would apply to the library bond as well. If it fails, the bond would still need two-thirds voter approval.

Proposition 5 itself would need a majority vote, or 50% plus 1, to pass, City Attorney Michele Beal Bagneris said at Monday’s meeting.