Mayor Bill Bogaard Pasadena StateoftheCity January 26, 2012

Good evening, and thank you for coming to this State of the City event. I am greatly honored by the presence of so many here tonight and hope that this report provides a good basis for our working together in the coming year.

It is great to be in this theater, where attendance tonight clearly is boosted by the opportunity to visit this new facility. This theater complex is a great tribute to Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott. I want to thank them for hosting us and for the scene from “Noises Off.”

This theater was recently completed and the inaugural performance took place in October. Founded 20 years ago, A Noise Within moved to Pasadena to share this vital complex with our community.

The City charter calls for the Mayor to present each year a “thematic budget message,” and I believe that responsibility has never been more important than now in the year 2012.

Pasadena is preparing for its fourth budget year in a row with serious revenue shortfalls, and once again expense reductions will be necessary. Such reductions cannot be accomplished without cutting City services that our community...

Some of the large economic factors that continue to impact the City are high unemployment, which in September in Pasadena was 9.4%, in California 11.4% and in the United States 9.1%; national retail consolidation and the impact of internet sales on brick-and-mortar stores; a soft housing market, intensified by tighter credit requirements for home loans; low consumer confidence, which is at recession 2008 levels; and instability in financial markets brought about by the European debt crisis.

In addition to these broad economic trends, Pasadena is contending with a shrinking sales tax base. Sales tax is one of the primary revenue sources for funding vital City services. During the last decade, the City has lost 11 auto dealerships, resulting in a 30% decrease in annual sales tax revenues...

Pasadena, California 2012 StateoftheCity Student Report

High school seniors have a lot on their plates, right? College apps, scholarships, finals, and in my case, working to the last minute to meet a yearbook deadline. Many times, there’s very little else we can allow to fit into our busy schedules. On the evening of January 26, however, I made an exception. I had the privilege of participating in an event that most kids the age of 18 couldn’t say they did.

Pasadena, California 2012 StateoftheCity Student Report

As I entered “A Noise Within” a theatre located in Pasadena, I was greeted by Mayor Bill Bogaard, community leaders, city council members, and various community members. We all entered the double doors into the lobby where a community resource fair was being held. We were then guided down the stairs to the beautiful theatre...

Pasadena, California 2012 StateoftheCity Student Report

My name is Travis Jarjour, I am the ASB President at Pasadena High School, and this is my Student Review on the Mayor's State of the City speech. Immediately upon entering auditorium I was expecting a political speech that would discuss issues of the the adult world and would only relate to something of financial matters or the environment. At the beginning of the speech, to my surprise, he had actually address...