Pasadena Local Attorneys Call For Removal of Two Police Officers from Patrol Duty

Local civil rights attorney Dale Gronemeier called on the city to open an independent investigation to review the Christopher Ballew beating and demanded that officers Lujan and Esparza be removed from patrol duty. – Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News

Cannabis business ordinance placed on June 5 ballot

By Gus Herrera

In their first regular meeting since Feb. 5, the Pasadena City Council tackled a comprehensive agenda which included 28 items and ran past midnight.

Even the public comment portion of the meeting was sizeable in itself – for close to an hour, citizens voiced their opinions on everything from the controversial reconfiguration of Orange Grove Boulevard, to safety concerns about the Fillmore Gold Line Station and nearby homeless population.

City Manager Steve Mermell and Council Member Margaret McAustin revealed that there will be a public meeting on March 22 at the PCC Foothill Campus to discuss the Orange Grove reconfiguration, from Allen Avenue to Sierra Madre Villa.

Local attorneys Dale Gronemeier and Skip Hickambottom also called on the city to open an independent investigation to review the Christopher Ballew beating and demanded the suspension of officers Lujan and Esparza from patrol duty while the police department completes its own internal review.

Mayor Terry Tornek responded to the comments with his own statement: “As mayor of Pasadena, I think it’s time for me to speak out on the issue. While I share some of the concerns … unlike some of the critics, I have not lost faith in our police department … to conclude from viewing a troubling video that the department cannot be trusted … is a leap that I’m not prepared to make.”

While his support of the police department’s ability to conduct a “thorough and impartial” investigation remained steadfast, the mayor made it clear that the city will not “accept even a single mistake” and “cannot tolerate racial profiling.” Tornek assured the public that, if required, discipline will be enforced and that the police department will continue to review its hiring and training policies.

Mayor Terry Tornek defended the police department’s ability to conduct a proper internal investigation on the Christopher Ballew beating, “while I share some of the concerns … unlike some of the critics, I have not lost faith in our police department,” he said. – Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News

The evening’s consent calendar was approved via a sweep motion, with the exception of one item which was singled out for brief discussion – a resolution of intention to establish the Pasadena Tourism Business Improvement District (PTBID).

According to city staff’s report, the PTBID was originally formed in 2003 and requires modernization in order to continue to be a revenue source to “fund marketing and sales promotion efforts for Pasadena lodging businesses.”

In other words, the PTBID is a self-imposed charge by members of the district (i.e. hotels) to help promote Pasadena as a tourist, meeting, and event destination. The PTBID will also fund the Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau. The 2.89 percent charge is separate from transient occupancy tax and is “passed through to the hotel guests.”

The PTBID is the city’s fourth property and business improvement district (Old Pasadena Management District, South Lake Avenue District, and Pasadena Playhouse District) and was approved unanimously. There are two public hearings set on the topic: March 12 and April 16.

In election news, council agreed to place an ordinance on the June 5 ballot that, if approved by the voters, would allow a limited number of commercial cannabis businesses to operate in the city, subject to heavy regulation.

Although several council members would prefer to maintain a prohibition on the marijuana industry, the city found it important to craft its own set of intra-departmental regulations before cannabis proponents submit their own, less-restrictive ballot initiative.

Following substantial discussion, lengthy public testimony, and on-the-fly word-smithing by Assistant City Attorney Theresa Fuentes, council agreed on various revisions to staff’s original recommendations. Changes included a 600-foot buffer zone to separate cannabis businesses from residential neighborhoods, facility size limitations, and separation distance requirements. The ordinance would permit a maximum of six cannabis retail stores (with a limit on one per council district) and require a rigorous, multi-step selection process to open up shop. There will also be a taxation component up for voter approval.

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